The 2026-27 PDC World Darts Championship is staged at Alexandra Palace in London from Thursday 10 December 2026 through to the World Final on Sunday 3 January 2027. Professional darts’ flagship tournament is the richest and most prestigious event on the sport’s calendar, with a 128-player field, a £2.5 million prize pool and a winner’s cheque of £1 million. The 2026-27 edition is the 34th staging of the PDC World Championship and the 19th consecutive year at Alexandra Palace.
What is the PDC World Darts Championship?
The PDC World Darts Championship is the annual world title tournament organised by the Professional Darts Corporation. It features 128 players drawn from the PDC’s Order of Merit and Pro Tour Order of Merit, alongside qualifiers from affiliated tours worldwide. The tournament is played over a three-week run at the Alexandra Palace in north London, with breaks around Christmas and a new-year finals stretch. Matches increase in length as the tournament progresses, from best-of-five sets in the first round to best-of-13 sets in the final.
Winners receive the Sid Waddell Trophy, named after the legendary darts commentator who died in 2012. The trophy and £1 million prize have made the PDC World Championship the most coveted individual title in darts, drawing every top player on the circuit and a growing international field including the top Japanese, Australian, North American and South African qualifiers.
When is the PDC World Darts Championship?
The 2026-27 World Championship runs from Thursday 10 December 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027. Early rounds are played across December sessions typically split into afternoon and evening formats. The tournament breaks for a short Christmas recess between the fourth round and the quarter-finals, before resuming on Boxing Day or shortly after. The semi-finals are traditionally staged on 1 or 2 January, with the World Final on the evening of Sunday 3 January 2027. Exact session schedules, match orders and fixtures are published by the PDC in late November.
Where is the PDC World Darts Championship?
Alexandra Palace, known universally as “Ally Pally”, has hosted the PDC World Championship since 2008. The Grade II-listed Victorian entertainment venue in Muswell Hill, north London, stages the tournament in the Great Hall, with temporary bar and seating infrastructure installed to accommodate around 3,200 spectators per session. The venue is known for its raucous, costume-heavy crowd atmosphere, choreographed walk-on music for each player and the chanting of darts anthems between sessions. The PDC has signed extended contracts that keep the tournament at Alexandra Palace through the 2020s.
Key Contenders
Luke Littler enters the 2026-27 World Championship as the reigning champion and current world number one, following his run to the 2026 title at Alexandra Palace where he defeated Gian van Veen in the final. The 19-year-old from Warrington has dominated the sport since his teenage breakout at the 2024 World Championship, where he finished as runner-up aged 16. Three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen remains the most decorated active player. Former world number ones Luke Humphries, Gerwyn Price, Peter Wright and Michael Smith round out the list of proven world champions still competing on tour.
The next generation of contenders includes Gian van Veen of the Netherlands, Josh Rock of Northern Ireland, and England’s Stephen Bunting and Chris Dobey. Nathan Aspinall, Jonny Clayton and Rob Cross provide depth from the established top 16. Women’s world number one Beau Greaves qualifies through the PDC Women’s Series and is the headline contender to advance deep into the men’s bracket.
How to Watch
In the United Kingdom and Ireland, Sky Sports holds exclusive live rights, with every session broadcast on Sky Sports Darts and streamed via Sky Go and NOW. The BBC shows highlights packages during the tournament. In Germany, Austria and Switzerland, DAZN covers every session live. PDCTV streams the tournament to international subscribers in most markets outside the primary rights territories, including the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Viaplay holds rights in the Nordics and the Netherlands, where darts is hugely popular. RTL7 also carries coverage in the Netherlands for the free-to-air audience.
History and Records
The PDC World Darts Championship was first held in 1994 after a breakaway from the British Darts Organisation, with Dennis Priestley winning the inaugural event. Phil Taylor dominated the PDC’s first two decades, winning 14 PDC World Championships between 1995 and 2013. Michael van Gerwen has won three world titles (2014, 2017 and 2019), with Luke Humphries lifting the trophy in 2024 and Luke Littler winning his first world title in January 2025 and defending it in 2026. The tournament has been staged at Alexandra Palace every year since 2008 and routinely draws the largest live television audiences of any darts event worldwide.
Tickets and Attendance
Tickets for the 2026-27 World Darts Championship are sold through the PDC’s official ticketing platform and via Alexandra Palace’s box office. Demand is exceptional, with most sessions selling out in general release presales. Prices range from around £30 for afternoon preliminary sessions to £100 or more for semi-final and final tickets. The tournament regularly attracts around 180,000 total spectators across the three-week run. Resale is tightly controlled to combat secondary market inflation.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the 2026-27 PDC World Darts Championship start?
Thursday 10 December 2026, with the final on Sunday 3 January 2027.
Where is the PDC World Darts Championship held?
Alexandra Palace in Muswell Hill, north London.
How can I watch the World Darts Championship?
Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland, DAZN in Germany, Viaplay in the Nordics and Netherlands, and PDCTV internationally.
Who won the last PDC World Darts Championship?
Luke Littler won the 2026 PDC World Championship, defeating Gian van Veen in the final at Alexandra Palace in January 2026.