PDC World Darts Championship

Sixteen rebels, a banned list, and a sport cracked permanently in two.

The fracture had been building since January 1992, when sixteen of the world's top players, fed up with the BDO's running of the sport, set up the breakaway World Darts Council. Funded by promoters Tommy Cox and Dick Allix and fronted by names like Phil Taylor, Dennis Priestley, Eric Bristow and John Lowe, they wanted better prize money, more television and a properly professional circuit. In January 1993 the sixteen declared they would play only under WDC rules; the BDO suspended them within weeks and, by that April, banned them outright. Darts now had two rival worlds, and a decade of legal warfare ahead.

Fewer than a thousand seats, a cabaret club, and the birth of a broadcasting partnership that still runs today.

The inaugural WDC World Darts Championship took place over the 1993/94 New Year period at the Circus Tavern in Purfleet, Essex. A cabaret club that packed in fewer than a thousand fans, it was a far cry from the Lakeside's established standing. Dennis Priestley defeated Phil Taylor 6 sets to 1 in the final to become the first champion. The prize fund was £64,000, with Priestley taking home £16,000. Sky Sports broadcast the occasion, beginning a television partnership that endures to this day.

A single 1997 settlement gave players the freedom to choose their organisation; the rebel circuit finally had its legitimacy.

After years of legal battles between the BDO and the breakaway players, the Tomlin Order of June 1997 brought resolution. The settlement confirmed that players were free to compete in whichever organisation they chose, effectively legitimising the rebel body. The WDC formally renamed itself the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC), and the two organisations settled into an uneasy coexistence. Phil Taylor, meanwhile, was tightening his grip: beating Dennis Priestley in the final that year took him to a fifth world title and a third PDC crown in a row.

Seven sets to nil; Taylor did not just beat Peter Manley, he erased him from the final entirely.

In the 2002 final, Phil Taylor took Peter Manley apart 7-0, one of the most lopsided finals the tournament has seen. It was his eighth PDC world title in a row and, counting his two earlier BDO crowns, his tenth world championship overall. By this point Taylor had won eight of the nine PDC World Championships ever held, losing only the very first to Dennis Priestley. The Circus Tavern's cramped, low-ceilinged room, the crowd almost on top of the oche, made his dominance feel total.

Three sets down, van Barneveld won seven of the last ten to steal the title in sudden death.

The 2007 final between Phil Taylor and Raymond van Barneveld is widely regarded as the greatest darts match ever played. Van Barneveld, who had crossed from the BDO in 2006, defeated Taylor 7-6 in sets after a sudden-death leg. Taylor had led 3-0 in sets before van Barneveld clawed his way back, set by set, in one of the sport's famous comebacks. The match drew over a million viewers on Sky Sports, then a record for darts. It was the last World Championship final at the Circus Tavern, and the little Essex venue could not have asked for a finer farewell.

Three times the crowd, fancy dress in the aisles, and darts was never the same again.

The 2008 championship marked the move from the Circus Tavern, which had held fewer than a thousand, to Alexandra Palace in north London and room for over 2,500 fans. The shift transformed the occasion from a niche television spectacle into a genuine arena experience. Fancy dress became the norm, the atmosphere grew louder and more theatrical, and the tournament began its evolution into the festive sporting institution it is today. John Part won the 2008 title, defeating Kirk Shepherd 7-2 in the final.

A million-pound prize pot and a quarter of that to the winner; darts had quietly become serious money.

Under Barry Hearn's stewardship of the PDC from 2001, the sport's commercial growth accelerated dramatically. By the 2014 championship the total prize fund had passed a million pounds, with the winner taking home £250,000, up from £200,000 the year before. Sky Sports audiences were climbing towards the record figures that would arrive over the next few years. And a new generation, Adrian Lewis, Gary Anderson and Michael van Gerwen, had emerged as genuine challengers to Taylor's dominance, broadening the tournament's appeal.

Sixteen world titles, and his conqueror had only turned professional the year before.

The 2018 championship was Phil Taylor's farewell. Having announced his retirement, "The Power" reached the final one last time but lost 7-2 to Rob Cross, a former electrician who had only turned professional in 2017. Taylor's record of 14 PDC World Championship titles (plus two BDO titles) will almost certainly never be matched. His final walk-on at Alexandra Palace was a genuinely emotional moment, the crowd paying tribute to the player who had defined the PDC era from its very first tournament.

A teenager from Warrington reached the world final at 16 and made the nation forget who actually won.

The 2024 PDC World Darts Championship became a cultural phenomenon thanks to Luke Littler, a 16-year-old from Warrington who became the youngest player ever to reach the final. Littler's run to the final, where he lost 7-4 to Luke Humphries, drew record television audiences and introduced darts to an entirely new generation. Humphries was a worthy champion, but it was Littler's composure, power scoring and sheer precociousness that dominated the headlines. The total prize fund stood at £2.5 million, with the winner receiving £500,000.

At just 17, Littler beat Van Gerwen 7-3 to become the youngest PDC World Champion the sport has ever seen.

Returning to Alexandra Palace with a year of senior tour experience behind him, Luke Littler completed the story that had begun twelve months earlier. At 17 years old, he defeated Michael van Gerwen 7-3 in the final to become the youngest PDC World Darts Champion in history. A year on, he did it again, beating Gian van Veen 7-1 to retain the title in January 2026, the first man to defend the PDC crown since Gary Anderson a decade earlier.