PDC World Championship
PDC World Darts Championship: Who has won the most tournaments?
Over the years, the PDC World Darts Championship has seen incredible displays, titanic conflicts, and priceless moments. Join us as we explore the question of who has won the most PDC World Darts Championships as the ultimate professional darts tournament draws near.
Honourable Mentions (One PDC World Darts Title)
Five players in all have each won the competition once. Michael Smith, Rob Cross, Gerwyn Price, Dennis Priestley, and Raymond van Barneveld are these players.
In the inaugural event, Dennis Priestley, aka ‘The Menace’, triumphed in the championship match, beating Phil Taylor in the final.
One more player with a World Championship victory is Raymond van Barneveld, also known as ‘Barney’. In the 2007 edition, he emerged victorious after also defeating Phil Taylor in the championship match, this time by a score of 7–6.
Rob Cross, a player known as ‘Voltage’, is another who has only ever won the competition once. In 2008, he made his winning debut after turning pro only 11 months before the tournament. Similarly, Cross defeated Phil Taylor 7-2 in the championship match to complete this remarkable and unlikely victory. Rob Cross first PDC World Championship was somewhat of an upset, and could he repeat the feat this year? He’s 16/1 to do so.
Gerwyn Price, known as ‘Gezzy’, has also won the PDC World Championship once, defeating Anderson 7-3 to become world number one. He became the first Welshman to win the tournament. Gerwen Price has been playing some of his best darts this year and is one of the leading contenders for this year’s title at 5/1.
Most recently, Michael ‘Bully Boy’ Smith, beat van Gerwen 7-4 to become world champion and world number one in the PDC Order of Merit. Smith became the first player to have won both the PDC World Youth Championship and the PDC World Darts Championship. In the final, Smith hit a nine-dart finish, only seconds after Michael van Gerwen missed Double 12 for his own nine-darter, a moment considered one of the greatest moments in darts history. Michael Smith is back for more success this Christmas, and he is 12/1 to win this year’s tournament.
#3 (Two PDC World Darts Titles)
John Part, known as ‘Darth Maple’, has won two PDC World Championships. In 2003, he defeated Phil Taylor in what is considered one of the greatest darts games ever, becoming the first non-British player to win the championship. In 2008, he defeated qualifier Kirk Shepherd 7-2 in the final.
Adrian Lewis, known as ‘Jackpot’, has won two PDC World Championships. In 2011, where he became the only player to have reached the PDC final without playing full-time on the BDO circuit, winning 7-5 against Gary Anderson. He ranked No. 2 and became the fifth youngest player to win a World Championship at 25. In 2012, he defended his title by defeating Andy Hamilton 7-3 in the Final.
Gary Anderson ‘The Flying Scotsman’ is another player to have won two PDC world Championships. The first being in 2015, against none other than Phil Taylor, when winning 7–6. The match broke the record, at that time, for 180s in a PDC final with 32. Anderson’s total 180s during the whole tournament of 64 was also a record. A year later, Gary Anderson played Adrian Lewis in a rematch of the 2011 final, winning this one 7–5. Gary Anderson could be in with a chance as he is in-form this year, he is 12/1 to win the 2024 PDC World Championship.
Peter ‘The Snakebite’ Wright is the final player to have won the PDC World Championship twice. Once in 2020, defeating both Gerwyn Price 6–3 in the semi-final and Michael van Gerwen 7–3 in the final to become the 2020 World Darts Champion at the age of 49. Wright’s second win came in 2022 when defeating Michael Smith 7–5 in the final. Peter Wright is back at the oche, at Alexandra Palace, this Christmas and is 20/1 to win it this year.
#2 (Three PDC World Darts Titles)
Michael van Gerwen ‘Mighty Mike’ is in second spot, having won the PDC World Championship three times in 2014, 2017 and 2019.
The first came with a win over Peter Wright, beating him 7–4 in sets. He became the sixth different winner of the event and, at the age of 24, the youngest as well as jumping above Phil Taylor to become the new world number one.
In 2017, ‘Mighty Mike’ got over the line to take his second World Championship crown with a 7–3 win over Gary Anderson. With this victory, he held all seven PDC major ranking titles at the same time. A whopping, 42, 180’s were thrown in the final, the most ever in a darts match. He regained the world championship in 2019 with a 7–3 win over Michael Smith, for his third PDC World Championship. Can ‘Mighty Mike’ get his hands on a fourth PDC World Darts Championship, this Christmas? He is 7/2 to do so.
#1 (14 PDC World Darts Titles)
Coming in at top spot, Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor holds the record for the most PDC World Darts Championship titles, having won it a remarkable 14 times between 1995 and 2013. This dominance and consistency over an extended period set him apart. Taylor appeared in twenty-five of the tournaments and walked away with the trophy on over half of those times. His record undoubtedly stands alone and will almost definitely never be beaten. It’s no wonder why Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor is often referred to as ‘The greatest darts player to ever have lived’.
