The Professional Darts Corporation will move its premier world championship into the larger Great Hall at London’s Alexandra Palace starting in December 2026, raising per-session seating capacity to about 5,000 visitors, welt.de reported.
After its 2007 relocation from Purfleet’s Circus Tavern, the 34th edition of the tournament will expand its footprint to accommodate surging ticket demand. The event runs from December 11, 2026, through January 3, 2027, featuring a 128-player field competing for a total prize fund of five million pounds, according to playersranked.com.
Great Hall Venue Expansion
The move to the Great Hall lifts capacity by roughly 1,800 seats per session compared to the previous 3,200 limit in the West Hall. Playersranked.com noted that defending champion Luke Littler aims for his third title when the action gets underway in north London.
The tournament format preserves the 128-player roster introduced in prior cycles, with participants spanning more than 20 nations. Welt.de reported that the field includes at least four women among the qualifiers, while the top 32 players in the PDC Order of Merit earn seeded positions in the first round.
Matches Run from December 11 to January 3
Play spans 20 days across 36 sessions, with the opening matches scheduled for December 11, 2026. Welt.de outlined the major rounds, noting that the second round runs from December 20 to 23, followed by the third round from December 27 to 29.
The fourth-round action and the round of 16 take place on December 29 and 30. The quarterfinals are set for January 1, 2027, the semifinals follow on January 2, and the final for the Sid Waddell Trophy is scheduled for January 3 at 21:00 German time (20:00 local time in London).
German Players Qualify for the Championship
German players are on track to set a participation record at the upcoming championship, with at least nine competitors anticipated in the lineup. Welt.de confirmed that Martin Schindler, Niko Springer, and Ricardo Pietreczko qualified via the PDC Order of Merit, while Gabriel Clemens, Max Hopp, and Lukas Wenig secured spots through the ProTour Order of Merit. Daniel Klose qualified via the Challenge Tour.
Additional international qualifiers include players from Asia, Oceania, Africa, and the Americas. The qualification pathways also encompass regional events such as the North American Championship, Asian Tour stops, and the PDC Europe Super League.
Record Prize Money Structure
The world champion collects a top prize of one million pounds, while the runner-up receives 400,000 pounds. Semifinalists earn 200,000 pounds each, quarterfinalists take home 100,000 pounds, and first-round participants receive a 15,000-pound starting fee.
Sport1 and DAZN Broadcast the Tournament Live
Sport1 will broadcast the tournament live in Germany, according to welt.de. DAZN will also stream all matches live. Pro7 secured the subsequent free-to-air broadcast rights starting with the 2028 tournament.
Worth a look
- Deportivo Pasto Defeats Jaguares 2-0 as Jaguares Loses Control of Relegation
- Peio Etxeberria and Javier Zabala to Meet in Cuatro y Medio Final
- Southport dads awarded prestigious prize at BBC Sports Personality of the Year (newsarchyuk.com)
- Kentucky Hockey Players React to Rivalry Win Over Louisville (bytewire.news)
