The festive season is here, and that can mean only one thing – the return of the PDC World Darts Championship!
A staple of British sporting culture, this year’s event at Ally Pally will be bigger than ever and the winner is set to receive £1 million, the largest monetary prize in the sport’s history.
The runner-up will also collect £400,000, which is just £100,000 short of last year’s reward for the victor!
Teenage sensation Luke Littler is the defending champion after beating Michael van Gerwen in the 2025 final.
And newly-crowned World No1 Littler is the man to beat once again this time around, having won the World Matchplay, World Grand Prix, UK Open, Grand Slam of Darts and Players’ Championship Finals in a truly incredible year.
So, with darts fever set to grip the nation over the next few weeks, we have previewed the tournament, and you can check out the latest live PDC World Championship odds right here on NetBet.
What is the new format for the PDC World Darts Championship?
For the first time in the tournament’s rich history, 128 players will be taking part, making up four 32-player quarters.
And unlike previous years, the Top 32 seeded dartsmiths will feature in the First Round, rather than getting a bye to the Second Round.
Here is the schedule:
December 11-19 – First Round
December 20-23 – Second Round
December 27-29 – Third Round
December 29-30 – Fourth Round
January 1 – Quarter-Finals
January 2 – Semi-Finals
January 3 – Final
The First and Second Rounds are the best-of-three sets, a number which increases to four for the Third and Fourth Rounds.
In the Quarter-Finals it is best-of-five, with the Semi-Finals the best-of-six – and the big Final is the first to reach the magical number of seven sets.
Who are the favourites for the PDC World Darts Championship 2026?
*All odds are subject to change
Luke Littler – 1.90
Luke Humphries – 5.00
Gian van Veen – 13.00
Josh Rock – 15.00
Gerwyn Price – 15.00
Michael van Gerwen – 21.00
Nathan Aspinall – 36.00
Stephen Bunting – 41.00
Gary Anderson – 51.00
Mike De Decker – 51.00
Danny Noppert – 51.00
James Wade – 61.00
Chris Dobey – 67.00
Damon Heta – 67.00
Jonny Clayton – 67.00
Beau Greaves – 76.00
Dimitri van den Bergh – 81.00
Wessel Nijman – 81.00
PDC World Darts Championship 2026 Betting Tips
To reach the final – Luke Humphries @ 2.60
Humphries looked like a man on a mission after losing the Grand Slam of Darts final to Littler back in November. The former World No1 claimed he would “win the Worlds” when being interviewed, and who would bet against him? Humphries is a world-class operator, and on his day, only Littler can stop him. After reaching five major finals in 2025, backing him to be walking out at Ally Pally on January 3 looks a great pre-tournament wager.
2nd quarter winner – Jonny Clayton @ 6.00
Welsh star Clayton has played some great darts this year, and is in one of the ‘kinder’ or ‘more open’ quarters alongside the likes of Stephen Bunting and Ross Smith. He was poor at the Grand Slam, but Clayton reached the 2025 Masters final and was also a World Matchplay semi-finalist over the summer. Usually deadly on the doubles and capable of surges which leave the very best scratching their heads, this looks a great selection at favourable odds.
4th quarter winner – Danny Noppert @ 6.00
Noppert is in the form of his life, and is now deservedly up to World No6. The Dutchman has featured in five televised semi-finals this year, and is a strong candidate for the 2026 Premier League campaign as a result. Even though Noppert is in a tricky quarter alongside the likes of Josh Rock, Michael van Gerwen and Gary Anderson, we are backing his consistency and newfound high scoring to take him to another semi-final!
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