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Annual darts tournament From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The PDC World Darts Championship, known for sponsorship purposes as the Paddy Power World Darts Championship, organised by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC), is a World Professional Darts Championship held annually in the sport of darts. The PDC world championship begins in December and ends in January and is held at Alexandra Palace in London, and has been held there since 2008. It is the most prestigious of the PDC's tournaments, with the winner receiving the Sid Waddell Trophy, named in honour of the darts commentator Sid Waddell, who died in 2012. Along with the Premier League Darts and World Matchplay, it is considered part of the Triple Crown.
The stage at the 2016 edition | |
| Founded | 1994 |
|---|---|
| First season | 1994 |
| Organising body | Professional Darts Corporation |
| Country | England |
| Venue(s) | Circus Tavern (1994–2007) Alexandra Palace (since 2008) |
| Most recent champion(s) |  Luke Humphries (2024) |
| TV partner(s) | Sky Sports (1993–) |
| Tournament format | Sets |
The PDC championship began in 1994 as the WDC World Darts Championship as one of the consequences of the split in darts, which saw the World Darts Council break away from the BDO. As a result of the settlement between the BDO and the WDC in 1997, the WDC became the PDC, and players were thenceforth free to choose which world championship to enter (but not both in the same year), as long as they met certain eligibility criteria. Both organisations continued to organize their own world championship until the 2020 editions, after which the BDO folded.
There have been twelve different winners since the tournament's inception. With 14 wins from 25 appearances, Phil Taylor has dominated the competition, last winning it in 2013. The other players to win it more than once are John Part (2003 & 2008), Adrian Lewis (2011 & 2012), Gary Anderson (2015 & 2016), Michael van Gerwen (2014, 2017 & 2019) and Peter Wright (2020 & 2022). The one-time winners are the inaugural champion Dennis Priestley (1994), Raymond van Barneveld (2007), Rob Cross (2018), Gerwyn Price (2021), Michael Smith (2023) and Luke Humphries (2024).
In 1992, some high-profile players, including all previous winners of the BDO World Darts Championship still active in the game, formed the WDC (now PDC), and in 1994, held their first World Championship. Dennis Priestley won the inaugural competition.
The players who broke away were taking a significant gamble – the tournament was broadcast on satellite television rather than terrestrial, and from 1994 to 2001, the prize fund for the players in the WDC/PDC World Championship was lower than the prize fund in the BDO version, although the 1997 PDC World Champion received £45,000 compared to that year's BDO World Champion receiving £38,000. In 2002, the PDC prize fund overtook that of the BDO for the first time, and the PDC event now boasts the largest prize fund of any darts competition. In 2010, the prize fund reached £1 million for the first time, with the World Champion collecting £200,000.
The 2014 and 2015 PDC World Champions collected £250,000 for their respective wins. For the next, winner's share increased to £50,000 each year culminating in a 2018 prize fund of £1.8 million.[1] The current prize fund for the tournament is £2.5 million with £500,000 to the winner, as set since the 2019 edition.
In 2020, the British Darts Organisation — which had held a separate version of the world championship since the split in 1994 — went into liquidation. As a result, the PDC version was briefly the only recognised world championship in darts until the 2022 WDF World Darts Championship was held.[citation needed]
The PDC World Darts Championship has been held at Alexandra Palace in London since 2008, having previously been held at the Circus Tavern in Purfleet, Essex, from 1994 to 2007.[2] Currently, the play takes place inside the venue's West Hall, which has a capacity of 3,200.[3]
| Year | Champion (average in final)[4] | Score | Runner-up (average in final) | Prize money | Sponsor | Venue | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total[5] | Champion | Runner-up | ||||||
| 1994 | Dennis Priestley (94.38) |
6–1 | Phil Taylor (85.62) |
£64,000 | £16,000 | £8,000 | Skol | Circus Tavern, Purfleet |
| 1995 | Phil Taylor (94.11) |
6–2 | Rod Harrington (87.15) |
£55,000 | £12,000 | £6,000 | Proton Cars | |
| 1996 | Phil Taylor (98.52) |
6–4 | Dennis Priestley (101.48) |
£62,500 | £14,000 | £7,000 | Vernon's Pools | |
| 1997 | Phil Taylor (100.92) |
6–3 | Dennis Priestley (96.78) |
£99,500 | £45,000 | £10,000 | Red Band | |
| 1998 | Phil Taylor (103.98) |
6–0 | Dennis Priestley (90.75) |
£72,500 | £20,000 | Skol | ||
| 1999 | Phil Taylor (97.11) |
6–2 | Peter Manley (93.63) |
£104,000 | £30,000 | £16,000 | ||
| 2000 | Phil Taylor (94.42) |
7–3 | Dennis Priestley (91.80) |
£111,000 | £31,000 | £16,400 | ||
| 2001 | Phil Taylor (107.46) |
7–0 |  John Part (92.58) |
£125,000 | £33,000 | £18,000 | ||
| 2002 | Phil Taylor (98.47) |
7–0 | Peter Manley (91.35) |
£205,000 | £50,000 | £25,000 | ||
| 2003 | John Part (96.87) |
7–6 | Phil Taylor (99.98) |
£237,000 | Ladbrokes | |||
| 2004 | Phil Taylor (96.03) |
7–6 | Kevin Painter (90.48) |
£257,000 | ||||
| 2005 | Phil Taylor (96.14) |
7–4 | Mark Dudbridge (90.66) |
£300,000 | £60,000 | £30,000 | ||
| 2006 | Phil Taylor (106.74) |
7–0 | Peter Manley (91.72) |
£500,000 | £100,000 | £50,000 | ||
| 2007 |  Raymond van Barneveld (100.93) |
7–6 | Phil Taylor (100.86) | |||||
| 2008 | John Part (92.86) |
7–2 | Kirk Shepherd (85.10) |
£589,000 | Alexandra Palace, London | |||
| 2009 | Phil Taylor (110.94) |
7–1 | Raymond van Barneveld (101.18) |
£724,000 | £125,000 | £60,000 | ||
| 2010 | Phil Taylor (104.38) |
7–3 |  Simon Whitlock (100.51) |
£1,000,000 | £200,000 | £100,000 | ||
| 2011 | Adrian Lewis (99.40) |
7–5 |  Gary Anderson (99.41) | |||||
| 2012 | Adrian Lewis (93.06) |
7–3 | Andy Hamilton (90.83) | |||||
| 2013 | Phil Taylor (103.04) |
7–4 | Michael van Gerwen (100.66) | |||||
| 2014 | Michael van Gerwen (100.10) |
7–4 | Peter Wright (95.71) |
£1,050,000 | £250,000 | |||
| 2015 | Gary Anderson (97.68) |
7–6 | Phil Taylor (100.69) |
£1,250,000 | £120,000 | William Hill | ||
| 2016 | Gary Anderson (99.26) |
7–5 | Adrian Lewis (100.23) |
£1,500,000 | £300,000 | £150,000 | ||
| 2017 | Michael van Gerwen (107.79) |
7–3 | Gary Anderson (104.93) |
£1,650,000 | £350,000 | £160,000 | ||
| 2018 | Rob Cross (107.67) |
7–2 | Phil Taylor (102.26) |
£1,800,000 | £400,000 | £170,000 | ||
| 2019 | Michael van Gerwen (102.21) |
7–3 | Michael Smith (95.29) |
£2,500,000 | £500,000 | £200,000 | ||
| 2020 | Peter Wright (102.79) |
7–3 | Michael van Gerwen (102.88) | |||||
| 2021 |  Gerwyn Price (100.08) |
7–3 | Gary Anderson (94.25) | |||||
| 2022 | Peter Wright (98.34) |
7–5 | Michael Smith (99.22) | |||||
| 2023 | Michael Smith (100.71)[6] |
7–4 | Michael van Gerwen (99.58) |
Cazoo | ||||
| 2024 | Luke Humphries (103.67) |
7–4 | Luke Littler (101.13) |
Paddy Power | ||||
| 2025 | ||||||||
| Rank | Player | Winner | Runner-up | Finals | Appearances |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phil Taylor |
14 | 5 | 19 | 25 |
| 2 | Michael van Gerwen |
3 | 3 | 6 | 17 |
| 3 | Gary Anderson |
2 | 3 | 5 | 15 |
| 4 | Adrian Lewis |
2 | 1 | 3 | 18 |
| John Part |
2 | 1 | 3 | 18 | |
| Peter Wright |
2 | 1 | 3 | 15 | |
| 7 | Dennis Priestley |
1 | 4 | 5 | 19 |
| 8 | Michael Smith |
1 | 2 | 3 | 13 |
| 9 | Raymond van Barneveld |
1 | 1 | 2 | 17 |
| 10 | Rob Cross |
1 | 0 | 1 | 7 |
| Luke Humphries |
1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | |
| Gerwyn Price |
1 | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| 13 | Peter Manley |
0 | 3 | 3 | 13 |
| 14 | Mark Dudbridge |
0 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| Andy Hamilton |
0 | 1 | 1 | 13 | |
| Rod Harrington |
0 | 1 | 1 | 10 | |
| Luke Littler |
0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Kevin Painter |
0 | 1 | 1 | 17 | |
| Kirk Shepherd |
0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |
| Simon Whitlock |
0 | 1 | 1 | 15 |
| Country | Players | Total | First title | Last title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| England |
6 | 20 | 1994 | 2024 |
| Netherlands |
2 | 4 | 2007 | 2019 |
| Scotland |
2 | 4 | 2015 | 2022 |
| Canada |
1 | 2 | 2003 | 2008 |
| Wales |
1 | 1 | 2021 | 2021 |
Fourteen nine-dart finishes have been thrown at the World Championship. The first one was in 2009.
Two have been made in world finals: firstly by Adrian Lewis in 2011 and then Michael Smith in 2023.
| Number | Player | Year (+ Round) | Method | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Raymond van Barneveld |
2009, Quarter-Final | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | Jelle Klaasen |
Won |
| 2. | Raymond van Barneveld |
2010, 2nd Round | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 |  Brendan Dolan |
Won |
| 3. | Adrian Lewis |
2011, Final | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | Gary Anderson |
Won |
| 4. | Dean Winstanley |
2013, 2nd Round | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | Vincent van der Voort |
Lost |
| 5. | Michael van Gerwen |
2013, Semi-Final | 3 x T20; 2 x T20, T19; 2 x T20, D12 | James Wade |
Won |
| 6. | Terry Jenkins |
2014, 1st Round | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 |  Per Laursen |
Lost |
| 7. | Kyle Anderson |
2014, 1st Round | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | Ian White |
Lost |
| 8. | Adrian Lewis |
2015, 3rd Round | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | Raymond van Barneveld |
Lost |
| 9. | Gary Anderson |
2016, Semi-Final | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | Jelle Klaasen |
Won |
| 10. | James Wade |
2021, 3rd Round | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | Stephen Bunting |
Lost |
| 11. | William Borland |
2022, 1st Round | 3 x T20; 2 x T20, T19; 2 x T20, D12 | Bradley Brooks |
Won |
| 12. |  Darius Labanauskas |
2022, 1st Round | T20, 2 x T19; 3 x T20; T20, T17, D18 |  Mike De Decker |
Lost |
| 13. | Gerwyn Price |
2022, Quarter-Final | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T19, T20, D12 | Michael Smith |
Lost |
| 14. | Michael Smith |
2023, Final | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | Michael van Gerwen |
Won |
Since the breakaway of the PDC players, there has been much debate about the relative merits of the players within each organisation. The debate often focuses on the three-dart averages of players in matches.
An average over 100 in a match in the PDC World Championship has since been achieved 195 times.[7] This is compared to 21 times in the BDO World Championship, following the 2019 event. In 2010 Phil Taylor became the first player to average over 100 in all six rounds of the tournament. He repeated this feat (though lost the final) in 2015 and Michael van Gerwen achieved it in 2017 and 2019.
An average of over 105 in a match in the PDC World Championship has been achieved 40 times. The highest match average ever in the BDO World Championship is 103.83 by Raymond van Barneveld in his quarter-final victory over John Walton in 2004.
| Ten highest PDC World Championship one-match averages[8] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average | Player | Year (+Round) | Opponent | Result |
| 114.05 | Michael van Gerwen |
2017, Semi-Final | Raymond van Barneveld |
6–2 |
| 111.21 | Phil Taylor |
2002, 2nd Round | Shayne Burgess |
6–1 |
| 110.94 | Phil Taylor |
2009, Final | Raymond van Barneveld |
7–1 |
| 109.34 | Raymond van Barneveld |
2017, Semi-Final | Michael van Gerwen |
2–6 |
| 109.23 | Michael van Gerwen |
2016, 2nd Round | Darren Webster |
4–0 |
| 109.00 | Phil Taylor |
2007, 2nd Round |  Mick McGowan |
4–1 |
| 108.98 | Michael van Gerwen |
2021, 2nd Round | Ryan Murray |
3–1 |
| 108.80 | Phil Taylor |
2009, Quarter-Final | Co Stompé |
5–0 |
| 108.74 | Luke Humphries |
2024, Semi-Final | Scott Williams |
6–0 |
| 108.65 | Michael van Gerwen |
2018, 2nd Round | James Wilson |
4–0 |
| Five highest losing averages | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average | Player | Year (+Round) | Opponent | Result |
| 109.34 | Raymond van Barneveld |
2017, Semi-Final | Michael van Gerwen |
2–6 |
| 106.09 | Jeffrey de Zwaan |
2019, 2nd Round | Rob Cross |
1–3 |
| 106.07 |  Cristo Reyes |
2017, 2nd Round | Michael van Gerwen |
2–4 |
| 105.78 | Michael van Gerwen |
2016, 3rd Round | Raymond van Barneveld |
3–4 |
| 104.93 | Gary Anderson |
2017, Final | Michael van Gerwen |
3–7 |
| Players with 5 or more 100+ match average | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Total | Highest Av. | Year (+Round) |
| Phil Taylor |
56 | 111.21 | 2002, 2nd Round |
| Michael van Gerwen |
39 | 114.05 | 2017, Semi-Final |
| Gary Anderson |
23 | 108.39 | 2011, 3rd Round |
| Adrian Lewis |
15 | 106.51 | 2010, 1st Round |
| Peter Wright |
15 | 105.86 | 2020, Quarter-Final |
| Raymond van Barneveld |
13 | 109.34 | 2017, Semi-Final |
| Michael Smith |
13 | 106.32 | 2022, 2nd Round |
| Rob Cross |
7 | 107.67 | 2018, Final |
| Dave Chisnall |
7 | 107.34 | 2021, Quarter-Final |
| Simon Whitlock |
7 | 105.37 | 2010, Quarter-Final |
| Dimitri Van den Bergh |
6 | 105.61 | 2021, 2nd Round |
| Luke Littler |
5 | 106.12 | 2024, 1st Round |
| Gerwyn Price |
5 | 104.20 | 2020, 3rd Round |
| Ten highest tournament averages (min 3 matches) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average | Player | Year | Round (+ result) | Reference |
| 106.32 | Michael van Gerwen |
2017 | Final (won) | [9] |
| 104.68 | Michael van Gerwen |
2016 | 3rd Round | [10] |
| 104.63 | Phil Taylor |
2010 | Final (won) | [11] |
| 104.19 | Adrian Lewis |
2010 | Quarter-Final | [11] |
| 104.08 | Phil Taylor |
2009 | Final (won) | [12] |
| 104.05 | Michael van Gerwen |
2018 | Semi-Final | [13] |
| 103.64 | Michael van Gerwen |
2021 | Quarter-Final | |
| 103.45 | Gary Anderson |
2017 | Final (loss) | [9] |
| 103.38 | Michael van Gerwen |
2019 | Final (won) | [14] |
| 103.06 | Gary Anderson |
2011 | Final (loss) | [15] |
The PDC World Championship has been broadcast live and in its entirety by Sky Sports in the UK since its inception. Since 2009 the tournament has been presented in High Definition (HD). Their coverage is currently presented from a studio overlooking the interior of the Alexandra Palace venue.
The current presenting team is as follows:
Presenters:
Commentators:
Co-commentators/pundits:
Former presenters and commentators have been:
Dutch broadcaster SBS6, having covered the BDO World Darts Championship for many years, also covered the event until RTL7 took over broadcasting. 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) now also broadcast the event.
Television viewing figures for the final are as follows: [29]
| Year | Broadcaster | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sky UK | Germany SPORT1 | Netherlands | |
| 2024 | 3.68 million peak[30] | 2.86 million peak[31] | |
| 2023 | 2,360,000[32] |
||
| 2022 | 1,490,000[33] |
1,650,000[34] |
|
| 2021 | 1,000,000[35] |
1,550,000[36] |
|
| 2020 | 1,006,553[37] | 1,590,000 [38] | 1,200,000 (RTL 7)[39] |
| 2019 | 658,300 | 1,490,000 [40] | 1,540,000 (RTL 7)[41] |
| 2018 | 1,400,000 | 2,150,000 [42] | 864,000 (RTL 7) |
| 2017 | 607,000 | 1,480,000[43] | 2,170,000 (RTL 7)[26] |
| 2016 | 908,000 | 950,000[44] | 869,000 (RTL 7)[45] |
| 2015 | 1.5 million peak[46] | 1,360,000[47] | 908,000 (RTL 7)[48] |
| 2014 | 668,000 | 560,000[49] | 2,054,000 (RTL 7) |
| 2013 | 1,270,000[50] | 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 | ||
The PDC world championship events are now broadcast on www.livepdc.tv which shows the events live, highlights and also classic matches. This website is a subscription only viewing and is limited to certain territorial restrictions.
The PDC have worked with various video game developers since 2006 to create a number of darts-themed titles based on the World Darts Championship tournament.
Their first game PDC World Championship Darts was developed by Mere Mortals for the PlayStation 2 and PC. The second game in the series was PDC World Championship Darts 2008 developed by Mere Mortals for the PlayStation 2, PC, PlayStation Portable, Wii and Xbox 360. A year later Rebellion Developments took over development of the series, releasing PDC World Championship Darts 2009 for the Wii and Nintendo DS.
The most recent PDC World Darts Championship console game to be released was PDC World Championship Darts Pro Tour a darts video game for the PlayStation 3, Wii and Xbox 360. This game is the most comprehensive of the series featuring ten professional players and five official PDC tournaments including the PDC World Grand Prix, Las Vegas Desert Classic, PDC UK Open and the Holland Open.
In 2021 the PDC collaborated with Blueprint Gaming to develop PDC World Darts Championship, an officially licensed slots game available to play on mobile devices and PC, the game was released in February 2021.[51]
The tournament has been sponsored by bookmaker Paddy Power in 2024. Previous sponsors have been:
Following popular darts commentator Sid Waddell's death on 11 August 2012, the decision was made to rename the champion's trophy to the Sid Waddell trophy from the 2013 tournament onwards.[52]
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