Monday's draw for the World Darts Championship revealed that reigning champion Luke Littler will begin his title defence against Lithuanian qualifier Darius Labanauskas when the tournament commences on 11 December at Alexandra Palace.
The 18-year-old from Warrington, who claimed his maiden world title in January with a 7-3 victory over Michael van Gerwen, enters the expanded championship as world number one.
The festive darts spectacle will conclude on 3 January 2026, featuring a record-breaking field of 128 competitors vying for the Sid Waddell Trophy.
Monday's draw determined the first-round pairings for all participants, with the tournament adopting a new format where every player begins their campaign from the opening round.
Luke Littler won the World Championship in January, becoming the youngest person to ever do so
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Littler arrives at Alexandra Palace in formidable form, having secured victories in the Players Championship Finals and Grand Slam of Darts over the past fortnight.
The teenager has amassed five major titles in 2025, including the UK Open, World Matchplay and World Grand Prix.
His first-round opponent Labanauskas earned his place through strong performances on the 2025 Challenge Tour, where he finished second in the rankings to regain his Pro Tour card for 2026/27.
The Lithuanian previously reached the quarter-finals at both the 2017 BDO World Championship and 2020 PDC World Championship, and notably threw a nine-dart finish during his 2022 first-round defeat to Mike De Decker.
The championship boasts an unprecedented prize pool of £5 million, with the victor receiving a £1 million cheque - double the amount Littler earned for his triumph in January.
Luke Littler is the favourite to defend his title after a remarkable year in darts
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The new structure pairs the top 64 ranked players against those ranked 65-128 in the opening round, ensuring all competitors begin their campaigns simultaneously.
Littler aims to join an exclusive group of players who have successfully defended their world title, with only Phil Taylor, Adrian Lewis and Gary Anderson achieving this feat in the PDC era.
Former world champion Luke Humphries will meet Ted Evetts in his opening match, whilst three-time winner Michael van Gerwen faces Japanese debutant Mitsohiko Tatsunami.
This year's tournament features significant changes, including the expansion to 128 participants and the elimination of preliminary rounds.
Women's world number one Beau Greaves received a challenging draw against 22nd seed Daryl Gurney, whilst Fallon Sherrock will compete against Dave Chisnall.
2023 champion Michael Smith takes on Lisa Ashton in another intriguing first-round encounter.
Five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld faces Stefan Bellmont, with 2021 winner Gerwyn Price matched against Czech player Adam Gawlas.
Other notable pairings include 2018 champion Rob Cross against Cor Dekker, Stephen Bunting versus Sebastian Bialecki, and Peter Wright facing Noa-Lynn van Leuven.
2025/26 PDC World Darts Championship draw
Top half
Luke Littler (1) vs Darius Labanauskas
Mario Vandenbogaerde vs David Davies
Joe Cullen (32) vs Bradley Brooks
Mensur Suljovic vs David Cameron
Damon Heta (16) vs Steve Lennon
Raymond van Berneveld vs Stefan Bellmont
Rob Cross (17) vs Cor Dekker
Ian White vs Mervyn King
Chris Dobey (8) vs Xiaochen Zong
Andrew Gilding vs Cam Crabtree
Luke Woodhouse (25) vs Boris Krcmar
Martin Lukeman vs Max Hopp
Gerwyn Price (9) vs Adam Gawlas
Lukas Wenig vs Wesley Plaisier
Ryan Joyce (24) vs Owen Bates
Krzysztof Ratajski vs Alexis Toylo
Stephen Bunting (4) vs Sebastian Bialecki
Richard Veenstra vs Nitin Kumar
Dirk van Duijvenbode (29) vs Andy Baetens
James Hurrell vs Stowe Buntz
Martin Schindler (13) vs Stephen Burton
Keane Barry vs Tim Pusey
Ryan Searle (20) vs Chris Landman
Brendan Dolan vs Travis Dudeney
Jonny Clayton (5) vs Adam Lipscombe
Dom Taylor vs Oskar Lukasiak
Michael Smith (28) vs Lisa Ashton
Niels Zonneveld vs Haupai Puha
Ross Smith (12) vs Andreas Harrysson
Thibault Tricole vs Motomu Sakai
Dave Chisnall (21) vs Fallon Sherrock
Ricardo Pietreczko vs Jose De Sousa
Bottom half
Luke Humphries (2) vs Ted Evetts
Jeffrey de Graaf vs Paul Lim
Wessel Nijman (31) vs Karel Sedlacek
Gabriel Clemens vs Alex Spellman
Nathan Aspinall (15) vs Lourence Ilagan
Mickey Mansell vs Leonard Gates
Mike De Decker (18) vs David Munyua
Kevin Doets vs Matthew Dennant
James Wade (7) vs Ryusei Azemoto
Rickey Evans vs Man Lok Leung
Cameron Menzies (26) vs Charlie Manby
Matt Campbell vs Adam Sevada
Gian van Veen (10) vs Cristo Reyes
Alan Soutar vs Teemu Harju
Dimitri Van den Bergh (23) vs Darren Beveridge
Madars Razma vs Jamai van den Herik
Michael van Gerwen (3) vs Mitsuhiko Tatsunami
William O'Connor vs Krzysztof Kciuk
Peter Wright (30) vs Noa-Lynn van Leuven
Kim Huybrechts vs Arno Merk
Gary Anderson (14) vs Adam Hunt
Connor Scutt vs Simon Whitlock
Jermaine Wattimena (19) vs Dominik Gruellich
Scott Williams vs Paolo Nebrida
Danny Noppert (6) vs Jurjen van der Velde
Nick Kenny vs Justin Hood
Ritchie Edhouse (27) vs Jonny Tata
Ryan Meikle vs Jesus Salate
Josh Rock (11) vs Gemma Hayter
Niko Springer vs Joe Comito
Daryl Gurney (22) vs Beau Greaves
Callan Rydz vs Patrik Kovacs