Darts

PDC World Darts Championship 2026 — Odds, Facts & Betting Guide

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.

PDC World Darts Championship: fast facts

  • The PDC World Championship is held at Alexandra Palace, confirmed as host through 2031.
  • The 2025/26 edition carried a record £5 million prize fund, with £1 million to the winner — the biggest prize in darts.
  • Luke Littler is the two-time defending champion, winning in 2025 and 2026.
  • Littler retained his title in January 2026 with a 7-1 win over Gian van Veen in the final.
  • Littler is the youngest world champion in the sport's history, winning his first title aged 17.
  • Phil Taylor holds the all-time record with 14 PDC world titles.
  • The tournament uses a sets format, each set first to three legs.

Past winners

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

How to bet on PDC World Darts Championship

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.

Popular markets

  • Outright winner
  • Match winner
  • Correct score (sets)
  • Most 180s
  • Highest checkout
  • Nine-dart finish specials
  • Each-way

PDC World Darts Championship 2026: your questions answered

When is the PDC World Darts Championship 2027?

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.

Who won the World Darts Championship in 2026?

Luke Littler retained his title in January 2026, beating Gian van Veen 7-1 in the final.

How much does the World Darts champion win?

The winner receives £1 million from a £5 million prize fund — the biggest payday in darts.

Who has won the most PDC world titles?

Phil Taylor, with 14 PDC world championships.

What format is the World Darts Championship?

A sets format, with each set the first to three legs and a two-clear-legs rule in the deciding set.