The PDC World Championship will undergo its most significant transformation in history for the 2025/26 edition, expanding to 128 players and doubling the winner's prize to £1million.
The tournament, which begins in December 2025 and concludes in early January 2026, will see its total prize fund exceed £5million for the first time.
The expansion represents a substantial increase from the previous 96-player format. Champions will now need to win seven matches to claim the record jackpot and the prestigious Sid Waddell Trophy.
Luke Littler, who became the youngest world champion in history at 17 when he defeated Michael van Gerwen 7-3 in January, will face a longer path to defend his title under the new format.
The PDC World Championship will undergo its most significant transformation in history for the 2025/26 edition, expanding to 128 players and doubling the winner's prize to £1million
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The Professional Darts Corporation has abandoned its previous system where top players entered at the second round, introducing a Wimbledon-style seeded draw instead.
All 128 competitors will now start from the first round, with the world's top 32 players receiving seeded positions.
The remaining unseeded players ranked 33-64 will be randomly drawn against 64 qualifiers in the left side of the draw. This mirrors the format used in tennis Grand Slams, ensuring top players cannot meet until later rounds.
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Luke Littler poses with his family after winning the World Championship back in January
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The new structure means even the highest-ranked players must navigate seven matches to claim the title, creating a more demanding path to glory at Alexandra Palace.
The tournament will guarantee participation for at least four women players, marking a significant commitment to gender inclusion at darts' premier event.
Qualification routes have been expanded to include the Women's World Matchplay winner and the World Youth Champion.
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The top 40 players from the PDC Order of Merit following November's Players Championship Finals at Butlin's Minehead will secure automatic qualification. An additional 40 spots will go to non-qualified players from the ProTour Order of Merit.
International qualifiers will claim 48 places, with allocations for players from Australia, China, Czech Republic, Hungary, India, Japan and Poland.
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Russian and Belarusian players may enter "subject to certain special conditions", though the PDC has not specified these requirements.
The expansion coincides with a groundbreaking television agreement that will transform the sport's financial landscape. Sky Sports has secured a five-year broadcasting deal worth £125million, which begins later this year.
Michael van Gerwen was the runner-up at the last World Championship
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This historic agreement represents unprecedented investment in professional darts, far exceeding previous television contracts. The influx of funding has enabled the PDC to double the world championship winner's prize and increase the total prize pool beyond £5million.
The new deal underscores darts' growing commercial appeal and mainstream popularity. Combined with the expanded tournament format and increased prize money, the sport is experiencing its most significant period of growth and investment in its professional era.
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