With the 2025/26 Paddy Power World Darts Championship fast approaching, here’s everything you need to know, from the full draw and schedule to key storylines and FAQs if you were lucky enough to bag tickets to the sporting event of the year at Alexandra Palace!

With a record-breaking prize fund, a stacked field, and some blockbuster first-round ties, darts fans have plenty to get excited about…

The action begins on Thursday 11 December 2025 and runs right through to Friday 3 January 2026, giving fans over three weeks of drama, tension and walk-on music. For the first time ever, all 128 players start from the opening round, setting the stage for a packed schedule from day one. And with a record-breaking £5 million prize fund, including a life-changing £1 million for the winner, the stakes have never been higher.

 

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Luke Littler (1) vs Darius Labanauskas
Mario Vandenbogaerde vs David Davies
Joe Cullen (32) vs Bradley Brooks
Mensur Suljovic vs David Cameron
Damon Heta (16) vs Steve Lennon
Raymond van Berneveld vs Stefan Bellmont
Rob Cross (17) vs Cor Dekker
Ian White vs Mervyn King
Chris Dobey (8) vs Xiaochen Zong
Andrew Gilding vs Cam Crabtree
Luke Woodhouse (25) vs Boris Krcmar
Martin Lukeman vs Max Hopp
Gerwyn Price (9) vs Adam Gawlas
Lukas Wenig vs Wesley Plaisier
Ryan Joyce (24) vs Owen Bates
Krzysztof Ratajski vs Alexis Toylo
Stephen Bunting (4) vs Sebastian Bialecki
Richard Veenstra vs Nitin Kumar
Dirk van Duijvenbode (29) vs Andy Baetens
James Hurrell vs Stowe Buntz
Martin Schindler (13) vs Stephen Burton
Keane Barry vs Tim Pusey
Ryan Searle (20) vs Chris Landman
Brendan Dolan vs Travis Dudeney
Jonny Clayton (5) vs Adam Lipscombe
Dom Taylor vs Oskar Lukasiak
Michael Smith (28) vs Lisa Ashton
Niels Zonneveld vs Haupai Puha
Ross Smith (12) vs Andreas Harrysson
Thibault Tricole vs Motomu Sakai
Dave Chisnall (21) vs Fallon Sherrock
Ricardo Pietreczko vs Jose De Sousa

Luke Humphries (2) vs Ted Evetts
Jeffrey de Graaf vs Paul Lim
Wessel Nijman (31) vs Karel Sedlacek
Gabriel Clemens vs Alex Spellman
Nathan Aspinall (15) vs Lourence Ilagan
Mickey Mansell vs Leonard Gates
Mike De Decker (18) vs David Munyua
Kevin Doets vs Matthew Dennant
James Wade (7) vs Ryusei Azemoto
Rickey Evans vs Man Lok Leung
Cameron Menzies (26) vs Charlie Manby
Matt Campbell vs Adam Sevada
Gian van Veen (10) vs Cristo Reyes
Alan Soutar vs Teemu Harju
Dimitri Van den Bergh (23) vs Darren Beveridge
Madars Razma vs Jamai van den Herik
Michael van Gerwen (3) vs Mitsuhiko Tatsunami
William O’Connor vs Krzysztof Kciuk
Peter Wright (30) vs Noa-Lynn van Leuven
Kim Huybrechts vs Arno Merk
Gary Anderson (14) vs Adam Hunt
Connor Scutt vs Simon Whitlock
Jermaine Wattimena (19) vs Dominik Gruellich
Scott Williams vs Paolo Nebrida
Danny Noppert (6) vs Jurjen van der Velde
Nick Kenny vs Justin Hood
Ritchie Edhouse (27) vs Jonny Tata
Ryan Meikle vs Jesus Salate
Josh Rock (11) vs Gemma Hayter
Niko Springer vs Joe Comito
Daryl Gurney (22) vs Beau Greaves
Callan Rydz vs Patrik Kovacs

There’s no easing into the tournament this year, especially for Luke Littler, who begins his title defence against experienced Lithuanian and former quarter-finalist Darius Labanauskas. It’s a fascinating first hurdle, and all eyes will be on whether Littler can handle the pressure of being world number one.

On the women’s side, Beau Greaves has been handed a tough but exciting tie against Daryl Gurney, while Fallon Sherrock takes on Dave Chisnall in one of the most anticipated early matchups. Add in big hitters like Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen, Gerwyn Price, Rob Cross, Gary Anderson, and so many more, and it’s clear the draw is stacked from top to bottom.

This year’s Championship will be full of intrigue. Littler attempting to win back-to-back titles is the obvious headline, but that’s far from the only storyline. The expanded field means fans will see fresh faces from all corners of the globe, making it the most international competition ever. There’s also a growing buzz around the women’s competitors, with both Greaves and Sherrock drawing huge interest thanks to their compelling first-round ties.

The World Championship has never looked or felt quite like this. With more players, more nations represented, and more money on the line, the 2025/26 edition has been designed to deliver even more drama. Whether you’re watching from home or heading to Ally Pally in full fancy dress, it promises to be a memorable year.

This year, Paddy Power has added a major new charity twist to the World Championship with Darts of Destiny. Anyone who donates via the JustGiving page could be chosen to throw nine darts for £180,000 on the Ally Pally stage before the final.

It forms part of the Even Bigger 180 campaign, which donates £1,000 for every 180 hit during the tournament. The nine-dart bonus is back too: if a perfect leg is thrown, £180,000 is split between the player, Prostate Cancer UK and a randomly selected fan.

All funds support vital prostate cancer research and earlier detection.

If you can’t make it to Alexandra Palace this year, you’ll still be able to follow every dart, double and dramatic finish from the comfort of home.

In the UK and Ireland, the entire tournament will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Darts, with sessions also shown across Sky Sports Main Event on busier evenings. Every game will be available to stream on the Sky Sports app, which is ideal if you want to dip in while travelling or catch up on the afternoon sessions.

For fans outside the UK, the PDC’s global broadcast partners will be covering the tournament across Europe, North America, Asia, Australia and beyond. And if you prefer online viewing, PDC TV provides streaming options in regions where it’s available. No matter where you are in the world, you’ll have multiple ways to be part of the Ally Pally excitement.

Head to our FAQs page for frequently asked questions and answers!