World Darts Championship News
About the World Darts Championship
The PDC World Darts Championship returns in 2025/26 for its biggest-ever staging.
A record-breaking Paddy Power World Championship will feature an expanded field of 128 players competing for an unprecedented £1 million top prize at London’s Alexandra Palace from December 11, 2025 to January 3, 2026.
The top 40 players from both the PDC Order of Merit and the ProTour Order of Merit are joined in the sport’s showpiece event by 48 International Qualifiers.
Luke Littler made history in 2025 by becoming the sport’s youngest-ever World Champion aged just 17 and is bidding to become only the fourth player in the 32-year history of the tournament to successfully retain the title.
World number one Littler heads a star-studded field alongside second seed Luke Humphries – the 2024 World Champion – and three-time World Champion Michael van Gerwen.
Other former World Champions bidding to reclaim the iconic Sid Waddell Trophy include two-time winners Peter Wright and Gary Anderson, 2023 winner Michael Smith, 2021 winner Gerwyn Price, 2018 winner Rob Cross and 2007 winner Raymond van Barneveld.
Multiple major champions including Stephen Bunting, James Wade, Jonny Clayton and Nathan Aspinall are also competing for the crown, alongside European Champion Gian van Veen, World Cup winner Josh Rock and former UK Open champion Danny Noppert.
Kenya and Argentina will be represented in the tournament for the first time, alongside a host of other notable debutants from around the globe.
Previous PDC World Darts Champions
| Year | Champion | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Dennis Priestley | Phil Taylor |
| 1995 | Phil Taylor | Rod Harrington |
| 1996 | Phil Taylor | Dennis Priestley |
| 1997 | Phil Taylor | Dennis Priestley |
| 1998 | Phil Taylor | Dennis Priestley |
| 1999 | Phil Taylor | Peter Manley |
| 2000 | Phil Taylor | Dennis Priestley |
| 2001 | Phil Taylor | John Part |
| 2002 | Phil Taylor | Peter Manley |
| 2003 | John Part | Phil Taylor |
| 2004 | Phil Taylor | Kevin Painter |
| 2005 | Phil Taylor | Mark Dudbridge |
| 2006 | Phil Taylor | Peter Manley |
| 2007 | Raymond van Barneveld | Phil Taylor |
| 2008 | John Part | Kirk Shepherd |
| 2009 | Phil Taylor | Raymond van Barneveld |
| 2010 | Phil Taylor | Simon Whitlock |
| 2011 | Adrian Lewis | Gary Anderson |
| 2012 | Adrian Lewis | Andy Hamilton |
| 2013 | Phil Taylor | Michael van Gerwen |
| 2014 | Michael van Gerwen | Peter Wright |
| 2015 | Gary Anderson | Phil Taylor |
| 2016 | Gary Anderson | Adrian Lewis |
| 2017 | Michael van Gerwen | Gary Anderson |
| 2018 | Rob Cross | Phil Taylor |
| 2019 | Michael van Gerwen | Michael Smith |
| 2020 | Peter Wright | Michael van Gerwen |
| 2021 | Gerwyn Price | Gary Anderson |
| 2022 | Peter Wright | Michael Smith |
| 2023 | Michael Smith | Michael van Gerwen |
| 2024 | Luke Humphries | Luke Littler |
| 2025 | Luke Littler | Michael van Gerwen |























