PDC World Championship schedule released as fans hail ‘mind-melting amount of darts this Christmas'
The PDC have expanded the tournament to 128 players for the 2025/26 edition of the Alexandra Palace showpiece.
2
The PDC have revealed the schedule for the 2025/26 Darts World Championship
Credit: PA
2
The competition has been expanded with more players, more money and more fans
Credit: Alamy
This comes with a record-breaking prize pot of £5million on the line, with this year's winner set to pocket an eye-watering £1m.
And the schedule for the expanded competition has now been revealed by organisers.
It will be a 20-day darts bonanza held across 36 sessions which is expected to welcome more than 100,000 fans.
The likes of
READ MORE IN DARTS
Round one will last over a week through to Friday, December 19, with every day except for the opening day and Wednesday, December 17 featuring an afternoon and evening session.
Those who progress will then commence with the second round from Saturday, December 20, which will be played through to Tuesday, December 23 when the competition then takes a break for Christmas.
The darts then return with round three action on Saturday, December 27.
That will last through to Monday, December 29, when three round three clashes play out at the same time as two round four games.
Most read in Darts
BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK
The remainder of round four will be played out across two sessions on Tuesday, December 30.
Similarly, the quarter-finals will take place across an afternoon and evening session on New Year's Day.
Darts legend Bobby George sends stark message to Luke Littler as he warns sensation he can 'go from hero to zero quick'
Friday, January 2 will see the semi-finals played out, before the darts festival then concludes on Saturday, January 3.
Fans have called the tournament a "a mind-melting amount of darts".
However,
A record 40,000 were bought by annual members in the first 30 minutes of pre-sale for the event last year.
The PDC website struggled to cope with the traffic and some fans fumed as they got stuck on a "black screen".
Other fans were left furious after touts got their hands on tickets before reselling them on some sites for a colossal £800.
List of all-time Darts World Champions
BELOW is a list of darts world champions by year.
The list does
not
include winners from the pre-Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) era or BDO world champions.
That means Raymond van Barneveld, for example, is only listed once - Barney also won four BDO titles - and none of Eric Bristow's five BDO titles are included.
1994 - Dennis Priestley
1995 - Phil Taylor
1996 - Phil Taylor (2)
1997 - Phil Taylor (3)
1998 - Phil Taylor (4)
1999 - Phil Taylor (5)
2000 - Phil Taylor (6)
2001 - Phil Taylor (7)
2002 - Phil Taylor (8)
2003 - John Part
2004 - Phil Taylor (9)
2005 - Phil Taylor (10)
2006 - Phil Taylor (11)
2007 - Raymond van Barneveld
2008 - John Part (2)
2009 - Phil Taylor (12)
2010 - Phil Taylor (13)
2011 - Adrian Lewis
2012 - Adrian Lewis (2)
2013 - Phil Taylor (14)
2014 - Michael van Gerwen
2015 - Gary Anderson
2016 - Gary Anderson (2)
2017 - Michael van Gerwen (2)
2018 - Rob Cross
2019 - Michael van Gerwen (3)
2020 - Peter Wright
2021 - Gerwyn Price
2022 - Peter Wright (2)
2023 - Michael Smith
2024 - Luke Humphries
2025 - Luke Littler
Most World Titles
14 - Phil Taylor
3 - Michael van Gerwen
2 - John Part, Adrian Lewis, Gary Anderson, Peter Wright
1 - Dennis Priestley, Raymond van Barneveld, Rob Cross, Gerwyn Price, Michael Smith, Luke Humphries, Luke Littler
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
12 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Luke Humphries stunned by Gian van Veen in World Matchplay opener
World number one Luke Humphries' hopes of defending his World Matchplay crown were ended on the opening night as he crashed out to Gian van Veen. Humphries was hoping to become just the fourth man to defend his title in Blackpool after he won for the first time in 2024. But he was not at his best at the Winter Gardens and was downed 10-8 by the Dutchman van Veen, who celebrated the best win of his career. VAN VEEN DETHRONES HUMPHRIES! 🤯 What a moment for Gian van Veen! The young Dutchman secures his first win on the Winter Gardens stage with a thrilling 10-8 victory over reigning champion Luke Humphries!#MatchplayDarts | R1 — PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) July 19, 2025 Humphries' exit will make Luke Littler the overwhelming favourite for the event, with the teenager kicking off his campaign against Ryan Searle on Sunday. Despite not being at his best, Humphries still had chances to beat Van Veen but could only convert 28 per cent of his double attempts. Van Veen made his move to break at 7-7 and then eventually got over the finishing line on his fourth match dart. 'This feels like the biggest win of my career, to be here at the iconic Winter Gardens,' he said. 'Finally I got that winning double and this is the biggest win of my career. The defending champion had a difficult evening in Blackpool (Taylor Lanning/PDC) 'I guess this makes me the number one seed! I am just going to enjoy this one tonight. 'It means the world, I felt really relaxed on the stage, to beat the reigning champion and world number one, it's an amazing feeling. 'Luke is a true champion, a great guy and the true world number one. To beat the world number one is amazing but it is just one game. I take it game by game.' James Wade celebrated 20 successive years at the World Matchplay by coasting to a 10-3 win over Joe Cullen. Wade threw his best-ever average at the Winter Gardens of 104.44, hitting 10 out of 15 doubles. THE MACHINE MARCHES ON! 👏 📊 104.44 average💪 67% on the doubles James Wade – featuring in his 20th consecutive World Matchplay – produces his highest ever average on the Winter Gardens stage to storm through to round two!#MatchplayDarts | R1 — PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) July 19, 2025 He hit out at anyone who believes he cannot win the title next week, referencing an old spat with Sky Sports pundit Wayne Mardle who once questioned him. 'I can do it again, 100 per cent. I'm good enough to win this tournament. I mean, I think if anyone believes any different, I think they're a little bit Wayne Mardle-d. 'But I respect Wayne as well. I mean, Wayne's a wonderful person. He's got great knowledge of the game. I think he writes quite a few other players off. 'But I can win this tournament. Of course, again, it's no secret.' Danny Noppert beat Cameron Menzies 10-2, setting up a second-round meeting with Van Veen.
The Irish Sun
14 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Jake Paul CONFIRMS Anthony Joshua fight and vows to ‘shock the world' with huge boxing upset
JAKE PAUL has confirmed he will fight Anthony Joshua in an epic Wembley showdown next year. The American YouTuber made the amazing revelation ahead of Oleksandr Usyk's heavyweight clash against Daniel Dubois. 2 Jake Paul has confirmed he will fight Anthony Joshua next year Credit: EPA 2 The pair will collide in a stunning heavyweight clash Credit: Alamy Paul was among a host of celebs who turned out in north-west London for the epic battle set to unify the division. He told talkSPORT: 'I'm here for the vibes and the fight, Usyk is one of my favourite fights, I'm here to enjoy Wembnley. 'I'ts gonna happen, I want it to happen here, all the odds stacked against me. 'I believe I'll beat him and shock the world and create one of the biggest upsets in boxing history. 'I see (Fury is backing me), he's a smart lad. I love it, the UK fans really love boxing even more than American fans. 'I'm going around the pubs, asking all the people what they think about the fight, love the atmosphere. 'And this is always history when you're at Wembley.' THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY.. Most read in Boxing The Sun is your go to destination for the best football, boxing and MMA news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video . Like us on Facebook at
The 42
14 hours ago
- The 42
McIlroy charge electrifies Portrush but Scottie Scheffler remains as in-control as ever before
ON TUESDAY SCOTTIE Scheffler looked coolly down on all of our silly little het-up emotions and excitements and told us that none of it really matters because, when you think about it, what's the point? He did the same to us all today, but this time on the golf course. Rory McIlroy brought the spark plugs to ignite an electrifying Moving Day with a raucous, rollicking 66, but Scheffler eased to a 67 to leave everyone merely moving at a yawning distance below him. He takes a four-shot lead into Sunday. . . this Open looks done. For all of McIlroy's brilliance, he started the day seven from Scheffler and ended it six back, as Scheffler shot a bogey-free 67 to take a four-shot lead into the final day. Haotong Li has solo second at 10-under, while Matt Fitzpatrick is third, a single shot back. McIlroy, at minus-eight, is alongside Tyrrell Hatton, Chris Gotterup, and Harris English in a tie for fourth. 'He's playing like Scottie', said McIlroy. 'I don't think it's a surprise. He's just so solid. He doesn't make mistakes.' McIlroy was the energy's epicentre but the pulses thrummed out in all directions. Tyrrell Hatton holed out for eagle from the seventh fairway; Xander Schauffele eagled two of the par-fives; Matt Fitzpatrick chipped in for eagle on the second; John Parry made a hole-in-one on the 13th. But once again Scheffler remained exquisitely above the madding fray; standing at easy, phlegmatic distance from all this base human drama like some philosopher-king. Advertisement Scottie Scheffler. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo McIlroy didn't make the weekend here in 2019 and so he started like a man eager to make amends. He took a driving iron to safely find the first fairway and left himself 35 feet for birdie. . . which he poured right into the hole. The roar erupted and rumbled all the way back down the fairway to slam in the face of any wandering fans elsewhere. He then gave him an eagle look on the second hole, only to leave his putt agonisingly short. He nonetheless tapped in to open up with two-straight birdies. The crowds McIlroy magnetised were extraordinary, with great masses of people moving behind him, like mudslides flowing down the walkways. Keegan Bradley and Nicolai Højgaard were playing in the group behind and must have felt like they were consistently arriving in some suddenly-evacuated town, with the grandstands emptied and detritus drifting around trampled-down walkways. The Rory Run continued with a tidy par on the par-three third and then another birdie on four to fling him to within three of Scottie Scheffler's lead. Then, however, the momentum stalled for a while, with some terrific, arcing putts agonisingly skirting the hole. McIlroy also threw in a penchant for the utterly bizarre: when he went miles right on 11, the follow-through of his shot from the rough spat up a long-buried golf ball from some round in the mists of time. McIlroy beheld the ball like Yorick's Skull before tossing it away. Alas, he made bogey, and moments after Scottie Scheffler awoke with an eagle on the par-five seventh. This swing sent him back to seven shots off the lead. But we know Rory well. There immediately came another heady rush of adrenaline, as McIlroy trickled in an epic, 56-foot putt for eagle on the very next hole. He raised his arm aloft as the wreaths of greenside crowds erupted. It was, he said later, the loudest roar he's ever heard on a golf course. The frenzy was amped up and suddenly things were going well even when they were going badly. He took a driving iron off the 15th tee and still went left and into the rough, and then saw his second shot hit the pin and drop to within a couple of feet for a shot less gained than gifted. He went to Calamity – the par-three on which you cannot go right – and went right, but saved his par with a stunning pitch to four feet. He blew his tee shot on 17 miles to the right but got a friendly lie among the crowd to get down for par. But all the while Scheffler offered no encouragement. While he didn't roar away from the field across his back nine, he crushed the field with flashes of sorry hope. A missed iron into 11 was a kind of black swan event, but from a gnarly lie on a mound to the left of the green, he pitched himself into range to get up and down. He then left himself 10 feet for his par on 14. . . and made it. He then birdied 16 for the third-straight day, saw a birdie putt shave the hole on 17, Earlier, Shane Lowry's misery was somehow compounded even further en route to a three-over 74. Having lost two shots to a penalty ruling by the R&A last night, he awoke in the middle of the night with a vomiting bug. He thus visited almost as many bathrooms as fairways across a brutally draining round, and will be among the early starters on Sunday, at three-over for the tournament. But for all the anarchic energy around him, it was yet again Scottie Scheffler's day. But goodness, what a day all the same.
