World Matchplay Darts
18–26 July 2026
Expected December 2026 · Alexandra Palace, London, United Kingdom
Exact dates have not yet been confirmed by the organisers. This page will be updated as soon as they are.
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The PDC World Darts Championship is the sport's biggest event and a fixture of the British festive season at Alexandra Palace. The 2026/27 edition is expected to run from mid-December 2026 to early January 2027, with the Ally Pally confirmed as host through 2031.
Luke Littler is the two-time defending champion, having retained his title in January 2026 with a 7-1 demolition of Gian van Veen. With a £5 million prize fund and £1 million to the winner — the biggest payday in darts — it is comfortably the most heavily bet darts tournament of the year.
All odds are indicative only and subject to change. New customers only. T&Cs apply. 18+.
| Year | Winner | Key detail |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Luke Littler | Beat Gian van Veen 7-1; retained his title |
| 2025 | Luke Littler | Beat Michael van Gerwen for his first world title |
| 2024 | Luke Humphries | Came from behind to beat Littler |
| 2023 | Michael Smith | Beat Michael van Gerwen in a classic final |
| 2022 | Peter Wright | Second world title |
| 2021 | Gerwyn Price | First Welsh world champion |
| 2020 | Peter Wright | First world title |
| 2019 | Michael van Gerwen | Third world title |
| 2018 | Rob Cross | Won on debut, beating Phil Taylor in his farewell |
| 2017 | Michael van Gerwen | Second world title |
Darts betting is hugely popular over the festive period, and the World Championship offers everything from outright markets to a dense range of in-play and prop bets. The sets format means averages and checkout percentages — all publicly tracked — are reliable form guides.
Match betting and correct-score (in sets) are the staples, while most-180s and highest-checkout markets run across the whole tournament. The two-clear-legs deciding-set rule matters for over/under markets, a detail casual bettors miss.
With three weeks of darts and a bet on nearly every leg available, the discipline challenge is volume, not stake size. Set a tournament budget, pick the markets you actually have a read on, and enjoy the Ally Pally atmosphere responsibly.
The 2026/27 PDC World Championship is expected to run from mid-December 2026 to early January 2027 at Alexandra Palace. Exact dates will be confirmed by the PDC and this page updated.
Luke Littler retained his title in January 2026, beating Gian van Veen 7-1 in the final.
The winner receives £1 million from a £5 million prize fund — the biggest payday in darts.
Phil Taylor, with 14 PDC world championships.
A sets format, with each set the first to three legs and a two-clear-legs rule in the deciding set.