PDC World Championship

PDC World Darts Championship Predictions: Odds, Format, Schedule, Prize Money (2026)

1 day ago

| BY Ste Tudor

There are some who first embrace the festive spirit when the decorations go up. Others wait for carol singers to come knocking at their door.

A great many of us though know that Christmas isn’t worth a sheet of wrapping paper until the arrows start flying in from the oche, each throw roared on by a packed and boisterous Ally Pally. That’s when Slade’s annual cash-cow really hits home. That’s when the Baileys comes out.

Bet on the PDC World Darts Championship at William Hill

It’s with much delight therefore to reveal that ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters, ‘the darts’ – to give the competition it’s proper name – is once again upon us.

The PDC World Darts Championship is 33 years young this December, and has been held at the iconic Alexandra Palace for half that period.

In that time the tournament has gifted us a multitude of unforgettable moments and remarkable drama, from breathtaking comebacks to tense final-set deciders. Nine-darters have threatened to raise the palace’s roof clean off while those of us watching on at home scare the cat with excitable yelps.

PDC World Darts Championship Odds 2026:

Punters can bet on the outright winner of the 2026 PDC Darts World Championship at William Hill and here is the current state of the market:

Luke Littler – 10/11
Luke Humphries – 4/1
Gerwyn Price – 14/1
Gian van Veen – 14/1
Josh Rock – 14/1
Michael van Gerwen – 20/1
Bar – 33/1

It is unquestionably one of the greatest sporting events on earth and when it’s happening – when we’re immersed in its majesty and fully cast under its spell – it genuinely feels like the greatest.

Here then is a comprehensive guide to the three weeks of magic, madness and maximum check-outs that awaits us…

Format And Schedule

Featuring an expanded 128-player field for the first time, the 2026 PDC World Darts Championship sees the first arrows thrown in anger on December 11th and runs right through the festivities to an unmissable final on January 3rd.

As ever, the participants are split into three categories, they being the top 32 seeded players, the Pro Tour Order of Merit dartsmen, and 46 international qualifiers.

As ever too, the first round is the best of five sets and the same goes for the subsequent round. Rounds three and four is the best of seven sets and this incrementally increases until we reach the final which is the best of 13.

Each set is made up of ‘legs’ that adhere to the traditional 501 format. Both players strive to reduce their score from 501 points to zero in as few darts as possible, finishing on a double.

The dates for each round, including who meets who in round one, can be found at the bottom of the page.

Prize Money

An extended field calls for a bumper increase in prize money and this year the eventual winner will coup a cool million pounds. This is double the figure Luke Littler received last time out on being crowned world champion.

Whoever finishes runner-up will be rewarded with a £400,000 pay-out while the two losing semi-finalists head home with half that amount.

Even a first round exit brings financial compensation, with every player guaranteed £15,000 for their participation.

A nine-dart finish will not only bring the house down but earn the player in question £60,000.

Main Contenders

It’s no surprise to see Luke ‘the Nuke’ Littler an odds-on favourite in the darts betting to retain his crown, thus continuing a highly successful 2025.

In November, the teenage phenomenon ascended to number one in the world rankings after winning the Grand Slam of Darts for a second time, this after triumphing in the World Matchplay, World Grand Prix, and the UK Open.

He may only be 18, but Littler resides at the very summit of darts, as illustrated by his reaching of two world finals consecutively.

He will take some beating.

His namesake Luke Humphries however may just be the man to do that, ‘Cool Hand’ winning two ranking events in 2025, to add to his impressive career haul.

The 2024 PDC World Champion has beaten Littler in three ranking finals in recent times and is arguably the only player on the circuit to have the measure of his rival.

If not these pair, then Josh Rock is well worth considering at generous odds in the sports betting.

The 24-year-old Northern Irishman may not have won any individual honours in 2025 – though he did help his country win the World Cup of Darts – but a succession of deep finishes puts him in the reckoning.