Preview of the 2026 World Darts Championship: a record field starts at Alexandra Palace

Kim Muntinga

4/12/2025

Translation: machine translated

Even before the first throw-off, it is clear that this World Championship will change many things. There has never been such a large field at the PDC, and the new knockout system increases the pressure from the first leg. Completely new dynamics arise for favourites and outsiders.

From 11 December, Alexandra Palace in London will once again be transformed into the epicentre of the sport of darts. The PDC World Darts Championship 2026 is the biggest tournament on the scene. This year it will be even more spectacular. For the first time, 128 players from 34 nations will be competing. The final will take place on 3 January 2026 and the winner will receive record prize money of one million pounds. A total of five million pounds will be paid out: twice as much as last year.

The tournament format

The 2026 World Darts Championship will feature a completely restructured format. The field of participants now comprises 128 players and is made up of three groups: the top 40 players in the world rankings, the 40 most successful players on the current Pro Tour and 48 international qualifiers from all continents. This breadth makes the tournament more global, more diverse and even more unpredictable in sporting terms.

For the first time, all participants will start together in the first round. Even the top stars will get straight into the action without a bye. This makes the World Championships even more of a pure knockout tournament, which penalises mistakes more immediately and favours surprises. The matches are played in the classic set mode, which gives the matches a clear dramaturgy. You can find the complete schedule of the World Championship as an official wall chart of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) here.

The tournament takes place over almost three weeks at Alexandra Palace. Matches are split between afternoon and evening sessions, with all matches taking place consecutively on the same stage.

Favourites and title contenders

The clear top favourite for the 2026 World Cup title is Luke Littler, who goes into the tournament as the reigning world champion. The youngster dominated large parts of the season, won several majors (including the World Grand Prix, the UK Open and the Grand Slam of Darts) and established himself at the top of the world rankings. His power scoring, his coolness in pressure moments and his ability to control matches in set mode make him the player everyone has to beat.

Directly behind him is Luke Humphries, who won two Major titles himself this year (World Masters and Premier League). He also regularly reached other finals on the tour and at majors. His track record in TV tournaments shows that he can go very far again at the Ally Pally at any time.

In addition to the two Lukes, Gian van Veen is increasingly moving into the limelight. The Dutchman celebrated his breakthrough in 2025 when he won the European Championship and defeated Luke Humphries 11:10 in the final. His scoring level is now among the best on tour and his development curve is pointing steeply upwards. Van Veen appears more stable, more mature and more consistent than a year ago. This is precisely why many experts see him as one of the most dangerous players in the field - one who has the potential to compete for the world title for the first time if he confirms his form from the autumn.

Josh Rock is also one of the candidates who could cause big surprises in 2026. The Northern Irishman reached several semi-finals at major level this year and won the World Cup of Darts for Northern Ireland with Daryl Gurney - a historic achievement that cemented his role in the national team and gave him additional momentum. Rock significantly improved his consistency on doubles in 2025 and showed world-class scoring at times. His aggressive style and constant development make him an opponent that nobody likes to face at the Ally Pally.

Gerwyn Price also remains a serious contender. Even though he failed to win a major title in 2025, he achieved several deep runs and reached the final of the World Cup and important semi-finals. His vast experience in set play - including his 2021 World Championship title - gives him exactly the tools he needs to go far again at the Ally Pally, even from an underdog position.

After all, Michael van Gerwen remains a name that you can never ignore in the extended circle of favourites. Even if the Dutchman no longer matches his dominance of earlier years, he proved that his top level still exists by winning the World Series of Darts Finals in 2025. Van Gerwen remained inconsistent throughout the year, but repeatedly showed explosive matches reminiscent of his peak phase. His big advantage remains his experience: three world titles, countless majors and the ability to step up the pace at the decisive moment. If he finds his rhythm in December, he will once again be a player who can go deep into the tournament in 2026.

The Swiss hope on the World Cup stage

The 36-year-old Stefan Bellmont from Cham ZG will be the only Swiss player at the World Cup. He secured his World Championship ticket by winning the overall ranking and several individual tournaments on the PDC Challenge Tour. At the last World Championship, he made history as the first Swiss participant, but was eliminated in the first round by Dutchman Jermaine Wattimena. This time he travels to the tournament with his head held high, his confidence boosted and will face the living darts legend Raymond van Barneveld in his opening match on 17 December.

The eight German participants

From a German perspective, it is particularly worth taking a look this year, because with a total of eight German players, Germany has more World Cup participants than ever before.

The breadth has improved noticeably, but there are also names at the top of the field that keep popping up in the extended group of favourites. First and foremost Martin Schindler, who played his most consistent season to date in 2025. He reached several quarter-finals and round of 16s in TV tournaments, stabilised his Pro Tour results and raised his scoring to a level that makes him competitive in set play. Schindler appears more stable, more mature and tactically smarter than in previous years. However, he must finally show this level at major tournaments. His opening opponent is Stephen Burton.

In addition to Martin Schindler, the focus will be on Ricardo «Pikachu» Pietreczko, who once again qualified confidently for the World Championships thanks to a stable season on the Pro Tour. Although Pietreczko did not show the explosive peaks of the previous year in 2025, he was more consistent and tactically mature overall. His scoring remains one of his greatest strengths and on good days he can keep up with significantly higher-seeded players. In the first round, he will play the Portuguese José de Sousa. After that, he could face Dave Chisnall or Fallon Sherrock.

Gabriel Clemens still has plenty of experience on the big stage, including his historic World Championship semi-final in 2023. However, he has hardly been able to achieve any good results this season in particular. In the current annual ranking, he is only 64th, and in the Order of Merit he has also fallen to 47th place.

The fourth member of the team is Niko Springer. After his strong year in 2025, he is considered one of the greatest German hopes. Springer has not only won a Pro Tour event this year (the Hungarian Darts Trophy), he is also the second-best German in the annual rankings in 30th place, ahead of «Pikachu». Many observers believe he can play a bigger role at the Ally Pally for the first time and deliver closer, more competitive matches against established opponents than before. However, he could already be up against one of the tournament favourites, Josh Rock, in round 2.

Then there are Lukas Wenig, Max Hopp, Dominik Grüllich and Arno Merk, who secured their World Championship ticket via Pro Tour rankings or international qualification. They are travelling without any great pressure, but each bring enough quality to be competitive in the extended 128-player field, at least in the first round. Merk will even open the World Championship against the experienced Belgian Kim Huybrechts.

New faces and exciting storylines

Every year, the World Championship writes its own new storylines and there are also several developments in 2026 that go far beyond the favourites. The performance of the women will be particularly exciting, especially Beau Greaves, who is back in the main draw after a strong Women's Series season. She is no longer regarded as an outsider, but as a player who can survive individual rounds with her consistently high scoring and calm match play. The potential appearance of Fallon Sherrock is also attracting additional attention - her previous World Championship successes have shown how quickly momentum can build at the Ally Pally when a woman turns a match around.

This year's World Championship will once again have a special appeal thanks to the players travelling from nations that are unusual for the sport of darts. The 128-player field opens up the stage for representatives from regions that have hardly been part of the PDC world for a long time. For example, Jesús Sálate from Argentina, Man Lok Leung from Hong Kong and David Munyua from Kenya will be competing.

Paul Lim, who is back on the World Championship stage at the age of 71 and is considered an icon in the sport of darts, is also writing his own history. His 9-darter (a so-called «Perfect-Leg») at the 1990 World Championship is still an iconic moment in the sport today.

Kim Muntinga

Editor

Kim.Muntinga@galaxus.de

My interests are varied, I just like to enjoy life. Always on the lookout for news about darts, gaming, films and series.

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