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2022/2024
You know, when Christmas is around the corner, when the PDC World Darts Championships returns to the Ally Pally, London, with the biggest prize in darts, a total of £2.5 Million. Ninety-six players compete, but only one will win the Sid Waddell World Trophy and a first prize cheque for £500,000. London's biggest Christmas Party lasts two weeks as fans descend from across the globe sporting their fancy dress. Ninety thousand tickets were sold in 15 minutes for this event. Some will be disappointed, but the 2026 event is rumoured to get bigger again, so this may be the last time the PDC World Championships is held at this iconic venue. More details will follow in the new year. Live on Sky Sports, DAZN and Viaplay. Viewers with Sky but not Sky Sports can upgrade to follow the arrows for one month. Contact Sky for more details. |
(World Championship details below...)
(updated 11/12/2024)
The World Dart Stage is set for another 15 days of World Darts. The PDC Paddy Power World Championship Dart, live from the Alexandra Palace, London.
Ninety-six players will compete for the Sid Waddell trophy and the first prize of £500,000 with a total prize fund of £2.5M, making this event the richest darts event in the World.
At the time of writing, a few tickets are still available. However, these tend to sell out fast, so if you want to join the party, I suggest you buy your tickets now or be disappointed.
The open field will likely excite neutral fans as the 2025 World Championships could see a new name on the Sid Waddell trophy.
The biggest prize money in any darts tournament attracts the best players in the World. However, the current women's series champion and PDC Women's World Matchplay Champion, Beau Greaves, has declined her invitation to the PDC World Championship finals, opting to compete and defend her WDF World Championship title instead. The field will consist of at least two female players, Fallon Sherrock and Noa-Lynn van Leuven.
The top 32-seeded players this year enter the competition in the tournament's second round. Further details of this event, venue, and prize fund breakdown can be found on this page. Use the tabs below to reveal more information or at the top of this section to find out the play schedule and player's lineup.
Tickets for this event sell out fast, so book your ticket now. Follow the PDC event ticket Link below to see what is available. If, however, you were not lucky enough to purchase a ticket for this event, then no worries, the event will be shown on Sky Sports in the UK / Ireland and various TV stations around the World, including DAZN and Viaplay and on PDCTV (excluding subscribers based in the UK, Germany, Austria & Switzerland). Subscription to the live streaming via PDCTV will also allow you to see many PDC Darts events.
The Alexandra Palace traditionally opens its doors an hour to an hour and a half before the start of the event. However, please check with the venue beforehand to avoid disappointment.
Date | Match Schedule | Doors Open | Event Start | Event Finish |
15th December 2024 | 3x First Round, 1x Second Round | 17:30 | 19:00 | 23:00 |
16th December 2024 | 3x First Round, 1x Second Round | 11:30 | 12:30 | 16:30 |
16th December 2024 | 3x First Round, 1x Second Round | 17:30 | 19:00 | 23:00 |
17th December 2024 | 3x First Round, 1x Second Round | 11:30 | 12:30 | 16:30 |
17th December 2024 | 3x First Round, 1x Second Round | 17:30 | 19:00 | 23:00 |
18th December 2024 | 3x First Round, 1x Second Round | 17:30 | 19:00 | 23:00 |
19th December 2024 | 3x First Round, 1x Second Round | 11:30 | 12:30 | 16:30 |
19th December 2024 | 3x First Round, 1x Second Round | 17:30 | 19:00 | 23:00 |
20th December 2024 | 3x First Round, 1x Second Round | 11:30 | 12:30 | 16:30 |
20th December 2024 | 3x First Round, 1x Second Round | 17:30 | 19:00 | 23:00 |
21st December 2024 | 2x First Round, 2x Second Round | 11:30 | 12:30 | 16:30 |
21st December 2024 | 4x Second Round | 17:30 | 19:00 | 23:00 |
22nd December 2024 | 4x Second Round | 11:30 | 12:30 | 16:30 |
22nd December 2024 | 4x Second Round | 17:30 | 19:00 | 23:00 |
23rd December 2024 | 4x Second Round | 11:30 | 12:30 | 16:30 |
23rd December 2024 | 4x Second Round | 17:30 | 19:00 | 23:00 |
CHRISTMAS BREAK | === No Play === | === | === | === |
27th December 2024 | 3x Third Round | 11:30 | 12:30 | 16:30 |
27th December 2024 | 3x Third Round | 17:30 | 19:00 | 23:00 |
28th December 2024 | 3x Third Round | 11:30 | 12:30 | 16:30 |
28th December 2024 | 3x Third Round | 17:30 | 19:00 | 23:00 |
29th December 2024 | 3x Third Round | 11:30 | 12:30 | 16:30 |
29th December 2024 | 1x Third Round, 2x Fourth Round | 17:30 | 19:00 | 23:00 |
30th December 2024 | 3x Fourth Round | 11:30 | 12:30 | 16:30 |
30th December 2024 | 3x Fourth Round | 17:30 | 19:30 | 23:00 |
NEW YEARS EVE BREAK | === No Play === | === | === | === |
1st January 2025 | 2x Quarter-Finals | 11:30 | 12:30 | 16:30 |
1st January 2025 | 2x Quarter-Finals | 17:30 | 19:00 | 23:00 |
2nd January 2025 | Semi-Finals | 18:00 | 19:30 | 23:00 |
3rd January 2025 | Final | 18:30 | 20:00 | 23:00 |
Please use this plan as a guide only and not an exact representation of the seating layout at the venue.
Alexandra Palace is the iconic North London venue that is surrounded by 196 acres of beautiful parkland, and grounds that boast a pub & restaurant, boating lake, pitch & putt course, 1,500 free parking spaces and much, much more.
The People’s Palace has great transport links, located just off the M1 and M25 and only 10 minutes from London Kings Cross.
Situated between Muswell Hill & Wood Green, Alexandra Palace is well served by all forms of public transport and is easy to reach by underground, road, rail & air. Alexandra Palace, Alexandra Palace Way, London N22 7AY
Postcode: N22 7AY
As of 7 August 2023, Alexandra Place has a new car parking charge system in operation in all their car parks. The charges support their charity work to care for the Park and Palace for the benefit of all forever.
The East Court car park is open seven days a week from 05.30-00.30hrs. The last entry is 20.00 each day, excluding event days when hours will vary.
The Grove car park is open seven days a week from 06.00-19.00hrs each day, excluding event days when hours will vary. The Paddocks car park is open for specific events only. Please see the onsite signage for more information.
There are (uncovered) bicycle racks in our East Court car park
Wood Green is the nearest underground station on the Piccadilly Line. (journey time is 20 minutes from Piccadilly Circus). Exit Wood Green Station and go to bus stop A to pick up the W3 bus up the hill to Alexandra Palace.
Alexandra Palace has its own British Rail Station, fittingly called Alexandra Palace Station. It is located at the Wood Green entrance to the Park. A regular train service runs direct from Moorgate (weekdays only) or from Kings Cross, changing at Finsbury Park.
Take the W3 bus from outside the station to the main Palm Court entrance. Some shows offer a free shuttle bus service from both Wood Green and Alexandra Palace stations check on the page of your event to find out more.
From Heathrow Airport, take the Piccadilly Line directly to Wood Green Station.
From Gatwick Airport an express takes you direct to Victoria Station, then take the Victoria Line to Finsbury Park station and a direct bus w3 to Alexandra Palace or overground train to Alexandra Palace station
Please note that the last tube from Wood Green Station leaves around midnight and the last train from Alexandra Palace Station leaves around Midnight. It is worth checking the last train times for your event date at www.tfl.gov.uk
Click here to find out more and plan your route.
The PDC Paddy PowerWorld Darts Championship's total prize money stands at £2,500,000 as per previous years going back to 2019. The exact breakdown of this year's money has not been published, but it is likely the same as last year.
The largest portion of the prize funds goes to the champion, £500,000 and the Sid Waddell Trophy. The prize money breakdown is shown below as per last year's event.
Position | Players | Prize Money | Total |
Champion | 1 | £500,000 | £500,000 |
Runner-up | 1 | £200,000 | £200,000 |
Semi-finalist | 2 | £100,000 | £200,000 |
Quarter-finalist | 4 | £50,000 | £200000 |
Fourth Round Loser | 8 | £35,000 | £280,000 |
Third Round Loser | 16 | £25,000 | £400,000 |
Second Round Loser | 32 | £15,000 | £480,000 |
First Round Loser | 32 | £7,500 | £240,000 |
Total | £2,500,000 |
The World's greatest darts tournament is back, with the World's top 96 players competing to win the Sid Waddell / Paddy Power PDC World Darts Trophy.
The tournament features 96 players made up of the top 32 seeded players on the PDC Order of Merit. They will be joined by a further 32 highest non-qualified players from the Pro Tour Order of Merit, based on the events played on the 2023 PDC Pro Tour.
The remaining 32 players come from international, and the two top-ranked women from the Womens Series Order of Merit *
Seeded players enter the World Championship in Round Two.
* NOTE: Beau Greaves qualified for the PDC and the WDF World Championships. Beau has decided to decline the PDC invitation so you can play in the WDF Women's World Championships and defend her title.
Subject to Change
Order of Merit |
Pro Tour Order of Merit |
International Qualifiers |
Second round (seeded) | First round | First round |
1. Luke Humphries | 1. Cameron Menzies | Ryusei Azemoto – PDC Asian Tour[20] |
2. Michael Smith | 2. Wessel Nijman | Keane Barry – PDC Development Tour[21] |
3. Michael van Gerwen | 3. Jermaine Wattimena | Stefan Bellmont – West Europe Qualifier[18] |
4. Luke Littler | 4. Ricardo Pietreczko | Stowe Buntz – CDC Pro Tour[22] |
5. Rob Cross | 5. Luke Woodhouse | Matt Campbell – PDC TCH Qualifier |
6. Dave Chisnall | 6. Ryan Joyce | Cameron Carolissen – African Qualifier[23] |
7. Jonny Clayton | 7. Niels Zonneveld | Joe Comito – DPA Pro Tour[24] |
8. Stephen Bunting | 8. Alan Soutar | Leonard Gates – CDC Pro Tour[22] |
9. Damon Heta | 9. Madars Razma | Tomoya Goto – PDJ Japan Tour[25] |
10. Gerwyn Price | 10. Callan Rydz | Kai Gotthardt – PDC Europe Super League |
11. Dimitri Van den Bergh | 11. Wesley Plaisier | Jeffrey de Graaf – PDC Nordic Baltic[**][26] |
12. Nathan Aspinall | 12. Martin Lukeman | Romeo Grbavac – East Europe Qualifier |
13. Danny Noppert | 13. Kevin Doets | Rhys Griffin – PDC TCH Qualifier |
14. Gary Anderson | 14. Richard Veenstra | Lourence Ilagan – PDC Asian Tour[20] |
15. Chris Dobey | 15. Scott Williams | Christian Kist – PDC Challenge Tour |
16. James Wade | 16. Kim Huybrechts | Nitin Kumar – India Qualifier |
17. Peter Wright | 17. William O'Connor | Darius Labanauskas – PDC Nordic & Baltic[26] |
18. Josh Rock | 18. Karel Sedláček | Lok Yin Lee – PDC Asian Championship Qualifier[29] |
19. Ross Smith | 19. Stephen Burton | Noa-Lynn van Leuven – PDC Women's Series[30][31][32] |
20. Ryan Searle | 20. Thibault Tricole | Jim Long – CDC Pro Tour[22] |
21. Andrew Gilding | 21. Connor Scutt | Gordon Mathers – Oceanic Masters[33] |
22. Martin Schindler | 22. Mensur Suljović | Alexander Merkx – PDC Challenge Tour |
23. Joe Cullen | 23. Ian White | Paolo Nebrida – PDC Asian Tour[20] |
24. Mike De Decker | 24. Jim Williams | Ben Robb – DPNZ Qualifier[34] |
25. Dirk van Duijvenbode | 25. Florian Hempel | Fallon Sherrock – PDC Women's Series[35][36] |
26. Daryl Gurney | 26. Ryan Meikle | Dylan Slevin – PDC TCH Qualifier |
27. Gabriel Clemens | 27. Chris Landman | Sandro Eric Sosing – Asian Championship[37] |
28. Gian van Veen | 28. Nick Kenny | Niko Springer – PDC Development Tour[21] |
29. Ritchie Edhouse | 29. James Hurrell | Rashad Sweeting – CDLC Tour[38] |
30. Brendan Dolan | 30. Mickey Mansell | Alexis Toylo – PDC Asian Tour[20] |
31. Krzysztof Ratajski | 31. Ricky Evans | Zong Xiao Chen – PDC China Championship[39] |
32. Raymond van Barneveld | 32. Robert Owen [*] | Jeffrey de Zwaan – PDC TCH Qualifier |
* Dom Taylor, who was originally 17th on the Pro Tour list. However, he was suspended by the PDC after failing a drugs test. Robert Owen replaces Robert Taylor as the highest-ranked Pro Tour player who is not yet qualified. He will be treated as an International qualifier in the draw due to Jeffrey de Graaf's Pro Tour ranking.
** De Graaf was ranked in the top 32 on the Pro Tour list, so will be treated as a ProTour qualifier in the draw.
Beau Greaves qualified for both the WDF Women's World Championships and the PDC World Darts Championship. Beau chose to play in the 2024 WDF World Darts Championship. The PDC ruling does not allow players to compete in both World Championships in the same year.
First Round |
||
Thibault Tricole | v | Joe Comito |
Kevin Doets | v | Noa-Lynn van Leuven |
James Hurrell | v | Jim Long |
Ryan Meikle | v | Fallon Sherrock |
Scott Williams | v | Niko Springer |
Ricky Evans | v | Gordon Mathers |
Mickey Mansell | v | Tomoya Goto |
Alan Soutar | v | Kai Gotthardt |
Connor Scutt | v | Ben Robb |
Kim Huybrechts | v | Keane Barry |
William O'Connor | v | Dylan Slevin |
Cameron Menzies | v | Leonard Gates |
Ryan Joyce | v | Darius Labanauskas |
Jeffrey de Graaf | v | Rashad Sweeting |
Stephen Burton | v | Alexander Merkx |
Jermaine Wattimena | v | Stefan Bellmont |
Wesley Plaisier | v | Ryusei Azemoto |
Karel Sedlacek | v | Rhys Griffin |
Jim Williams | v | Paolo Nebrida |
Mensur Suljovic | v | Matt Campbell |
Martin Lukeman | v | Nitin Kumar |
Callan Rydz | v | Romeo Grbavac |
Nijman | v | Cameron Carolissen |
Luke Woodhouse | v | Lourence Ilagan |
Madars Razma | v | Christian Kist |
Florian Hempel | v | Jeffrey De Zwaan |
Niels Zonneveld | v | Robert Owen |
Ricardo Pietreczko | v | Xiaochen Zong |
Ian White | v | Sandro Eric Sosing |
Chris Landman | v | Lok Yin Lee |
Richard Veenstra | v | Alexis Toylo |
Nick Kenny | v | Stowe Buntz |
Secound Round Seed Enter Play
Second Round |
||
(1) Luke Humphries | v | Thibault Tricole / Joe Comito |
(2) Michael Smith | v | Kevin Doets / Noa-Lynn van Leuven |
(3) Michael van Gerwen | v | J ames Hurrell / Jim Long |
(4) Luke Littler | v | Ryan Meikle / Fallon Sherrock |
(5) Rob Cross | v | Scott Williams / Niko Springer |
(6) Dave Chisnall | v | Ricky Evans / Gordon Mathers |
(7) Jonny Clayton | v | Mickey Mansell / Tomoya Goto |
(8) Stephen Bunting | v | Alan Soutar / Kai Gotthardt |
(9) Damon Heta | v | Connor Scutt / Ben Robb |
(10) Gerwyn Price | v | Kim Huybrechts / Keane Barry |
(11) Dimitri Van den Bergh | v | William O'Connor / Dylan Slevin |
(12) Nathan Aspinall | v | Cameron Menzies / Leonard Gates |
(13) Danny Noppert | v | Ryan Joyce / Darius Labanauskas |
(14) Gary Anderson | v | Jeffrey de Graaf / Rashad Sweeting |
(15) Chris Dobey | v | Stephen Burton / Alexander Merkx |
(16) James Wade | v | Jermaine Wattimena / Stefan Bellmont |
(17) Peter Wright | v | Wesley Plaisier / Ryusei Azemoto |
(18) Josh Rock | v | Karel Sedlacek / Rhys Griffin |
(19) Ross Smith | v | Jim Williams / Paolo Nebrida |
(20) Ryan Searle | v | Mensur Suljovic / Matt Campbell |
(21) Andrew Gilding | v | Martin Lukeman / Nitin Kumar |
(22) Martin Schindler | v | Callan Rydz / Romeo Grbavac |
(23) Joe Cullen | v | Nijman / Cameron Carolissen |
(24) Mike De Decker | v | Luke Woodhouse / Lourence Ilagan |
(25) Dirk van Duijvenbode | v | Madars Razma / Christian Kist |
(26) Daryl Gurney | v | Florian Hempel / Jeffrey De Zwaan |
(27) Gabriel Clemens | v | Niels Zonneveld / Robert Owen |
(28) Gian van Veen | v | Ricardo Pietreczko/Xiaochen Zong |
(29) Ritchie Edhouse | v | Ian White / Sandro Eric Sosing |
(30) Brendan Dolan | v | Chris Landman / Lok Yin Lee |
(31) Krzysztof Ratajski | v | Richard Veenstra / Alexis Toylo |
(32) Raymond van Barneveld | v | Nick Kenny / Stowe Buntz |
Sunday December 15 | |
Afternoon Session (No Play) | Evening Session 7pm GMT |
Thibault Tricole v Joe Comito (R1) | |
Jermaine Wattimena v Stefan Bellmont (R1) | |
Kim Huybrechts v Keane Barry (R1) | |
Luke Humphries v Tricole/Comito (R2) | |
Monay December 16 | |
Afternoon Session 12.30pm GMT | Evening Session 7pm GMT |
Wesley Plaisier v Ryusei Azemoto (R1) | Niels Zonneveld v Robert Owen (R1) |
Luke Woodhouse v Lourence Ilagan (R1) | Connor Scutt v Ben Robb (R1) |
Alan Soutar v Kai Gotthardt (R1) | Cameron Menzies v Leonard Gates (R1) |
James Wade v Wattimena/Bellmont (R2) | Gerwyn Price v Huybrechts/Barry (R2) |
Tuesday December 17 | |
Afternoon Session 12.30pm GMT | Evening Session 7pm GMT |
James Hurrell v Jim Long (R1) | Jeffrey de Graaf v Rashad Sweeting (R1) |
Kevin Doets v Noa-Lynn van Leuven (R1) | Ricardo Pietreczko v Xiaochen Zong (R1) |
Ryan Joyce v Darius Labanauskas (R1) | Ryan Meikle v Fallon Sherrock (R1) |
Mike De Decker v Woodhouse/Ilagan (R2) | Peter Wright v Plaisier/Azemoto (R2) |
Wednesday December 18 | |
Afternoon Session (No Play) | Evening Session 7pm GMT |
Jim Williams v Paolo Nebrida (R1) | |
Madars Razma v Christian Kist (R1) | |
Ricky Evans v Gordon Mathers (R1) | |
Nathan Aspinall v Menzies/Gates (R2) | |
Thursday December 19 | |
Afternoon Session 12.30pm GMT | Evening Session 7pm GMT |
Chris Landman v Lok Yin Lee (R1) | Nick Kenny v Stowe Buntz (R1) |
Callan Rydz v Romeo Grbavac (R1) | Mensur Suljovic v Matt Campbell (R1) |
Martin Lukeman v Nitin Kumar (R1) | Scott Williams v Niko Springer (R1) |
Gabriel Clemens v Zonneveld/Owen (R2) | Michael Smith v Doets/Van Leuven (R2) |
Friday December 20 | |
Afternoon Session 12.30pm GMT | Evening Session 7pm GMT |
Stephen Burton v Alexander Merkx (R1) | Mickey Mansell v Tomoya Goto (R1) |
Wessel Nijman v Cameron Carolissen (R1) | Florian Hempel v Jeffrey De Zwaan (R1) |
Ian White v Sandro Eric Sosing (R1) | William O’Connor v Dylan Slevin (R1) |
Stephen Bunting v Soutar/Gotthardt (R2) | Michael van Gerwen v Hurrell/Long (R2) |
Saturday December 21 | |
Afternoon Session 12.30pm GMT | Evening Session 7pm GMT |
Karel Sedlacek v Rhys Griffin (R1) | Danny Noppert v Joyce/Labanauskas (R2) |
Richard Veenstra v Alexis Toylo (R1) | Raymond van Barneveld v Kenny/Buntz (R2) |
Brendan Dolan v Landman/Lee (R2) | Luke Littler v Meikle/Sherrock;(R2) |
Chris Dobey v Burton/Merkx (R2) | Damon Heta v Scutt/Robb (R2) |
Sunday December 22 | |
Afternoon Session 12.30pm GMT | Evening Session 7pm GMT |
Ryan Searle v Suljovic/Campbell (R2) | Martin Schindler v Rydz/Grbavac (R2) |
Dirk van Duijvenbode v Razma/Kist (R2) | Ross Smith v J Williams/Nebrida (R2) |
Joe Cullen v Nijman/Carolissen (R2) | Gary Anderson v De Graaf/Sweeting (R2) |
Ritchie Edhouse v White/Sosing (R2) | Dimitri Van den Bergh v O’Connor/Slevin (R2) |
Monday December 23 | |
Afternoon Session 12.30pm GMT | Evening Session 7pm GMT |
Krzysztof Ratajski v Veenstra/Toylo (R2) | Gian van Veen v Pietreczko/Zong (R2) |
Andrew Gilding v Lukeman/Kumar (R2) | Daryl Gurney v Hempel/De Zwaan (R2) |
Josh Rock v Sedlacek/Griffin (R2) | Dave Chisnall v Evans/Mathers (R2) |
Jonny Clayton v Mansell/Goto (R2) | Rob Cross v S Williams/Springer (R2) |
Christmas Break December 24, 25, 26 |
|
FridayDecember 27 | |
Afternoon Session 12.30pm GMT | Evening Session 7pm GMT |
TBC v TBC (R3) | TBC v TBC (R3) |
TBC v TBC (R3) | TBC v TBC (R3) |
TBC v TBC (R3) | TBC v TBC (R3) |
Saturday December 28 | |
Afternoon Session 12.30pm GMT | Evening Session 7pm GMT |
TBC v TBC (R3) | TBC v TBC (R3) |
TBC v TBC (R3) | TBC v TBC (R3) |
TBC v TBC (R3) | TBC v TBC (R3) |
Sunday December 29 | |
Afternoon Session 12.30pm GMT | Evening Session 7pm GMT |
Third Round x3 | Third Round x1 / Fourth Round x2 |
Monday December 30 | |
Afternoon Session 12.30pm GMT | Evening Session 7pm GMT |
Fourth Round x3 | Fourth Round x3 |
New Years Eve Break December 31 |
|
Wednesday January 1 | |
Afternoon Session 12.30pm GMT | Evening Session 7pm GMT |
Quarter-Finals x2 | Quarter-Finals x2 |
Thursday January 2 | |
Afternoon Session (No Play) | Evening Session 7.30pm GMT |
Semi-Finals x2 | |
Wednesday January 3 | |
Afternoon Session (No Play) | Evening Session 7.30pm GMT |
Final |
First Round - Best of five sets (no tie-break)
Second Round - Best of five sets
Third Round - Best of seven sets
Fourth Round - Best of seven sets
Quarter-Finals - Best of nine sets
Semi-Finals - Best of 11 sets
Final - Best of 13 sets
A tie-break will be in operation from the second round onwards, where the final set must be won by two clear legs. If the score reaches five-all, the 11th leg will be a sudden-death leg.
The Icon 1980s Bullseye TV Game Show returns for a Christmas Special. Freddy Flintoff hosts with Luke Littler playing as the pro player. Fans of this show will recall the prize fund and format that has now made Bullseye nostalgic when viewing Challenge TV. Read more about Bullseye, the Christmas Special, The Epic Gameshow, History of the Show, The Bronze Bully and the Bullseye TV Road Show.
So you think you are good enough? The PDC Qualifying School (Q-School) is now open for applications. Your chance to compete with the best in the world starts here. Win a two-year tour card, and you are in!
Entries cost £475 per player, including the 2024 DRA Sanction Fee, and can be made now online through the PDC Entry System, with entries closing at 1400 GMT on Tuesday, December 31..
Players from the UK, Republic of Ireland and Gibraltar will compete in the UK Qualifying School, with players from all other European nations competing in the European Qualifying School. Players from other nations may choose in which Qualifying School to compete.
For more details, use the link below.
The PDC returns to Bahrain for the first of the World Series Events. Top PDC Professionals compete against area qualifiers in the first round, with winners progressing. Luke Littler took the title for the first time in 2024, following his successful debut at the 2024 World Championship.
The tournament will be broadcast live on ITV4 in the UK, through the PDC's worldwide broadcast partners, including DAZN and Viaplay, and on PDCTV (excluding subscribers based in the UK, Germany, Austria & Switzerland).
The first major tournament following the World Championships will see The Winmau Masters return, this time to the PDC. This iconic tournament will feature thirty-two of the PDC's top players competing for this top prize. Winmau has long sponsored the Masters event via the BDO circuit, but since the BDO demise and the WDF loyalty switch to other dartboard sponsors, it seemed a no-brainer that Winmau would reintroduce the event in a somewhat different format to the PDC.
The tournament will be broadcast live on ITV4 in the UK, through the PDC's worldwide broadcast partners, including DAZN and Viaplay, and on PDCTV (excluding subscribers based in the UK, Germany, Austria & Switzerland).
The MODUS Super Series continues its exciting new weekly darts competition featuring some of the biggest names in darts. Top international players compete, including Fallon Sherrock, Martin Adams, Robert Thornton, and many more.
Each week's mini-event concludes with a £5K first prize, and the winner then moves on to the Series finals with a chance of winning £20K.
Hosted at a top-spec, purpose-built location in Portsmouth, the MODUS Super Series will see more than 30 hours of matches broadcast LIVE Monday to Saturday every week, currently available on YouTube MODUS SUPER SERIES CHANNEL, with players competing for a share of over £1m on offer per year.
MODUS SUPER SERIES - More Information
Many viewers will know I have written several successful dart websites over the past twenty years, each with their own spin on the sport. I have also written a few professional player's websites you may have encountered. My love of the game has never diminished, and with over forty years of playing the game, I would like to share as much about darts the game, the sport, the history and the development of the game.
This website is new and fresh, and I have learned from my experience as a player, developer and designer to hopefully bring you a little more to the sport millions love and play every week.
This website contains information regarding the '01 game played by all, plus the many UK regional dartboard differences of both past and present. Player's nicknames, music, dart checkout charts and basic tournament charts are available to download and print for personal use. There will be something on this website for everyone, even if it is a quick look at the facts and myths surrounding the sport.
As a player, I would rate myself as a good pub league player. I never ventured into major competition except for the first year of the PDC UK Open. I won locally but was unable to attend regional knockouts. Today, I tend to watch as a keen supporter of the sport and love to see people enjoying it, even if it is only over a friendly pint or two.
My thanks go to the major dart organisations, dart manufacturers, suppliers, the darts historian Dr Patrick Chaplin, darts legend Trina Gulliver MBE, Mark McGeeney and the many others that have helped me over the years to develop this website and many other dart websites. More details can be found on my acknowledgement page. See footer.
Darts501.com – UK Darts Knowledge at it’s best.
Please Note: Calendar’s are correct at the time of publishing. Events are subject to change for operational or other unavoidable reasons.
An increased number of visitors have contacted me about players walk-on music and nicknames. Some of you have kindly supplied me with more information; therefore, I have updated both the players' nicknames and walk-on pages on this site. I hope to add a few more in the near future, but in the meantime if you know anymore or if any player has since changed either their Nickname or walk-on, please let me know via my contact page.
The revised nickname and walk-on music pages now include several WDDA players.
I do realise there are several missing of missing nicknames and walk-on's. However, I add more to the lists all the time.
Each year, the history of the sport of darts gets extended, and some fascinating facts get lost as time goes on. Having written about the sport for over twenty years, what was revertant then and now are entirely different. Nevertheless, fans would like to know more about the history, the players, and the evaluation of this ever-growing sport.
Although darts, as a game using three throwing arrows, can be dated back well over a hundred years, it is direct from the French game Fléchettes, meaning darts or small arrows. Man has thrown spears and small arrows for much longer, and some scholars' references date back further but have no historical evidence. It is purely speculation.
Darts is a sport that has seen evolutions in the darts, the dartboards, and, indeed, scoring. Besides the primary two games most new players may know and see, 501 and Cricket, a long list of games can be played on a standard dartboard. Further details on darts can be found in a brief history of darts and more in the tacts and myths (factoids) of the sport.
In brief, some of the sport's history is covered on this website, but here are a few details that cover the past forty years as a modern sport.
Darts on TV isn't new. The News of the World Individual Darts Championships featured on TV's Grand Stand Sports Programme, and the 'Indoor League', a programme dedicated to pub sports, were the first to feature darts.
Over the years, some past stars around at this time may not be known by some of the younger visitors, but most notable are Leighton Rees, the first BDO World Darts Champions, John Lowe MBE, who won the World Championship three times in three different decades, Eric Bristow MBE who won the title five times and the famous Scot of all Jocky Wilson who also managed this feat twice. Many more were to follow, including Phil Taylor, who dominated the sport for nearly twenty years and took the sport to a much higher level.
However, it was back in 1978 when darts became a massive TV hit with the introduction of the first British Darts Organisation (BDO) World Championship. The BBC introduced split-screen technology to allow viewers to view the dart thrower and the dartboard simultaneously, which gave the sport easy viewing and massive viewing figures. Today, darts are covered by many channels, notably Sky Sports, which has previously stated that darts are the second most viewed sport on their sports channels, next to football.
In 2001, the former British Darts Organisation (BDO) introduced a Women's World Darts Championship. England's Trina Gulliver MBE won the first staging of this event and then won it for seven consecutive years and made the final again in 2008 and 2009, but only to lose to a new up-and-coming star, Anastasia Dobromyslova from Russia in 2008 and Francis Hoenselaar from Holland in 2009. In 2010, Trina again regained the title, beating Rhian Edwards from Wales 2-0. She repeated this feat in 2011, again beating Rhain Edwards by the same margin of 2-0. In 2016, Trina won the World Darts title, making her the most successful lady darts player in the World, with a record-breaking Ten World Titles. Trina has been awarded the MBE for services to darts and charitable fundraising.
In more recent years, Lisa Ashton, Mikuru Suzuki and Beau Greaves have come to dominate the Women's sport.
In 2007, the PDC introduced the first Youth World Championship. Arron Monk won this event, who beat Michael van Gerwen 6 - 4 in the final. However, in 2015, the BDO followed suit and introduced its own Youth World Championship. Sixteen-year-old Colin Roelofs from the Netherlands became the first victor, beating seventeen-year-old Harry Ward from England 3 - 0. Harry, unfortunately, didn't win a single leg in the final. However, I am sure we will see a lot more from these youth players in the future.
During the 2019 Lakeside World Championships, calls for a significant review of the ladies' prize fund and short match format were called into question. The winning prize for women was just £12,000 compared to the men's £100,000. The chairman of the BDO at the time said this would be reviewed.
2019 also witnessed a number of the top BDO players move to the more lucrative PDC. With £14M annual prize fund at the time and the BDO contract restrictions taken off, players flocked to win a PDC tour card. The PDC prize fund has steadily increased each year since.
In 2020, with a new chairman on board, Des Jacklin, the BDO moved their world darts championship away from the Lakeside venue to the O2 Arena. The move was not met with overall approval from the loyal BDO darts fans, who decided not to attend in their thousands. The BDO world championship will go down in history for all the wrong reasons. The change of venue and the recent loss of professional darts referees all added to the BDO's misery. The promised prize money was slashed, and the conversation turned away from the players and directed to the chairman. The poor management left the BDO in debt, and the organisation's future in 2020 looked in doubt. Des Jacklin later resigned as chairman but was reinstated following a narrow county representative vote victory. However, Jacklin could not convince all, and there was a challenge to the BDO dominance in the UK.
The BDO had lost its status as it didn't represent a Country within the World Darts Federation (WDF) and lost its vote. The respective organisation had finally lost its support, and in 2020, several challenges were faced to take over the running of the Inter-County Championships. The UK Counties voted for a new organisation, the UK Darts Association, to take over the running of the England and Welsh County Leagues. The 2021 British Inter-County Championships will now be known as the UK National League, Premier League, League One, Two, Three etc. The WDF introduced a World Darts Championship and World Masters, the first World Championships again being staged at the Lakeside Country Club in January 2022. It now also includes boys and girls World Championship events.
However, the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) now firmly run the professional side of darts, with more players competing to join each year.
In 2019, John Lowe, the former three-time World Darts Champion, was awarded an MBE in the late Queen Elisabeth II New Year's Honours list. John became the second male dart player to be awarded the MBE. The late Eric Bristow was the first recipient in 1989. Until 2023, the only female player to receive such an award was Trina Gulliver, the Women's ten-time World Darts Champion. In 2023, Fallon Sherrock was named in King Charles III's birthday honours and also received the MBE honour. In December of the same year, Keith Deller, former BDO World Darts Champion, was also awarded an MBE for raising money for various charitable services in the King's New Year honours.
Dart fans may question the above because Phil Taylor was to receive an MBE in 2001. However, he didn't receive it. The award medal was effectively annulled because he was found guilty of an indecent assault. Taylor denied the charges but had to pay £2,000 due to his conviction.
UK Awards given by the Crown are subject to conditions. One condition is a recipient's criminal record. Awards issued to others, not necessarily sports stars that later have been found guilty of a crime also face losing awards and titles issued
In 2010, Russ Strobel submitted to Darts Australia a new recommended dartboard height for Wheelchair users. The height Russ has come up with is 137cm to the centre Bull. The height is based on the perceived origins of the standard clock dartboard's standard hanging height. It said the average height of a man in England, UK was 5'8" around the 1920s, the height of the centre bullseye of a standard board. Modern adjustments make that 173cm. Russ took this analogy and worked out the height of a man of 5'8" (173cm) be sitting in a wheelchair. His exact figure came out to be 136.5cm. However, as Russ explained, adding 0.5cm would make the recommended wheelchair dartboard height easy to remember, 137cm (wheelchair) - 173cm (Standard). Darts Australia accepted the concept of the new height for Wheelchair users, and in 2012, it was also accepted by the World Darts Federation. Read more about Disability Darts, which is featured on this website.
On this site, you will find a brief history of this intriguing sport and all the information you need to set up the dartboard and organise darting events. You can also learn how dartboards are constructed using sisal (a material used in rope making) and how dart weights, lengths, shafts and flights can alter the dart's flight.
The site also features traditional games played on today's standard dartboards, including some I have written and shared. There are also details on UK Regional dartboards, the Yorkshire and the Manchester log-end, to name just two. You can read the rules of many games from here, and if you are new to the sport, you can download those all-important checkouts.
You will also find practice routines to improve your accuracy and scoring consistency and information about maintaining your dartboard and darts. Many dart-related links also feature and link to professional dart organisations, manufacturers, suppliers, and players. Thanks to them for their help and support in building this site.
I hope you enjoy the website. Your feedback is always welcome, and if you like the site, please inform others.
Darts501 was established in 2004, and from its humble beginnings and a few makeovers, the website has had well over 27 million viewers, and the increasing trend continues. On average, the website now attracts 1.6 - 2 million pa. However, this figure is vastly undervalued, with more people opting not to have their visit to this website recorded. Modern browsers and VPNs allow visitors to block information. Thanks to all that visit, and keep calling back to see regular updates.
Darts501 has received many good references from professional players, commentators and other writers of the sport. It has become a resource that professionals recommend to others.
Further research into the sport continues, including dartboards used across the UK over the past 100 years, including the use of darts and dartboards in War II. You can read my research, including the Secret Service in MI9.
Enjoy reading.