Who will win the final? Who will be the player to watch? Which seeds are most in danger of going out in the first round? A host of darts journalists, pundits and commentators tackle these and other questions ahead of the 2025/26 PDC World Darts Championship.
Who will reach the final – and who will win it?
Rod Studd: A wild pick. Van Veen to beat Littler.
Laura Turner: Hard not to look at the two Luke’s again this year – Littler to win.
Henry Deacon: It feels rather obvious and rather a cop out answer to say the two Lukes – but it’s also rather difficult to back against the pair of them to play in the biggest game of them all. Gerwyn Price, Gian van Veen, and MVG I think will be there or thereabouts but I just find it hard to back against the pair to play in the final come January 3. In terms of who will win it, Luke Littler has shown that as the format gets longer it becomes more and more difficult to back against him. Since losing that world final to Luke Humphries, he has not lost any game which has gone 21 legs or longer in terms of distance or format. He’s not phased about a slow start and his purple patches right now are simply untouchable.
Andrew Sinclair: Given the form he’s shown this year, looking essentially unbeatable over the longer formats, it’s incredibly hard to look past top seed and defending champion Luke Littler getting to the final and ultimately winning it.
The bottom half of the draw is more intriguing. Luke Humphries starts out as the obvious favourite and he is who I’ve got reaching the final, but I think there’s a good chance we see the likes of Gian van Veen, Josh Rock or Danny Noppert getting there instead.
Josh Green: I can’t see past Luke Littler in the top half, his form is almost imperishable over the past few months and over the long format I see no way anybody keeps up with him for a full match. I have him to beat Gian Van Veen in the final. The bottom half is much more open and there a number of names who could’ve been my pick, but despite never winning a game at the Palace, I fancy Gian for a big run!
Connor Cain: Luke Humphries & Luke Littler – with Littler retaining. It may be the obvious answer but the two Lukes are undoubtedly the two best players in the world, and the cream usually rises to the top at Ally Pally. They’ve contested three major finals against each other this year, with Littler winning two of them. Though Humphries of course has the tools to beat Littler, I just feel that the world number one has more big, game-changing moments in his locker right now.
Phil Haigh: Boring, but Littler vs Humphries with the Nuke winning.
Chris Hammer: Luke Littler will reach the final from the top half of the draw because by the time he faces a fellow title contender – Gerwyn Price – the format will have got too long for anyone to stop him.
In the bottom half I’m going for Danny Noppert, who has turned into quite a formidable player on the major stage this year with four semi-final runs. His scoring power and 180 hitting has reached new levels and I think he’ll take out Gian van Veen in the last four.
In the end it will be Luke Littler becoming the first £1 million world champion.
Lendel Faria: I’m going for a Luke Littler v Gian van Veen final. Luke Littler has been dominating the last few months and there is no reason to assume why he wouldn’t do the same in the next four weeks. Gian van Veen has been playing really good stuff and he won the European Championship in brilliant fashion. The second half of the draw is a bit more open than the top half with Van Veen, Humphries, Nijman and Rock all having a realistic chance of reaching the final but I’m going with Van Veen as of now. I think Littler will become back-to-back champion on January 3rd.
Polly James: Luke v Luke. *Ducks for cover* As boring as it sounds, I can’t see past Littler picking up the title at the moment. He has been in some blistering form since we last saw him at the Palace where the 12 months have seen him sweep up virtually every TV tournament he enters and the way in which he wins is so impressive- whether its been a flat out cruise to the finish line or a fight back from off the canvas, he finds a way to win. His final competitive matches on stage at a few exhibitions recently saw him average over 115. Littler comes to Ally Pally with even more experience this year and I don’t thing anyone can rattle him.
Harry Durham: It’ll be a Luke and Luke final. AGAIN!!!!
This won’t be like any other though, forget about two years back, the Premier League, the Grand Prix, the Slam and the rest. We know how much weight this final has, it’s not only being world champion with both wanting their second it’s for a million quid, a million pounds sterling. To be the first person to do that carries so much weight. The same Trevor Francis had being the first million pound footballer. We all want titles that will carry weight and we want bank accounts that carry weight too. What would you rather win, five or more majors in a calendar year or the Worlds? I think Luke Humphries is set on just one thing after losing a number of major finals this year. I have to go with my hometown hero and fellow Newbury boy, Luke Humphries.
Vincent Van Genechten: Gerwyn Price and Josh Rock – Price.
Kurt Bevan: Final Littler vs Humphries but could see Gezzy coming through on Littler’s side of the draw. Humphries to win it, just historically hard to go back to back.
Adrian Geiler: It will be a Luke Littler v James Wade final (again). And James Wade will win it. It’s mind-boggling to me that one of the best timing players in darts history has never reached the final of THE timing tournament, the World Championship. This year will be his. It’s the sport year of curses being broken: Hulkenberg gets his F1 podium, Rory McIlroy his Masters – and James Wade his World Championship.
Who will be the player to watch?
Rod Studd: Beau Greaves.
Laura Turner: So many bright talents this year. Looking forward to seeing how Charlie Manby gets on, and of course Beau Greaves.
Henry Deacon: I think there’s a player which will really go under the radar but his year should mean he’s one of the most talked up players and that’s Danny Noppert. Looking at his draw, he will fancy his chances of getting to the quarter-finals, Rock or Springer is his last 16 game – which is difficult but I feel he would fancy himself in that and then MVG in the quarters would be a mouthwatering prospect.
Ricardo Pietreczko will also be happy enough with his draw, he will feel he has a chance to make a deep run in the tournament, and running into a few vulnerable seeds if the draw goes to plan, there’s no reasons why Pikachu couldn’t make inroads at Ally Pally.
But in terms of a player away from the elite, I’m so impressed with Charlie Manby – we know how good a player he is, but I’m even more impressed by his temperament, he will freeroll against Cameron Menzies and he will have real confidence he can spring a surprise.
Andrew Sinclair: Excluding the Lukes, I think there are three main standouts.
The first is, of course, Beau Greaves. The three-time Women’s World Champion has gone from strength to strength this year. She dominated the Challenge Tour in the early going, nabbed a tour card from the Development Tour, reached the World Youth final with that win over Littler along the way and also appeared in the Grand Slam again.
Elsewhere, I think Charlie Manby has had an excellent year. He recently won Champions Week at the Moddy, has shown good form on the Dev Tour and has levels to his game. Cameron Menzies isn’t the best stage player, so I think Manby has the game to make the Last 32 at minimum.
The other is Cristo Reyes. He was excellent in the Mediterranean Qualifier, so he should be coming into this in good form, although Gian van Veen is a horror first-round tie for him. Still, seeing someone with his natural ability back on the big stage after so long away is very exciting.
Josh Green: Beau Greaves is an obvious answer, but I’ll go with Luke Woodhouse. His stage form has improved dramatically over the past 12 months and with the section he is in, I think he has a solid chance of reaching at least the last 16!
Connor Cain: Michael van Gerwen. It seems very strange and maybe a cop out to label the third seed and three-time champion as ‘a player to watch’. But I’ve barely heard MVG’s name mentioned in the lead-up to this tournament, and many are expecting an early exit. I’m backing Mighty Mike to have an impressive World Championship though because despite his form, he never has a bad Worlds. The last time he failed to reach at least the quarter-final was in 2016’s event (with the exception of 2022 when he was forced to withdraw due to Covid). The World Championship is a different beast and experience on that Ally Pally stage counts for a lot.
Phil Haigh: I fancy Josh Rock for his deepest run yet at the Worlds – semis.
Chris Hammer: If Danny Noppert isn’t a bold enough call to reach the final, then I think Ross Smith is one to watch in the wide open second quarter of the draw. If he finds his range on his 180 hitting and gets the crowd well on his side then he has a great chance of reaching the semi-finals.
Beau Greaves is obviously another player to watch in the bottom half of the draw. I believe she’ll pick up a couple of ground breaking victories against Daryl Gurney and Callan Rydz before eventually falling to Josh Rock.
Lendel Faria: It’s such a pity that Cristo Reyes has drawn Gian van Veen but I’m extremely curious to see how good Cristo is right now. From the matches I could see last month I saw he averaged 97.61 in 25 legs so the signs are there and he already came out and said he wants to return to the tour. If I may pick another one, it has to be Dom Taylor. He’s exciting to watch, an okay scorer but his set-up play is his biggest strength in my opinion. If he could add a few points to his scoring visits I believe he could mix it with the best of them.
Polly James: Gian Van Veen. The Palace hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for the young Dutchman in previous years, but 2025 has been his stand out year on the oche and Gian is arguable one of the in-form players heading into the Worlds. He has proven he can challenge the top players, and now ranked 10th in the world he seems poised and confident for a strong campaign at Ally Pally.
Harry Durham: Might be a cop out because he is a good mate of mine, but Cam Crabtree. Andrew Gilding has fallen a bit flat since the Matchplay (Maybe he’s stiff somewhere), but if Cam can get that first round game over the line it will give him some great momentum on his Ally Pally debut. If the path alligns and Chris Dobey makes it through the first round it will throw up a great revenge arc for Cam after his Minehead exit last month where he came from 5-1 down and then missed crucial match darts. COME ON CRABLAD (I do love both Andrew and Chris… nothing against you lads).
Vincent Van Genechten: Apart from Rock, I fancy a great run from Ross Smith. Honorable mention: Dimitri Van den Bergh.
Kurt Bevan: Danny Noppert will surprise a few despite being in great form.
Adrian Geiler: Max Hopp has quietly been playing better and better stuff. Since July his numbers look like a Top 50 player. The draw has been kind of nice to him. I can see him being in the tournament after Christmas.
How far will the defending champion Luke Littler go?
Rod Studd: A third straight final.
Laura Turner: I think he retains the title.
Henry Deacon: I refer back to my previous statement, I would be surprised if the Nuke isn’t called out as a two-time world champion beyond January 3.
Andrew Sinclair: It’s the chalk pick but he’s winning it, isn’t he?
Josh Green: He wins it for me!
Connor Cain: Wins it. He’s simply the best player in the world at the moment.
Phil Haigh: Wins it.
Chris Hammer: All the way and win it!
Lendel Faria: He will win. The only real threat I see has to be Gerwyn Price in the QF, but that would be a match in a best of 9 set format and we all know that Littler gets better the longer the format becomes.
Polly James: The Final. He has received a fairly favourable draw as he chases becoming only the fourth player ever to win consecutive world titles. In respect to a brilliant field out there this year, his first major challenge will come if he collides with Gerwyn Price in the quarter finals.
Harry Durham: Littler is a tough one as I did say he would make the final and I do believe that after this year. But take a look at the quarter-final on that side of the bracket. Luke and Gezzy would meet in the quarter-finals, it’s always a spectacle and they pushed each other in Minehead last month, both putting up ton plus averages. Favourites are favourites for a reason and you can’t go against Littler and his second full year on tour though. Mental when you put it like that.
Vincent Van Genechten: Quarter-final: out after a classic vs Price.
Kurt Bevan: Littler to make the final.
Adrian Geiler: I don’t think anyone will stop Littler before the final. His road will be slow and bumpy (potentially Labanauskas, Vandenbogaerde, Suljovic) but he will prevail.
Which first round match are you most looking forward to?
Rod Studd: M Smith vs L Ashton. Pikachu vs Jose.
Laura Turner: A lot to pick from this year Menzies Manby could be a corker. Clayton Lipscombe and Chizzy v Fallon could also run close!
Andrew Sinclair: Gian van Veen v Cristo Reyes is a corker, as is Beau Greaves against Daryl Gurney.
The other tie for me is Andy Baetens against Dirk van Duijvenbode, as it’ll be brilliant to see the 2023 Lakeside winner get his shot on the Ally Pally stage.
Josh Green: There’s a few… The return of Cristo Reyes is a must, but I am also looking forward to seeing how Andy Baetens fares on his PDC World Championship debut, a heavy scorer at his best and could put Dirk under some serious pressure.
Connor Cain: Gian van Veen vs Cristo Reyes. This is a really intriguing match. Van Veen has had a breakout year, defeating Luke Humphries in Dortmund to capture his first-ever major title. He’s been a danger for some time but curiously, has never won a game at the World Championship. Cristo Reyes has been AWOL the last few years but has great pedigree on the Ally Pally stage, and is to make his seventh appearance at the World Championship this month. He also averaged 97.91 in his six matches to qualify for this tournament, which is more than capable of troubling any player in the world.
Phil Haigh: Daryl Gurney vs Beau Greaves is an obvious answer, but it’s certainly the one I’m most intrigued by. Ricky Evans vs Man Lok Leung is also very appealing.
Chris Hammer: Beau Greaves v Daryl Gurney because the atmosphere will be incredible and I believe Beau will raise the roof with her first ever victory on the Ally Pally stage.
Lendel Faria: For me it’s Luke Woodhouse vs Boris Krcmar. Woodhouse is a top perfomer and a bit underrated in my opinion and we all know that Boris once in a while has that top game in which he can average over a ton. But for me, given his TV form and his excellent doubling Luke has to be the favourite in this match.
Polly James: Daryl Gurney v Beau Greaves. I believe Daryl in 2025, has restored his former strength. His performance this season has shown a marked improvement with his win at the World Cup of Darts for Northern Ireland and reaching the quarter-finals of both the European Championship and the Players Championship Finals. It could be a landmark victory for Beau if she dumps out Daryl- she has been on the cusp of a big win on a big stage and I feel as long as the nerves don’t creep in for her, this duel is going to a must watch for sure.
Harry Durham: DO I HAVE TO PICK ONE? There are so many moving parts in a lot of these games. I’m going to name a few, sorry Mossy and Dartscast…
- Gurney vs Greaves – the obvious, Ally Pally is going to be like an away team going to Galatasaray in Europe. The entire venue is going to be on Gurney’s back, as the fans will love Beau not just for the story of her going through, but because she is a geniuine threat and incredible. I’m so intrigued to see how Daryl is going to approach this. The reach these game will have is immense.
- Shaggy vs Paolo Nebrida – The Shagman is a born entertainer, things may not have gone his way this year but he can’t wait to be back up there in front of those in attendance and the entire world! This could be the game where Scotty shows us what we’ve been missing. But Paolo, cult like status shock last year when he knocked out Smudger. Calm and so measured on the oche, love a player that pretty much hits his top lip on the backswing. The day trippers probably won’t know Nebrida too well, but he’s darts purists dream.
- Scutt vs Whitlock – Sniper has struggled on the floor this year, but turned some heads at the Slam and rightly so because he is quality and loves the big stage. Whitlock is a VET, you can’t write off vets and is coming off the back of his ANZ Premier League triumph.
I’m getting tired and my fingers hurt, but my others are Menzies vs Manby, Clayton vs Lipscombe & Cullen vs Brooks.
Vincent Van Genechten: Cameron Menzies vs Charlie Manby. This kid has all the talent in the world and Cammy is hit or miss, so this could be a huge shocker.
Kurt Bevan: Match I’m looking forward to is Menzies vs Manby, I think the style of players for both will compliment what will make a great game.
Adrian Geiler: The first one, Arno Merk against Kim Huybrechts. It’s like a date with destiny. Arno is a former youth #1 in Germany playing against Martin Schindler and Max Hopp. He has qualified for Lakeside in 2011, winning his final match in qualification against – Kim Huybrechts. He’s been away from darts living in Italy returning just about three years ago. Now he’s just the second German after his good friend Andree Welge to play in Ally Pally AND Lakeside. And he will walk on to “Sarà perché ti amo” by “Ricchi e Poveri” – which was one of my suggestions in a podcast about never-used walk on songs.
Which seeds are most in danger of going out in the first round?
Rod Studd: Cullen is underdog v Brooks and Gurney is underdog v Greaves.
Laura Turner: Gurney has a tough match against Beau and Chisnall has struggled this year compared to other years.
Henry Deacon: Ross Smith really does have his hands full with Andreas Harrysson, sometimes Dirty Harry can be hit or miss but his A-game can compete with anyone – just ask Gary Anderson. Daryl Gurney must feel like he’s on a hiding to nothing against Beau Greaves. She was the draw absolutely no one wanted – she was the wildcard in the draw and for Daryl he has quite literally everything to contend with in that contest. I’m also sure Luke Woodhouse would’ve wanted to put Boris Krcmar back in the hat as well.
Andrew Sinclair: I’ve alluded to Cameron Menzies earlier, but there are two others with tough assignments.
Daryl Gurney had the high of winning the World Cup earlier in the year and is an experienced stage player but his game with Beau Greaves is incredibly high-stakes. If she plays to the level she’s capable of, he’ll be under big pressure.
Ritchie Edhouse hasn’t really kicked on since his European Championship win and is facing someone in Jonny Tata who is coming off a career-best year. Edhouse has come a cropper in the set format before, whereas Tata has the experience of a Lakeside quarter-final and has since added levels to his game in terms of scoring.
Josh Green: Joe Cullen has been given a tough draw in Bradley Brooks, and Chizzy won’t be relishing playing Fallon Sherrock on that stage. I would also be concerned for Stephen Bunting, not just because of his own form, but Sebastian Bialecki is very capable and playing well himself!
Connor Cain: Joe Cullen, Rob Cross, Dave Chisnall & Daryl Gurney. Neither Cullen, Cross or Chizzy have had a great year and are vulnerable. The Rockstar faces Bradley Brooks in his opener, who captured his first senior PDC title this year. Cor Dekker had a decent end to the year with a Euro Tour semi-final, and has the tools to trouble Rob Cross who has fallen out of the top 16 for the first time in his career. Chizzy’s television form has been catastrophic for some years now, and he faces a tough battle against Queen of the Palace Fallon Sherrock. We know the ability Sherrock has, and she of course has great memories on that stage and will undoubtedly have the crowd behind her. I said Daryl Gurney could be in danger too. I actually think Superchin has done okay this year, but he has one of the toughest draws in Beau Greaves. Not only will the crowd be right behind her, but she has bags of ability. I think Gurney may be more dependable in producing a solid display, but Beau has a higher ceiling at the moment and if she turns up, she could definitely secure a landmark win.
Phil Haigh: Daryl Gurney, Dave Chisnall, Damon Heta.
Chris Hammer: Daryl Gurney against Beau Greaves, Cameron Menzies against rising star Charlie Manby, Dave Chisnall against Fallon Sherrock and Joe Cullen against Bradley Brooks.
Lendel Faria: I think Joe Cullen is the most likely to go out in round 1. He’s playing Bradley Brooks and Bradley has had a very good year in 2025. It seems like Joe has improved in the last few months but I still think Brooks will have too much for him and he’ll advance to play either Suljovic or Cameron.
Polly James: If Charlie Manby keeps his composure in the big moment, he has a strong chance against Menzies. Should Steve Lennon get his doubles going, Heta will need to be at his best to stay in it. Joe Cullen has long been a player with immense potential, often alternating between brilliant performances and inconsistent form. He is taking on Bradley Brooks who by all accounts has had a great consistent 2025 particularly on the floor, picking up a Players Championship title earlier on in the year. Brooks will be coming into the Worlds feeling a lot more positive and confident than his opponent, who recently admitted he isn’t enjoying the game at the moment.
Harry Durham: Joe Cullen – poor year, Rob Cross – poor year, Jonny Clayton – Lipscombe looking strong, Jonny might have hangover from Slam + PC Finals, Chizzy – Fallon at the Palace, BIG!!!! Daryl Gurney.
Vincent Van Genechten: Menzies, Cross, Gilding, Van den Bergh, Gurney.
Kurt Bevan: Joe Cullen is the obvious one but he does play well on stage. I’ll say other than him, Dave Chisnall.
Adrian Geiler: Rob Cross has fallen out of love with darts for me, it seems. His opponent Cor Dekker is a tricky customer and has beaten Chris Dobey and Jonny Clayton on stage in last leg deciders. Voltage will struggle.
This is the first year with the 128-player field and a record £1 million going to the winner. What’s your view on the expanded field + do you think the ranking system should change given the extra money on offer now at Ally Pally?
Rod Studd: I think the field expansion was inevitable and makes sense for commercial reasons especially when coupled with the move to the Great Hall next year. I think a points based ranking system is preferable with a weighting for different tournaments and the value of points decaying from an immediate peak post event and then dropping over a 2 year period. I think the PDC will stick to a prize money based system. Maybe the 2 lists could run alongside each other as they do in golf.
Laura Turner: I like the expanded field – it offers more opportunity to see players we wouldn’t normally see on the big stage. The increase in prize money can only be a positive for the players involved, it’s life changing money on offer but I can see the concerns that this one event will dictate the world number 1 spot for the foreseeable. I definitely think it needs to be reviewed and fair for all…I’m sure there will be lots of discussions about it!
Henry Deacon: It’s nice to have a round number back, and I’m sure for fans getting an extra opportunity in the tournament to see some of the bigger names it will be a bonus as well. The £1 million was always the number the sport has got to and its credit to everyone who’s made this sport a phenomenon the last two years that we’ve got to this point.
There is though a discrepancy in terms of the rankings as a result. I’m absolutely for the Worlds to have more weight on the rankings than other tournaments because of its importance on the calendar – however, I do have concerns that the rankings may hold too much weight on one tournament. However, the way the rankings work we won’t see it in true affect until two years time where a player with one good run in this new format and new prize money could be left in an almost impossible position to defend money, particularly in defence of a tour card.
Andrew Sinclair: For me, 128 players is too many and it feels like too much darts but that might be recency bias talking as I’m off the back of 10 days at Lakeside.
I think the expanded field has led to some great new stories and I’m sure the breakdown of spots will evolve over time, with more spots available for emerging regions like South America and Africa.
Switching the ranking system to a points-based one, like tennis, is certainly an option long-term. For me, I don’t think they need to make a change yet but it’s something to review in the background.
Josh Green: 128 players seems like a lot, and it is! For me, it waters down the quality in the field and will mean there are some poor quality first round matches… I have nothing against the million pound prize, but other tournaments need to move in the same direction so the rankings aren’t so heavily effected. If this is not able to be done, then the ranking system must change, otherwise we’re only going to see big changes at the top of the order of merit once a year!
Connor Cain: I’m not going to judge the expanded field too soon before I’ve seen it, but I have some reservations. At times, 96 felt like a bit of a stretch so it will be interesting to see how 128 works. I do love the fact that everyone comes in at round one though instead of the big boys getting a bye, and the World Championship must be bigger and better so expansion was inevitable. The £1 million prize money is a massive deal for the sport and it shows just how much darts has grown. I agree with Michael van Gerwen though, a new ranking system needs to be considered so that this one tournament doesn’t skew the rankings too much. Yes it’s the biggest tournament and should have the biggest impact, but the Worlds is so top-heavy now that I don’t think the current, prize-money based ranking system is feasible anymore. PDPA President Alan Warriner-Little has said that there have been discussions from them about proposing a change to the ranking system, so we shall see what develops. I do think we’ll see a shake-up though in the next few years.
Phil Haigh: I do worry that the pre-Christmas spell is going to feel very stodgy, but we’ll have to wait and see. The simplicity of money-based rankings is a big plus, but I would be looking at changing the system given how skewed the rankings will be by the World Championship. Rankings should be skewed by the World Championship, it’s by far the biggest event, so get skewing! But this will be too much, really.
Chris Hammer: I do like the expanded field in the sense it gets every player entering at round one and you have to win two matches now to get into the post-Christmas schedule. I never liked how seeds on the opening couple of nights could win one game and vanish for what felt like eternity. However, as much as we all love darts, I just wonder if having so many pre-Christmas matches of not the highest quality will drag a little – only time will tell on that one.
As for the rankings, I would like to see a fairer points system put in place so the World Championship doesn’t have quite so big an influence.
Lendel Faria: The rankings should absolutely change. From the PDC point of view I understand why they would want a money based ranking, but having a point based ranking is so much more fair and it doesn’t oblige the PDC to pay out every ranking point.
Harry Durham: Potentially yeah, I follow the same notion as MVG. I think it should be a points system. Say you’re Humphries and Littler and you win the £1 million, that takes you into another stratosphere. The danger with it being a two year cycle is that those two players could feature in less events, but then again… maybe they have earnt the right. But then if a player outside the top five wins in January, it makes it so much more interesting. It’s such a tough area of the game to dissect because I see both sides of it.
Vincent Van Genechten: I’m split on the expanded field. The international players provide great stories and their level has upgraded over time, but the overall quality is still lacking compared to the tour card holders. I get the decision, but reaching the World Championship has become a given more than an honour.
The World Championship should be the most important major when looking at the rankings. But it’s become too important, especially now with the even bigger prize money involved. A great year should at least be evenly valuable as a good World Championship. Moving to a points-based system could be a solution, but it’s not perfect either.
Kurt Bevan: I think 128 is the most you could feasibly have in a WC, its expanded quick but I couldnt see it being any bigger, otherwise you deteriorate the quality of player. The prize money is of course good for the players but they weighting of it was quite heavy before on the rankings, the PDC maybe need to look at a points system rather than a money ranking.
Picking up that much money in one tournament not only shifts the balance of the system but it also means that some players who have multiple qualification routes have an even better chance of earning that money which seems unfair.
Adrian Geiler: I’m a fan of 128 players as darts is more diverse and international than ever before. This is reflected in the change and therefore an upgrade. However, I think that the allocation of the 128 can be enhanced (more South America, more Africa).
I think the ranking system needs to change. The World Championship is too powerful, not only for the top ranking but also for the tour card race. A few wins can tilt a lot in the rankings. I get that the World Championship is the most important tournament of the year, but it’s too loaded in comparison.
Don’t miss the Weekly Dartscast’s PDC World Darts Championship 2025/26 preview special podcast with guests Michael van Gerwen, Jose De Sousa and Tavis Dudeney on Spotify, iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!
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