Draft:2027 PDC World Darts Championship
Darts tournament
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The 2027 PDC World Darts Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the 2026/27 Paddy Power World Darts Championship)[1] is a professional darts tournament that is scheduled to take place from 10 December 2026 to 3 January 2027 at Alexandra Palace in London, England. The 34th World Darts Championship organised by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC), it will be the 20th to be staged at Alexandra Palace, where it will be held in the venue's Great Hall for the first time. The tournament's total prize fund will be £5,000,000, of which the winner will receive £1,000,000.
| 2026/27 Paddy Power World Darts Championship | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Tournament information | |||
| Dates | 10 December 2026 – 3 January 2027 | ||
| Venue | Alexandra Palace | ||
| Location | London, England | ||
| Organisation(s) | Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) | ||
| Format | Sets Final – first to 7 sets | ||
| Prize fund | £5,000,000 | ||
| Winner's share | £1,000,000 | ||
| |||
The tournament will feature a 128-player field. The top 32 players on the PDC Order of Merit will be seeded for the first round. Luke Littler will be the defending champion, having defeated Gian van Veen 7–1 in the 2026 final.
Overview
Background
The Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) was established under the World Darts Council name by the managers John Markovic, Tommy Cox and Dick Allix, along with the world's top 16 players in January 1992 as a separate body that broke away from the British Darts Organisation (BDO).[2] The inaugural edition of the PDC World Darts Championship was held from December 1993 to January 1994 at the Circus Tavern in Purfleet, Essex, England. It was won by Dennis Priestley, who defeated Phil Taylor in the final on 2 January 1994.[3][4] Taylor would go on to win the tournament 14 times, adding to his BDO World Darts Championship wins in 1990 and 1992 for a record total of 16 world titles, including eight in a row from 1995 to 2002.[5][6] The PDC World Championship is one of two world championships in the game of darts; the other being the WDF World Darts Championship, which was first held in 2022 as the successor to the BDO event.[4][7]
The 2027 tournament will be held from 10 December 2026 to 3 January 2027 in London, England.[8] It will be the 34th edition of the event and the 20th to be held at Alexandra Palace, which first served as host venue at the 2008 World Championship.[9] The event will be hosted in Alexandra Palace's Great Hall for the first time after 19 years in the venue's West Hall.[10][11] Irish gambling company Paddy Power continued its sponsorship of the event, having agreed a renewal of their sponsorship until 2031.[12]
A total of 128 players will compete at the event.[1] Luke Littler will be the defending champion, having defeated Gian van Veen 7–1 in the 2026 final to win his second world title.[13]
Format
Ranking
Prize money
Qualification
The 128-player field comprises three sets of qualification routes. The top 40 players on the two-year PDC World Rankings after the 2026 Players Championship Finals qualify automatically, followed by the next 40 highest-ranked players on the one-year PDC Pro Tour Order of Merit. The remaining 48 places go to various international qualifiers.[1]
International qualifiers
There will be 48 players who qualify for the tournament through international qualifiers. For the first time, players from African were granted two guaranteed spots, separated into a Northern African qualifier and a Southern African qualifier.[1] The Trans-Tasman Championship was also introduced to determine a fourth qualification route for Oceania alongside the ANZ Premier League, the ADA Tour, and the DPNZ Pro Tour.[14] As of 22 April 2026, one player has secured a place at the tournament through an international qualifier, with David Cameron winning the CDC Cross-Border Challenge.[15]
| Event | Dates | Position | Qualifier | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PDC World Youth Championship | 29 November | Winner | ||
| PDC Development Tour | 20 February – 4 October | Winner | ||
| Second place | ||||
| Third place | ||||
| PDC Challenge Tour | 16 January – 27 September | Winner | ||
| Second place | ||||
| Third place | ||||
| Women's World Matchplay | 26 July | Winner | ||
| PDC Women's Series | 7 February – 11 October | Winner | ||
| Second place | ||||
| Third place | ||||
| Japanese Qualifier | TBC | Winner | ||
| PDC China Championship | TBC | Winner | ||
| IDC Indian Qualifier | TBC | Winner | ||
| PDC Asian Championship | 14 September | Winner | ||
| Runner-up | ||||
| PDC Asian Tour | 24 January – 13 September | First place | ||
| Second place | ||||
| Third place | ||||
| Fourth place | ||||
| Fifth place | ||||
| PDCE Netherlands & Belgium Qualifier | TBC | Winner | ||
| PDCE Mediterranean Qualifier | TBC | Winner | ||
| PDCE South-East Europe Qualifier | TBC | Winner | ||
| PDCE Czechia Qualifier | TBC | Winner | ||
| PDO Polish Qualifier | TBC | Winner | ||
| PDCE DACH Super League | 10–13 November | Winner | ||
| Hungarian Super League | TBC | Winner | ||
| PDC UK&IRE Tour Card Holder & Associate Member Qualifier | TBC | Winner | ||
| PDC North American Championship | 26 June | Winner | ||
| CDC Continental Cup | TBC | Winner | ||
| CDC Cross-Border Challenge | 17–18 April | Winner |  David Cameron (CAN) | |
| CDC Pro Tour | TBC | Top ranked American | ||
| Top ranked Canadian | ||||
| CDLC Tour | TBC | Winner | ||
| PDC Nordic & Baltic Championship | 30 October – 1 November | Winner | ||
| PDCNB Pro Tour | 7 February – 27 September | Winner | ||
| Second place | ||||
| ANZ Premier League | TBC | Winner | ||
| ADA Tour | 20 February – 7 September | Winner | ||
| DPNZ Pro Tour | 14 February – 28 September | Winner | ||
| Trans-Tasman Championship | 28–30 August | Winner | ||
| African Darts Group | TBC | Northern Africa qualifier | ||
| Southern Africa qualifier | ||||
| PDC Tour Card Holder Qualifier | 30 November | 1 | ||
| 2 | ||||
| NB: Two qualification spots are yet to be announced. | ||||