Luke Littler returns to Alexandra Palace as the newly crowned world No.1 and for the first time, as the defending world champion.
The 18-year-old is looking to emulate Phil Taylor, Adrian Lewis and Gary Anderson by becoming only the fourth player to retain the Sid Waddell Trophy,
Will we see a Littler vs. Luke Humphries final as we’ve seen so many times this season or will there be a new champion on the trophy come January 3?
The Sporting News will be tracking Luke Littler’s progress throughout the tournament and keeping fans up to date on his upcoming schedule.
When is Luke Littler’s next match at World Darts Championship 2025/26?
Luke Littler began the defence of his world title with a first round 3-0 win against former quarterfinalist Darius Labanauskas before defeating David Davies by the same scoreline in the next round. He then whitewashed Mensur Suljovic.
The 18-year-old is next in action against Rob Cross on Monday, December 29 with their match scheduled as the last of the evening session. The match should start around 10 p.m. GMT.
Match schedule, results from World Darts Championship 2025/26
| Opponent | Round | Date, time (ET), result |
| Darius Labanauskas | Round 1 | Won 3-0 |
| David Davies | Round 2 | Won 3-0 |
| Mensur Suljovic | Round 3 | Won 4-0 |
| Rob Cross | Round 4 | Monday, Dec.29 (5 p.m. ET) |
Luke Littler’s World Darts Championship results
Here is how Luke Littler has performed at the World Darts Championship each year:
| Year | Result |
| 2023/24 | Runner-up |
| 2024/25 | Champion |
How to watch World Darts Championship 2025/26: TV channel, live stream
Peacock will stream over 100 hours of live coverage from the 2025/26 World Darts Championship for fans in the U.S.
The semifinals and final will also be available on NBC Sports NOW, while NBC will air a highlights show on January 4 at 1230 ET.
Another option for darts fans is to subscribe on the PDC’s official streaming service PDC TV in the US.
As a PDC TV annual member, fans can enjoy perks like gaining access to PDC tickets before anyone else and more.
World Darts Championship 2025/26 schedule
The World Darts Championship 2025/26 takes place between December 11 and January 3, at Alexandra Palace in London, England. A full breakdown of the match schedule for each session can be found here.
Afternoon and evening sessions take place through the early stages of the tournament with local start times of 12:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. local.
The table below shows what time fans in the U.S. can catch the action.
| Date | Stage | Start Time (GMT) | US (ET) |
| Thursday, December 11 | Round 1 | 7 p.m. | 2 p.m. |
| Friday, December 12 | Round 1 | 12:30 p.m. & 7 p.m. | 7:30 a.m. & 2 p.m. |
| Saturday, December 13 | Round 1 | 12:30 p.m. & 7 p.m. | 7:30 a.m. & 2 p.m. |
| Sunday, December 14 | Round 1 | 12:30 p.m. & 7 p.m. | 7:30 a.m. & 2 p.m. |
| Monday, December 15 | Round 1 | 12:30 p.m. & 7 p.m. | 7:30 a.m. & 2 p.m. |
| Tuesday, December 16 | Round 1 | 12:30 p.m. & 7 p.m. | 7:30 a.m. & 2 p.m. |
| Wednesday, December 17 | Round 1 | 7 p.m. | 2 p.m. |
| Thursday, December 18 | Round 1 | 12:30 p.m. & 7 p.m. | 7:30 a.m. & 2 p.m. |
| Friday, December 19 | Round 1 | 12:30 p.m. & 7 p.m. | 7:30 a.m. & 2 p.m. |
| Saturday, December 20 | Round 2 | 12:30 p.m. & 7 p.m. | 7:30 a.m. & 2 p.m. |
| Sunday, December 21 | Round 2 | 12:30 p.m. & 7 p.m. | 7:30 a.m. & 2 p.m. |
| Monday, December 22 | Round 2 | 12:30 p.m. & 7 p.m. | 7:30 a.m. & 2 p.m. |
| Tuesday, December 23 | Round 2 | 12:30 p.m. & 7 p.m. | 7:30 a.m. & 2 p.m. |
| Saturday, December 27 | Round 3 | 12:30 p.m. & 7 p.m. | 7:30 a.m. & 2 p.m. |
| Sunday, December 28 | Round 3 | 12:30 p.m. & 7 p.m. | 7:30 a.m. & 2 p.m. |
| Monday, December 29 | Round 3 | 12:30 p.m. & 7 p.m. | 7:30 a.m. & 2 p.m. |
| Tuesday, December 30 | Round 4 | 12:30 p.m. & 7 p.m. | 7:30 a.m. & 2 p.m. |
| Thursday, January 1 | Quarterfinals | 12:30 p.m. & 7 p.m. | 7:30 a.m. & 2 p.m. |
| Friday, January 2 | Semifinals | 7:30 p.m. | 2:30 p.m. |
| Saturday, January 3 | Final | 8 p.m. | 3 p.m. |
World Darts Championship 2025/26 prize money
There’s a healthy wedge of prize money on offer for the 128 competing players in the tournament.
The total fund sits at a record-breaking £5,000,000 ($6,661l284), with the winner set to pocket a cool £1,000,000 ($1,332,396)
- Winner – £1,000,000 ($1,332,396)
- Runner-up – £400,000 ($532,737)
- Semifinal losers – £200,000 ($266,428)
- Quarterfinal losers – £100,000 ($133,214)
- Round 4 losers – £60,000 ($79,943)
- Round 3 losers – £35,000 ($46,633)
- Round 2 losers – £25,000 ($33,310)
- Round 1 losers – £15,000 ($19,986)
