PDC World Darts Championship facts for kids
![]() The stage at the 2016 edition
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Founded | 1994 |
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Inaugural season | 1994 |
Organising body | Professional Darts Corporation |
Country | England |
Venue(s) | Circus Tavern (1994–2007) Alexandra Palace (since 2008) |
Most recent champion(s) |
![]() (2025) |
TV partner(s) | Sky Sports (1993–) |
Tournament format | Sets |
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The PDC World Darts Championship is a huge yearly competition in the sport of darts. It's also known as the Paddy Power World Darts Championship because of its sponsor. This exciting championship starts in December and finishes in January. Since 2008, it has been held at Alexandra Palace in London.
The Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) organizes this event. It's their most important tournament. The winner gets a special prize called the Sid Waddell Trophy. This trophy is named after a famous darts commentator, Sid Waddell. The World Darts Championship is one of three major PDC tournaments, along with the Premier League Darts and World Matchplay. These three together are called the "Triple Crown."
The PDC championship began in 1994. It was first called the WDC World Darts Championship. This happened because of a big split in the darts world. The World Darts Council broke away from another darts group called the BDO. In 1997, the WDC became the PDC. After that, players could choose which world championship to enter. They just couldn't play in both in the same year. Both groups kept having their own championships until 2020, when the BDO stopped.
Thirteen different players have won this tournament since it started. Phil Taylor was the most dominant player. He won 14 times out of 25 appearances. His last win was in 2013. Other players who have won more than once include:
- John Part (2003 & 2008)
- Adrian Lewis (2011 & 2012)
- Gary Anderson (2015 & 2016)
- Michael van Gerwen (2014, 2017 & 2019)
- Peter Wright (2020 & 2022)
The players who have won once are:
- Dennis Priestley (1994) - the first champion
- Raymond van Barneveld (2007)
- Rob Cross (2018)
- Gerwyn Price (2021)
- Michael Smith (2023)
- Luke Humphries (2024)
- Luke Littler (2025)
Contents
Tournament History
In 1992, some top darts players decided to form the WDC. This included all the past winners of the BDO World Darts Championship who were still playing. In 1994, they held their very first World Championship. Dennis Priestley was the first player to win this new competition.
These players took a big risk by breaking away. Their tournament was shown on satellite TV, not regular TV. From 1994 to 2001, the prize money for the WDC/PDC World Championship was lower than the BDO version. However, in 1997, the PDC champion received £45,000, which was more than the BDO champion's £38,000 that year.
In 2002, the PDC's prize money became bigger than the BDO's for the first time. Now, the PDC event has the largest prize fund of any darts competition. In 2010, the total prize money reached £1 million for the first time. The champion took home £200,000.
The winners in 2014 and 2015 each received £250,000. For the next three years, the winner's share grew by £50,000 each year. By 2018, the total prize fund was £1.8 million. From 2019, the prize fund for the tournament was £2.5 million, with £500,000 going to the winner. The 2026 World Championship will have even more players, 128 in total. The prize fund will increase to £5 million, and the champion will win a record £1 million.
Tournament Venue
The tournament has been held at Alexandra Palace in London since 2008. Before that, from 1994 to 2007, it was held at the Circus Tavern in Purfleet, Essex. The games currently take place in the West Hall of Alexandra Palace. This hall can hold 3,200 people.
Championship Finals Overview
This table shows the winners and runners-up of the PDC World Darts Championship finals. It also includes the prize money and where the event was held.
Year | Champion (average in final) | Score | Runner-up (average in final) | Prize money | Sponsor | Venue | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total | Champion | Runner-up | ||||||
1994 | ![]() |
6–1 | ![]() |
£64,000 | £16,000 | £8,000 | Skol | Circus Tavern, Purfleet |
1995 | ![]() |
6–2 | ![]() |
£55,000 | £12,000 | £6,000 | Proton Cars | |
1996 | ![]() |
6–4 | ![]() |
£62,500 | £14,000 | £7,000 | Vernon's Pools | |
1997 | ![]() |
6–3 | ![]() |
£99,500 | £45,000 | £10,000 | Red Band | |
1998 | ![]() |
6–0 | ![]() |
£72,500 | £20,000 | Skol | ||
1999 | ![]() |
6–2 | ![]() |
£104,000 | £30,000 | £16,000 | ||
2000 | ![]() |
7–3 | ![]() |
£111,000 | £31,000 | £16,400 | ||
2001 | ![]() |
7–0 | ![]() |
£125,000 | £33,000 | £18,000 | ||
2002 | ![]() |
7–0 | ![]() |
£205,000 | £50,000 | £25,000 | ||
2003 | ![]() |
7–6 | ![]() |
£237,000 | Ladbrokes | |||
2004 | ![]() |
7–6 | ![]() |
£257,000 | ||||
2005 | ![]() |
7–4 | ![]() |
£300,000 | £60,000 | £30,000 | ||
2006 | ![]() |
7–0 | ![]() |
£500,000 | £100,000 | £50,000 | ||
2007 | ![]() |
7–6 | ![]() |
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2008 | ![]() |
7–2 | ![]() |
£589,000 | Alexandra Palace, London |
|||
2009 | ![]() |
7–1 | ![]() |
£724,000 | £125,000 | £60,000 | ||
2010 | ![]() |
7–3 | ![]() |
£1,000,000 | £200,000 | £100,000 | ||
2011 | ![]() |
7–5 | ![]() |
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2012 | ![]() |
7–3 | ![]() |
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2013 | ![]() |
7–4 | ![]() |
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2014 | ![]() |
7–4 | ![]() |
£1,050,000 | £250,000 | |||
2015 | ![]() |
7–6 | ![]() |
£1,250,000 | £120,000 | William Hill | ||
2016 | ![]() |
7–5 | ![]() |
£1,500,000 | £300,000 | £150,000 | ||
2017 | ![]() |
7–3 | ![]() |
£1,650,000 | £350,000 | £160,000 | ||
2018 | ![]() |
7–2 | ![]() |
£1,800,000 | £400,000 | £170,000 | ||
2019 | ![]() |
7–3 | ![]() |
£2,500,000 | £500,000 | £200,000 | ||
2020 | ![]() |
7–3 | ![]() |
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2021 | ![]() |
7–3 | ![]() |
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2022 | ![]() |
7–5 | ![]() |
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2023 | ![]() |
7–4 | ![]() |
Cazoo | ||||
2024 | ![]() |
7–4 | ![]() |
Paddy Power | ||||
2025 | ![]() |
7–3 | ![]() |
|||||
2026 | £5,000,000 | £1,000,000 | £400,000 |
Tournament Records and Stats
Most Final Appearances
This table shows the players who have reached the finals the most times.
Rank | Player | Winner | Runner-up | Finals | Apps |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() |
14 | 5 | 19 | 25 |
2 | ![]() |
3 | 4 | 7 | 18 |
3 | ![]() |
2 | 3 | 5 | 16 |
4 | ![]() |
2 | 1 | 3 | 18 |
![]() |
2 | 1 | 3 | 18 | |
![]() |
2 | 1 | 3 | 16 | |
7 | ![]() |
1 | 4 | 5 | 19 |
8 | ![]() |
1 | 2 | 3 | 14 |
9 | ![]() |
1 | 1 | 2 | 18 |
![]() |
1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | |
11 | ![]() |
1 | 0 | 1 | 8 |
![]() |
1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | |
![]() |
1 | 0 | 1 | 11 | |
12 | ![]() |
0 | 3 | 3 | 13 |
14 | ![]() |
0 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
![]() |
0 | 1 | 1 | 13 | |
![]() |
0 | 1 | 1 | 10 | |
![]() |
0 | 1 | 1 | 17 | |
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0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |
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0 | 1 | 1 | 15 |
- Players who are still active are shown in bold.
- Only players who reached the final are listed here.
- If players have the same records, they are listed in alphabetical order by their last name.
Champions by Country
This table shows which countries the champions have come from.
Country | Players | Total | First title | Last title |
---|---|---|---|---|
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7 | 21 | 1994 | 2025 |
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2 | 4 | 2007 | 2019 |
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2 | 4 | 2015 | 2022 |
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1 | 2 | 2003 | 2008 |
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1 | 1 | 2021 | 2021 |
Nine-Dart Finishes
A "nine-dart finish" is when a player wins a leg (a part of a match) in the fewest possible darts, which is nine. It's very rare and exciting! Sixteen nine-dart finishes have happened at the World Championship. The first one was in 2009.
Two of these amazing finishes happened in the actual world finals:
- Adrian Lewis in 2011
- Michael Smith in 2023
Number | Player | Year (+ Round) | Method | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | ![]() |
2009, Quarter-Final | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | ![]() |
Won |
2. | ![]() |
2010, 2nd Round | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | ![]() |
Won |
3. | ![]() |
2011, Final | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | ![]() |
Won |
4. | ![]() |
2013, 2nd Round | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | ![]() |
Lost |
5. | ![]() |
2013, Semi-Final | 3 x T20; 2 x T20, T19; 2 x T20, D12 | ![]() |
Won |
6. | ![]() |
2014, 1st Round | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | ![]() |
Lost |
7. | ![]() |
2014, 1st Round | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | ![]() |
Lost |
8. | ![]() |
2015, 3rd Round | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | ![]() |
Lost |
9. | ![]() |
2016, Semi-Final | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | ![]() |
Won |
10. | ![]() |
2021, 3rd Round | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | ![]() |
Lost |
11. | ![]() |
2022, 1st Round | 3 x T20; 2 x T20, T19; 2 x T20, D12 | ![]() |
Won |
12. | ![]() |
2022, 1st Round | T20, 2 x T19; 3 x T20; T20, T17, D18 | ![]() |
Lost |
13. | ![]() |
2022, Quarter-Final | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T19, T20, D12 | ![]() |
Lost |
14. | ![]() |
2023, Final | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | ![]() |
Won |
15. | ![]() |
2025, 1st Round | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | ![]() |
Lost |
16. | ![]() |
2025, 3rd Round | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | ![]() |
Lost |
Player Averages
A player's "average" is how many points they score on average with three darts. Since the PDC started, there has been a lot of talk about how good players are in each group. This often focuses on their three-dart averages.
In the PDC World Championship, players have scored an average over 100 in a match 195 times. In the BDO World Championship, this happened only 21 times. In 2010, Phil Taylor was the first player to average over 100 in all six rounds of the tournament. He did it again in 2015, even though he lost the final. Michael van Gerwen also achieved this in 2017 and 2019.
An average over 105 in a match has been achieved 40 times in the PDC World Championship. The highest match average ever in the BDO World Championship was 103.83 by Raymond van Barneveld in 2004.
Top Match Averages
This table shows the ten highest three-dart averages in a single match at the PDC World Championship.
Ten highest PDC World Championship one-match averages | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Average | Player | Year (+Round) | Opponent | Result |
114.05 | ![]() |
2017, Semi-Final | ![]() |
6–2 |
111.21 | ![]() |
2002, 2nd Round | ![]() |
6–1 |
110.94 | ![]() |
2009, Final | ![]() |
7–1 |
109.34 | ![]() |
2017, Semi-Final | ![]() |
2–6 |
109.23 | ![]() |
2016, 2nd Round | ![]() |
4–0 |
109.00 | ![]() |
2007, 2nd Round | ![]() |
4–1 |
108.98 | ![]() |
2021, 2nd Round | ![]() |
3–1 |
108.80 | ![]() |
2009, Quarter-Final | ![]() |
5–0 |
108.74 | ![]() |
2024, Semi-Final | ![]() |
6–0 |
108.65 | ![]() |
2018, 2nd Round | ![]() |
4–0 |
Highest Losing Averages
Sometimes, a player can have a very high average but still lose the match. This table shows the five highest averages by players who did not win their match.
Five highest losing averages | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Average | Player | Year (+Round) | Opponent | Result |
109.34 | ![]() |
2017, Semi-Final | ![]() |
2–6 |
106.09 | ![]() |
2019, 2nd Round | ![]() |
1–3 |
106.07 | ![]() |
2017, 2nd Round | ![]() |
2–4 |
105.78 | ![]() |
2016, 3rd Round | ![]() |
3–4 |
104.93 | ![]() |
2017, Final | ![]() |
3–7 |
Players with Many High Averages
This table lists players who have achieved an average of 100 or more in 5 or more matches. This data was updated on January 3, 2025.
Players with 5 or more 100+ match average (updated 3 January 2025) | |||
---|---|---|---|
Player | Total | Highest Av. | Year (+Round) |
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56 | 111.21 | 2002, 2nd Round |
![]() |
42 | 114.05 | 2017, Semi-Final |
![]() |
23 | 108.39 | 2011, 3rd Round |
![]() |
16 | 105.86 | 2020, Quarter-Final |
![]() |
15 | 106.51 | 2010, 1st Round |
![]() |
13 | 109.34 | 2017, Semi-Final |
![]() |
13 | 106.32 | 2022, 2nd Round |
![]() |
10 | 106.12 | 2024, 1st Round |
![]() |
7 | 107.67 | 2018, Final |
![]() |
7 | 107.34 | 2021, Quarter-Final |
![]() |
7 | 107.28 | 2024, 2nd Round |
![]() |
7 | 105.37 | 2010, Quarter-Final |
![]() |
6 | 105.61 | 2021, 2nd Round |
![]() |
5 | 104.20 | 2020, 3rd Round |
Highest Tournament Averages
This table shows the ten highest overall averages for a player throughout an entire tournament (if they played at least 3 matches).
Ten highest tournament averages (min 3 matches) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Average | Player | Year | Round (+ result) | Reference |
106.37 | ![]() |
2017 | Final (won) | |
104.68 | ![]() |
2016 | 3rd Round | |
104.63 | ![]() |
2010 | Final (won) | |
104.19 | ![]() |
2010 | Quarter-Final | |
104.08 | ![]() |
2009 | Final (won) | |
104.05 | ![]() |
2018 | Semi-Final | |
103.64 | ![]() |
2021 | Quarter-Final | |
103.45 | ![]() |
2017 | Final (loss) | |
103.38 | ![]() |
2019 | Final (won) | |
103.06 | ![]() |
2011 | Final (loss) |
Note: The averages above are calculated by adding up match averages. The true average is based on total points and darts used.
Key Records
- Most titles: Phil Taylor has won 14 titles. If you include his two BDO titles, he has 16, which is a record across both organizations.
- Most finals: Phil Taylor has played in 19 finals (from 1994 to 2007, 2009–2010, 2013, 2015, and 2018). With his BDO finals, he has 21 total.
- Most match wins: Phil Taylor has won 110 matches (1994–2018). He only lost 11 matches in the tournament. He reached every final from 1994 to 2007.
- Longest winning streak: Phil Taylor won 44 matches in a row (1995–2003). This was between his losses in the 1994 and 2003 finals.
- Most 180s in a tournament (total): 914 in 2024. A "180" is when a player scores 180 points with three darts.
- Most 180s in a tournament (individual): Michael Smith hit 83 in 2022.
- Most 180s in a match: 24, achieved by Peter Wright (2022 semi-final) and Michael Smith (2022 final).
- Most 180s in a match (both players): 42, by Gary Anderson (22) and Michael van Gerwen (20) in the 2017 final.
- Longest streak of 100+ averages: Michael van Gerwen had 19 matches in a row with an average over 100 (2016–2019).
- Highest Average for one set: Luke Littler achieved 140.91 in the 2nd round of the 2025 championship.
- Most appearances: Phil Taylor has played in 25 tournaments.
- Youngest player: Mitchell Clegg was 16 years and 37 days old in 2007. He qualified when he was 15.
- Youngest finalist: Luke Littler was 16 years and 347 days old in the 2024 final.
- Record TV audience UK: 3.71 million people watched the 2024 final.
- Record TV audience outside UK: 3.10 million people watched the 2025 Final in Germany (Sport1).
- Players who won both World Championships: Four players have won both the BDO and PDC World Championships: Dennis Priestley, Phil Taylor, John Part, and Raymond van Barneveld.
- Overseas World Champions: Three players from outside the UK have won the PDC World Championship: John Part (Canada, 2003), Raymond van Barneveld (Netherlands, 2007), and Michael van Gerwen (Netherlands, 2014).
- Youngest World Champion: Luke Littler was 17 years, 11 months, and 13 days old when he won his first world title in 2025.
- Oldest World Champion: Phil Taylor was 52 years and 5 months old when he won his last world title in 2013.
Media Coverage
UK Broadcaster
Sky Sports in the UK has shown the PDC World Championship live since it began. Since 2009, the tournament has been shown in High Definition (HD). Their coverage is presented from a studio that looks over the playing area at Alexandra Palace.
The current team presenting the coverage includes:
- Presenters: Emma Paton (since 2020), Anna Woolhouse (since 2022), Michael Bridge (since 2023)
- Commentators: Stuart Pyke (since 2003), Rod Studd (since 2009), Dan Dawson (since 2022), Abi Davies (since 2024)
- Co-commentators/Pundits: John Part (since 2013), Mark Webster (since 2018), Laura Turner (since 2019), Glen Durrant (since 2023)
Some past presenters and commentators were:
- Dave Lanning (1993–2010 & 2013)
- John Gwynne (1993–2013, 2016)
- Sid Waddell (1994–2012)
- Jeff Stelling (1993–2002, 2005)
- David Bobin (1994, 2002–2003)
- Helen Chamberlain (2003–2009)
- Jonathan Green (2000)
- Laure James (2014–2016)
- Eric Bristow (1993–2016)
- Dave Clark (2001–2020)
- Colin Lloyd (2020)
- Rod Harrington (2005–2020)
- Nigel Pearson (2006–2022)
- David Croft (2013–2021)
- Laura Woods (2018–2022)
- Devon Petersen (2019–2022)
- Adam Smith (2020–2022)
- Corrine Hammond (2022–2023)
- Wayne Mardle (2010–2024)
International Broadcasters
Many TV channels around the world also show the event. For example, in the Netherlands, SBS6 used to cover it, but now RTL7 does. Other channels include TV3 Sport (Denmark), Fox Sports (Australia), TSN (Canada), SuperSport (South Africa), Sky Sport (New Zealand), StarHub (Singapore), Ten Sports (India), CCTV (China), Showtime (Middle East), Ukraine TV, TVP Sport (Poland), NOVA Sport (Czech Republic and Slovakia), Sport1 (Germany, Hungary), Meersat (Malaysia), 7TV (Russia), Measat (Indonesia), J Sports (Japan), DAZN (USA, Italy), GOL TV (Spain), Eurosport (Romania), Viaplay (Iceland), and VTM4 (Belgium).
Viewing Figures
This table shows how many people watched the finals on TV in different countries.
Year | Broadcaster | ||
---|---|---|---|
Sky UK | Germany SPORT1 | Netherlands | |
2024 | 3.68 million peak | 2.86 million peak | |
2023 |
2,360,000
|
||
2022 |
1,490,000
|
1,650,000
|
|
2021 |
1,000,000
|
1,550,000
|
|
2020 | 1,006,553 | 1,590,000 | 1,200,000 (RTL 7) |
2019 | 658,300 | 1,490,000 | 1,540,000 (RTL 7) |
2018 | 1,400,000 | 2,150,000 | 864,000 (RTL 7) |
2017 | 607,000 | 1,480,000 | 2,170,000 (RTL 7) |
2016 | 908,000 | 950,000 | 869,000 (RTL 7) |
2015 | 1.5 million peak | 1,360,000 | 908,000 (RTL 7) |
2014 | 668,000 | 560,000 | 2,054,000 (RTL 7) |
2013 | 1,270,000 | 810,000 | 1,748,000 (RTL 7) |
2012 | 728,000 | 762,000 (RTL 7) | |
2011 | 920,000 | 435,000 (SBS6) | |
2010 | 888,000 | 730,000 | 854,000 (SBS6) |
2009 | 809,000 | 490,000 | 1,441,000 (SBS6) |
2008 | 731,000 | 340,000 | 211,000 (compilation SBS6) |
2007 | 1,028,000 | 1,339,000 (SBS6) | |
2006 | 761,000 | ||
2005 | 530,000 | ||
2004 | 820,000 | ||
2003 | 610,000 | ||
2002 | Unavailable | ||
2001 | 420,000 | ||
2000 | 240,000 | ||
1999 | 200,000 |
Online Streaming
PDC World Championship events can also be watched online at www.livepdc.tv. This website shows live events, highlights, and classic matches. You need a subscription to watch, and there might be some country restrictions.
Video Games
The PDC has worked with game developers since 2006 to create video games based on the World Darts Championship.
- The first game, PDC World Championship Darts, was made for PlayStation 2 and PC.
- The second game, PDC World Championship Darts 2008, was available on PlayStation 2, PC, PlayStation Portable, Wii, and Xbox 360.
- Later, Rebellion Developments took over, releasing PDC World Championship Darts 2009 for Wii and Nintendo DS.
The most recent console game was PDC World Championship Darts Pro Tour. It was made for PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360. This game was very detailed. It featured ten professional players and five official PDC tournaments. These included the PDC World Grand Prix, Las Vegas Desert Classic, PDC UK Open, and the Holland Open.
In 2021, the PDC also worked with Blueprint Gaming to create a mobile and PC slot game called PDC World Darts Championship.
Tournament Sponsors
The tournament was sponsored by the bookmaker Paddy Power in 2024. Here are the past sponsors:
- Skol (1994)
- Proton Cars (1995)
- Vernon's Pools (1996)
- Red Band (1997)
- Skol (1998–2002)
- Ladbrokes (2003–2014)
- William Hill (2015–2022)
- Cazoo (2023)
- Paddy Power (2024–)
The Sid Waddell Trophy
Sid Waddell was a very popular darts commentator. After he passed away on August 11, 2012, it was decided to rename the champion's trophy. From the 2013 tournament onwards, the trophy has been called the Sid Waddell Trophy in his honor.
See also
In Spanish: Campeonato Mundial de Dardos de la PDC para niños