PDC World Darts Championship 2026 predictions and preview

By Klimentijs Konevs | Published: 11 December, 2025

From 11 December 2025 to 3 January 2026, the PDC World Darts Championship takes over London's Alexandra Palace once again. The action will be staged in the iconic West Hall for the final time before moving to the larger Great Hall from 2027.

This year, the tournament has expanded from 96 to 128 participants for the first time. Each contender will be chasing a part of a £5 million prize fund. Read our full preview as we break down the tournament format, favourites to win, and share our predictions for Ally Pally 2026.

Today's the day! 👀🍿#WCDarts pic.twitter.com/9WeHVwtqi6

— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) December 11, 2025

Luke Littler, last year's champion, returns as the strong favourite with odds to win set at 1.90. Luke Humphries follows at 5.00, while Gian van Veen and Josh Rock offer mid-range value at 13.00 and 15.00. Gerwyn Price and Michael van Gerwen remain dangerous outsiders in this year's expanded field.

The World Championship introduces a notable change to its structure, with all 128 players, including the 32 seeded stars, entering from the first round for the very first time. The tournament continues to use the traditional set-play format, where each set is played as the first to three legs. As the rounds progress, the number of sets required to win increases. Crucially, deciding sets must be won by two clear legs, creating more drama on the Ally Pally stage. If players reach 5-5 in the final set, the match is settled by a sudden-death leg.

PDC World Championship prize money

This year features the largest prize fund in PDC history, rising to an incredible £5 million. The champion will walk away with a record £1 million, while the runner-up collects £400,000. Semi-finalists earn £200,000 and quarter-finalists £100,000, with prize money awarded all the way down to £15,000 for first-round exits. Paddy Power also adds a £60,000 bonus for every nine-dart finish, shared between the player, a fan and Prostate Cancer UK.

Luke Littler heads into Ally Pally as the man to beat. The defending champion has spent the entire year proving he's the best player on the planet. Beyond winning the World Championship in 2025, he's added the UK Open, World Grand Prix and Grand Slam titles to his resume this year. With a very manageable early draw, it's easy to imagine him marching deep into the tournament again. His scoring is relentless, and he handles the big moments like someone twice his age.

Remember Luke Littler's record-breaking set average of 140.91 at the World Championship:

Leg 1: 180-180-81-60 (11 darts)
Leg 2: 180-180-129-12 (10 darts)
Leg 3: 139-174-136-52 (11 darts)

Only five of these 32 darts missed their intended target!pic.twitter.com/0uXuAVTusp

— Chris Hammer (@ChrisHammer180) December 10, 2025

Luke Humphries is the closest challenger. He reached the Grand Slam final this autumn, where he lost 16-11 to Littler. However, that run showed he's getting back to something close to his best. When Humphries finds his rhythm, he's still one of the most complete players in the world.

Gian van Veen is the breakout danger man. He is already boasting wins over both Lukes in 2025. If he navigates his tough section, he could shake up the tournament.

1. Choose a trusted bookmaker: Start by picking a reputable platform, ideally one of the top darts betting sites, and make sure it's fully licensed in your country.
2. Do your research: Look at recent form, head-to-head stats, and players' records in long-set formats. The PDC website and major stats hubs are great resources.
3. Explore available markets: Popular options include match winner, correct score, most 180s, highest checkout, outright winner and various over/under totals.
4. Bet responsibly: Set limits, avoid chasing losses, and remember that the goal is entertainment.

It's hard to look past Littler for this year's title. His dominance across every major in 2025, combined with incredible consistency, makes him the standout pick. We predict Littler will lift the Sid Waddell Trophy for the second year in a row.

Another decent long-term bet is Josh Rock to win the fourth quarter at 3.20. Being the 11th seed, Rocky had an amazing season, as he won the World Cup of Darts together with Daryl Gurney and reached the semis of the UK Open and World Matchplay. Michael van Gerwen, Danny Noppert and Gary Anderson are his biggest rivals in the section, but all three had an unimpressive season to say the least.

For more value, consider Gerwyn Price hitting a 170 checkout during the tournament. The "big fish" is one of his trademark finishes. He even nailed a 170 at the 2025 Grand Slam, proving he still has that clinical edge. Long-format matches should give him multiple chances to hit it once again.

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