PDC World Darts Championships 2026: Christmas break, results, format, schedule, when is Luke Littler's next match?

This year’s tournament is the 33rd organised by the Professional Darts Corporation since it separated from the now-defunct British Darts Organisation and is once again taking place at London’s Alexandra Palace, better known to fans as the Ally Pally.

Read more: Richest Darts Players in History: Here are the 17 wealthiest darts stars as of December 2025 - Luke Littler net worth

And there’s more darts than ever to enjoy, with an expanded 128-player field and the seeds playing from the first round (they previously went straight through to the second round).

Defending champion Luke Littler continued his flawless start to the championship on Sunday by adding a 3-0 win over David Davies to his triumph over Darius Labanauskas on the first day.

Monday was a bad day for Scotland, with both Alan Soutar and Darren Beveridge crashing out of the competition.

And there was more bad news yesterday, with Peter Wright also exiting - although Gary Anderson put in a vintage performance to progress.

We’ve now reached the Christmas break - here’s when things get underway again in the tournament and everything else you need to know.

When is the PDC World Darts Championship?

The tournament takes place from Thursday, December 11, 2025, to Saturday, January 3, 2026

What is the prize money?

There is a record £5million prize pot up for grabs, allocated as follows:

• Winner: £1,000,000
• Runner-up: £400,000
• Semi-finalists: £200,000
• Quarter-finalists: £100,000
• Fourth round losers: £60,000
• Third round losers: £35,000
• Second round losers: £25,000
• First round losers: £15,000
• Nine-dart finish: £60,000

How long is the Christmas break in the PDC World Darts Championship?

The break lasts from Christmas Eve for three days - so the players will be back on the oche on Saturday, December 27.

What is the schedule in the World Darts Championship?

Here’s what we’re looking forward to when the competition returns.

Saturday, December 27

Afternoon Session (12.30pm)

• Wesley Plaisier vs Kryzsztof Ratajski
• Andrew Gilding vs Luke Woodhouse (25)
• Jonny Clayton (5) vs Niels Zonneveld

Evening Session (7pm)

• Andreas Harrysson vs Ricardo Pietreczko
• Stephen Bunting (4) vs James Hurrell
• Luke Littler (1) vs Mensur Suljovic

Sunday, December 28

Afternoon Session (12.30pm)

• Martin Schindler v Ryan Searle
• Damon Heta v Rob Cross
• Gary Anderson v Jermaine Wattimena

Evening Session (7pm)

• Gian van Veen v Madars Razma
• Luke Humphries v Gabriel Clemens
• Michael van Gerwen v Arno Merk

Monday, December 29

Afternoon Session (12.30pm)

• Justin Hood v Ryan Meikle
• Ricky Evans v Charlie Manby
• Nathan Aspinall v Kevin Doets

Evening Session (7pm start)

• Josh Rock v Callan Rydz
• Two Round Four Matches - TBC

What are the results so far in the World Darts Championship?

Here’s what’s happened so far:

First round

• Kim Huybrechts 1-3 Arno Merk
• Michael Smith (28) 3-0 Lisa Ashton
• Luke Littler (1) 3-0 Darius Labanauskas
• Madars Razma 3-1 Jamai van den Herik
• Niels Zonneveld 3-0 Haupai Puha
• Ian White 3-2 Mervyn King
• Ryan Searle (20) 3-0 Chris Landman
• Rob Cross (17) 3-0 Cor Dekker
• Ross Smith (12) 2-3 Andreas Harrysson
• Ricky Evans 3-0 Man Lok Leung
• Gian van Veen (10) 3-1 Cristo Reyes
• Damon Heta (16) 3-1 Steve Lennon
• Mario Vandenbogaerde 0-3 David Davies
• Andrew Gilding 3-1 Cam Crabtree
• Luke Woodhouse (25) 3-1 Boris Krcmar
• Gary Anderson (14) 3-2 Adam Hunt
• Jeffrey de Graaf 1-3 Paul Lim
• Wessel Nijman (31) 3-0 Karel Sedlacek
• Luke Humphries (2) 3-1 Ted Evetts
• Gabriel Clemens 3-0 Alex Spellman
• Ritchie Edhouse (27) 0-3 Jonny Tata
• Dom Taylor 3-0 Oskar Lukasiak
• Richard Veenstra 2-3 Nitin Kumar
• Joe Cullen (32) 3-0 Bradley Brooks
• Lukas Wenig 1-3 Wesley Plaisier
• Dimitri van den Bergh (23) 0-3 Darren Beveridge
• Stephen Bunting (4) 3-2 Sebastian Bialecki
• James Hurrell 3-1 Stowe Buntz
• Brendan Dolan 3-1 Tavis Dudeney
• Cameron Menzies (26) 2-3 Charlie Manby
• Mensur Suljovic 3-1 David Cameron
• Peter Wright (30) 3-0 Noa-Lynn van Leuven
• Martin Lukeman 1-3 Max Hopp
• Dirk van Duijvenbode (29) 3-2 Andy Baetens
• Jonny Clayton (5) 3-1 Adam Lipscombe
• Connor Scutt 3-2 Simon Whitlock
• Alan Soutar 3-2 Teemu Harju
• Nick Kenny 0-3 Justin Hood
• Scott Williams 3-0 Paolo Nebrida
• Chris Dobey (8) 3-1 Xiaochen Zong
• Ricardo Pietreczko 3-1 Jose de Sousa
• Danny Noppert (6) 3-1 Jurjen van der Velde
• Gerwyn Price (9) 3-0 Adam Gawlas
• Niko Springer 1-3 Joe Comito
• Matt Campbell 1-3 Adam Sevada
• Raymond van Barneveld 0-3 Stefan Bellmont
• James Wade (7) 3-0 Ryusei Azemoto
• Martin Schindler (13) 3-1 Stephen Burton
• Callan Rydz 3-0 Patrik Kovacs
• Thibault Tricole 0-3 Motomu Sakai
• Ryan Joyce 3-0 Owen Bates
• Mike de Decker (18) 2-3 David Munyua
• Jermaine Wattimena (19) 3-2 Dominik Gruellich
• Dave Chisnall (21) 3-0 Fallon Sherrock
• Michael van Gerwen (3) 3-1 Mitsuhiko Tatsunami
• Krzysztof Ratajski 3-0 Alexis Toylo
• Kevin Doets 3-1 Matthew Dennant
• Ryan Meikle 3-0 Jesus Salate
• Mickey Mansell 2-3 Leonard Gates
• Josh Rock (11) 3-1 Gemma Hayter
• William O'Connor 3-0 Krzysztof Kciuk
• Daryl Gurney (22) 3-2 Beau Greaves
• Nathan Aspinall (15) 3-1 Lourence Ilagan
• Keane Barry 3-0 Tim Pusey

Second round

• Ryan Searle 3-0 Brendan Dolan
• Andreas Harrysson 3-0 Motomu Sakai
• Dirk van Duijvenbode 2-3 James Hurrell
• Dave Chisnall 2-3 Ricardo Pietreczko
• Michael Smith 1-3 Niels Zonneveld
• Chris Dobey 1-3 Andrew Gilding
• Stephen Bunting 3-0 Nitin Kumar
• Jonny Clayton 0-0 Dom Taylor
• Ryan Joyce 1-3 Krzysztof Ratajski
• Joe Cullen 1-3 Mensur Suljovic
• Luke Woodhouse 3-0 Max Hopp
• Rob Cross 3-1 Ian White
• Martin Schindler 3-0 Keane Barry
• Gerwyn Price 0-3 Wesley Plaisier
• Luke Littler 3-0 David Davies
• Damon Heta 3-2 Stefan Bellmont
• Darren Beveridge 1-3 Madars Razma
• Wessel Nijman 0-3 Gabriel Clemens
• David Munyua 0-3 Kevin Doets
• James Wade 2-3 Ricky Evans
• Gian Van Veen 3-1 Alan Soutar
• Nathan Aspinall 3-0 Leonard Gates
• Luke Humphries 3-0 Paul Lim
• Charlie Manby 3-0 Adam Sevada
• Jonny Tata 2-3 Ryan Meikle
• Daryl Gurney 2-3 Callan Rydz
• Jermaine Wattimena 3-2 Scott Williams
• Peter Wright 0-3 Arno Merk
• Danny Noppert 2-3 Justin Hood
• Gary Anderson 3-1 Connor Scutt
• Michael van Gerwen 3-1 William O'Connor
• Josh Rock 3-0 Joe Comito

When is Luke Littler’s next match in the PDC World Darts Championship?

Luke Littler will take on Mensur Suljovic in the third round of the PDC World Darts Championship on the evening of Saturday, December 27. He’s expected to be third up, meaning he’s expected on the oche between 8pm and 9pm.

What is the format of the matches?

Darts matches are made up of legs and sets, with each set being the best of five legs (the first to three legs taking the set).

The first two rounds are the best of five sets (first to three), while the third and fourth rounds are the best of seven sets (first to four).

The quarter-finals are the best of nine sets (first to five), the semi-finals the best of 11 sets (first to six) and the final a marathon best of 13 sets (first to seven).

For all rounds except the first, the deciding set has to be won by two clear legs, up until 5–5, when a sudden-death leg will be played.

What is the format of the competition?

Unlike previous years, where the top players skipped the first round, it’s a straight knockout competition, with the top 32 players on the PDC Order of Merit seeded.

What’s the tournament schedule?

In the early stages of the tournament there are eight matches each day, split into two sessions. As the length of the games increase, and the number of players remaining in the competition decrease, fewer games are played in each session.

First round matches start on the the evening of Thursday, December 11, and continue until Friday, December 9.

The first of the second round matches takes place on Saturday, December 10, with round 2 concluding on Tuesday, December 24.

The third round takes place between December 27-29, and the fourth from December 29-30.

The eight quarter-finalists will clash over two session on Thursday, January 1, swiftly followed by the semi-finals the next day.

The winner will be crowned after the final on Saturday, January 3, starting at 8pm.

How can I watch the PDC Darts World Championship?

Live coverage of every day and every dart of the PDC World Darts Championship will be broadcast exclusively live on the dedicated Sky Sports Darts channel.

You don't have to be a subscriber to watch – daily, weekly and monthly Sky Sports passes are available on the NOW TV platform from £14.99.

Who is favourite to win?

Defending champion Luke Littler is favourite take the title, with odds of 4/6, followed by Luke Humphries (9/2), Gian van Veen (15/2) and Michael van Gerwen (14/1).

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