World Darts Championship Predictions & Betting tips
Find our free predictions for betting on the 2026 Darts World Championship as well as tips and forecasts. Full information for your sports bets below.
2026 Darts World Championship - Presentation and predictions
The 2026 Darts World Championship is shaping up to be the most entertaining one yet, but the big question is: will anyone be able to stop Luke “The Nuke” Littler from securing a second consecutive World Championship title?
Below, we will explain how the 2026 Darts World Championship works and provide you with all the key statistics regarding historic performances from the world’s top players during the year.
Additionally, our darts experts will be providing their in-depth thoughts and analysis on all the headline matches at the competition to help with your wagering decisions.
2026 Darts World Championship: Winner prediction and outright odds
Over the past couple of years, the world of darts has seen a force emerge in 18-year-old Luke Littler. After bursting onto the scene, the youngster from Warrington defied the odds to win the Premier League in his first full season in 2024, beating Luke Humphries in the final.
In 2025, “The Nuke” raised his game even further. He won this competition at the Ally Pally at the start of the year, beating Michael van Gerwen 7-3 in the final, before dethroning Dimitri Van den Bergh for the UK Open title by overcoming James Wade 11-2 in the final in March 2025.
While anything could still happen when the world’s best players set foot at Alexandra Palace this year, it feels as though it is going to take a massive fall from grace for Littler to be denied being crowned back-to-back Darts World Championship winner.
Our early prediction: Luke Littler will win the 2026 Darts World Championship!
2026 Darts World Championship: odds on the favourites for the title
Here are the bookmakers’ early odds for the favourites to win the 2026 Darts World Championship title:
- Luke Littler - 2.37
- Luke Humphries - 4.50
- Michael van Gerwen - 9.00
- Gerwyn Price - 19.00
- Gary Anderson - 21.00
- Stephen Bunting - 23.00
- Chris Dobey - 34.00
- Gian van Veen - 34.00
- Rob Cross - 34.00
- Wessel Nijman - 34.00
- Callan Rydz - 41.00
- Josh Rock - 41.00
- Michael Smith - 41.00
- Mike De Decker - 41.00
- Nathan Aspinall - 41.00
Odds taken from Bet365
2026 Darts World Championship: who will reach the quarter-finals?
The 2026 Darts World Championship will see a major change, with the field increasing to 128 players, up from 96 in the previous edition, which we will discuss in more detail below.
At the end of the early rounds of the competition, the top eight players in the standings will move on to the quarter-final stage, where they will battle for a spot in the semis and Grand Final on an elimination basis.
The final field and odds for the 2026 Darts World Championship have yet to be announced.
2026 Darts World Championship: who will reach the final?
Based on the current standings, performances, and the bookmakers’ odds at the time of writing, it comes as no surprise that Luke Littler and Luke Humphries are expected to be the most likely to duke it out in the 2026 Darts World Championship final for the title.
However, one player that may have a say in the matter is Gerwyn Price. The Welshman has been Littler’s kryptonite in recent times and beat the Nuke six times in a row between 10 August 2024 and 14 March 2025.
Michael van Gerwen and Rob Cross are veterans in the darting realm and cannot be counted out just yet, though they both have had mixed seasons over the last few years, and it remains to be seen in what form they are leading up to the tournament.
2026 Darts World Championship: who are the potential dark horses?
Several players produced stellar performances at the 2025 Darts World Championship, including Callan Rydz and Peter Wright, both of whom reached the quarter-final of the competition, outlasting the likes of former world number one Michael Smith and number five seed Rob Cross.
However, two players who have come on leaps and bounds over the last 12 months are Chris Dobey and Stephen Bunting. Dobey bowed out in the semi-final of the 2025 Darts World Championship to Michael van Gerwen, and Bunting was defeated by Littler in the same round. However, the pair delivered a few incredible performances in the Premier League against the best in the world and are ones to watch at the Ally Pally come year-end.
Beginner's guide: how does the 2026 Darts World Championship work?
The dates for the 2026 Darts World Championship have yet to be confirmed, but what we do know is that the 2026 edition will differ from the previous competition in a few important ways.
For the 2026 tournament, the PDC have doubled the prize fund for the winner from £500,000 to £1 million, making it the biggest prize money increase ever at a PDC competition. The total prize pool is now £5 million up from £2,5 million.
Additionally, the field has now been increased from 96 players to 128, making the tournament even more competitive, while allowing players ranked lower in the world standings a chance to go for the biggest prize in darts.
Given the increase in the number of players for the 2026 Darts World Championship, the format of the competition is likely to be updated too, though there is no confirmation of the exact changes just yet.
2026 World Darts Championship Prize Funds
- Winner: £1,000,000
- Runner-Up: £400,000
- Semi-Finalists: £200,000
- Quarter-Finalists: £100,000
- Last 16 losers: £60,000
- Last 32 losers: £35,000
- Last 64 losers: £25,000
- Last 128 losers: £15,000
- Total: £5,000,000
Our tips on betting on the 2026 Darts World Championship
Before you get stuck into placing your wagers for the 2026 Darts World Championship, we suggest taking a look at our top five tips to help improve your chances of earning returns on your bets.
- Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each player
- Monitor recent form and performances of players
- Consider home advantage
- Examine past head-to-head encounters
- Diversify your bets across various markets
These tips have been tried and tested, and by utilising them, you can improve your chances of placing successful bets on matches for the 2026 Darts World Championship, as well as the various tournaments still to come this year.
Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each player
Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each player in the 2026 Darts World Championship can significantly help you improve your predictions of outcomes of matches. Since the World Championship is a 1v1 style competition, fine margins can have major impacts on outcomes.
For example, certain players may have high scoring averages, indicating their ability to get to a close quickly, but their checkout rate may be low, which could be an issue if they are facing someone who pins doubles at a higher percentage.
Monitor recent form and performances of players
As is the case in most sports, tracking a player’s recent form is a solid indicator of how they may perform in their next match. Darts players often thrive on rhythm and momentum, and when a player is struggling with these elements, it often translates into poor performances given the nature of the sport.
Consider home advantage
With the growing popularity of darts, the World Championship now pulls in thousands of fans each day of the competition. In 2023, 90,000 fans packed London's Alexandra Palace across the Christmas and New Year period, setting a record for attendees at the competition.
With this year’s World Championship expected to attract even more viewers due to the increase in the size of the field, the influence of the noise generated by the crowd could be a major factor that can either unsettle players or push them to do better if they are a fan favourite.
Examine past head-to-head encounters
Arguably, the most important of all the factors listed here is paying attention to past head-to-head encounters between players. While some players may be in their best form, there is often that one opponent that just finds a way to beat them with regularity.
For example, Luke Littler has taken on all-comers in most major tournaments in recent times, but he has struggled to get the better of Gerwyn Price. The Welshman beat Littler six times in a row between August 2024 and March 2025 - these are the types of trends that can indicate potential upsets.
Diversify your bets across various markets
This is good practice not only for darts betting, but sports betting in general. It is never advisable to pin all your hopes (or money) on a single bet, especially in single-player sports such as the 2026 Darts World Championship.
With the 2026 Darts World Championship field increased to 128 players, there will be several matches played each day to spread your bets among, and even more sub-markets, such as handicaps, over/under, etc. You can also make use of our betting odds calculator to work out your potential returns on each market.
What not to do for your 2026 Darts World Championship Predictions
Now that you’re fully aware of how to approach betting on the 2026 Darts World Championship matches, here are some common pitfalls to steer clear of at all costs:
- Don’t chase your losses - it often leads to bigger setbacks
- Avoid letting personal bias or emotions influence your betting decision
- Never place bets without proper research and analysis
- Stay away from backing favourites blindly
- Always maintain discipline with your bankroll
These are the most common mistakes bettors make when wagering on darts, so be sure you do not get caught out.
2026 Darts World Championship predictions: statistics you need to know
The following stats have been taken from the previous edition of the World Championship (2025):
- Luke Littler had the highest average score across the tournament (102.27)
- Only two players who reached the quarter-final averaged above 100.00
- Callan Rydz had the highest individual average score in a match (107.06)
- Luke Littler scored the most 180s in the competition (76)
- Only two players scored more than 50 180s in the 2025 Darts World Championship
- The highest Checkout percentage among quarter-finalists was 44.0%
- Five players managed 170 Checkouts in the tournament
- Only two nine-dart finishes were recorded at the 2025 Darts World Championship
- A record 14 seeds were eliminated in the second round of the 2025 Darts World Championship
- Seven unseeded players reached round four of the 2025 Darts World Championship
In a nutshell: how to make winning predictions for the 2026 Darts World Championship?
Whether you are new to sports betting or are a seasoned punter, you’re probably aware that winning every bet is virtually impossible, but by following the tips and avoiding the common mistakes listed above, you are sure to see improvement in your strike rate of landing winning bets.
Take extra care to ensure that you are not overexposing yourself by betting more than you can afford to, and finally, leverage the advice of SportyTrader’s experts, who have put in several hours to provide honest, in-depth and unbiased darts predictions to help make your 2026 Darts World Championship a profitable one!
