The Professional Darts Corporation’s World Darts Championship 2025/26 is set to be the most ambitious yet, boasting a record-breaking 128-player field and an eye-watering £5 million prize fund, with £1 million reserved for the eventual winner of the Sid Waddell Trophy.
This season’s showpiece will welcome the sport’s elite alongside a global selection of talent, with qualification routes designed to reflect the increasingly international flavour of darts.
Among the automatic entrants are the top 40 players on the PDC Order of Merit following November’s Players Championship Finals. This list naturally includes defending champion Luke Littler, world number one Luke Humphries, and three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen, who finished runner-up in the previous edition.
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A further 40 spots will be filled by the highest-ranked players from the ProTour Order of Merit who have not already qualified via the main Order of Merit. The remaining 48 places will go to an array of international qualifiers, giving players from across the PDC’s network of affiliate tours the chance to shine on the biggest stage. This includes guaranteed places for a minimum of four women, plus representatives from the Winmau Development Tour, Challenge Tour, and numerous regional circuits.
Five players will earn their spots through the PDC Asian Tour Order of Merit, joining the two finalists from the PDC Asian Championship. The Championship Darts Corporation will provide five qualifiers from North America, while the PDC Nordic & Baltic region will supply three contenders: the top two from their ProTour and the winner of the inaugural Nordic & Baltic Championship, where players will battle for the Jann Hoffmann Trophy.
From Oceania, qualifiers include the ANZ Premier League champion alongside the leading names from the DartPlayers Australia ProTour, DartPlayers New Zealand ProTour, and the new ADA Australian Tour.
In a shift from tradition, the entire 128-player field will begin at the first round. The top 32 players from the PDC Order of Merit will be seeded as per standard protocol, while players ranked 33 to 64 will be randomly drawn into the left-hand side of the bracket to face one of the remaining 64 qualifiers.
Breakdown of International Qualifiers
The event will feature an impressive list of pathways, including but not limited to:
- World Youth Champion
- Top three from the Development Tour
- Top three from the Challenge Tour
- Women’s World Matchplay winner and top three from the Women’s Series
- Champions and top-ranked players from the PDC Asian, North American, Nordic & Baltic, and Oceania circuits
- Winners of regional qualifiers across Europe, Africa, and beyond
The qualifying events span continents – from the Steel Darts Japan Tour and PDC China Championship to qualifiers in Poland, Czechia, Hungary, and the DACH Super League.
It’s an expanded format ahead of which promises a truly global festival of darts at Alexandra Palace, starting in December and concluding in January. Further details, including specific draw dates and session schedules, will be confirmed in the coming months.
(Editor’s note: This story originally appeared on dartsworld.com and has been abridged published here with permission. The original version also includes a comprehensive list of all qualifying spots and further details.
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