The dates for the 2026/27 PDC World Darts Championship have been confirmed, with the biggest tournament in darts beginning on Friday, December 11, 2026 and running through to the final on Sunday, January 3, 2027.
There is a major change waiting for fans this time around. The World Championship will move into Alexandra Palace's Great Hall for the first time, increasing capacity from around 3,200 spectators per session to more than 5,200.
The expanded 128-player field also remains in place after being introduced for the 2025/26 championship, with every player entering from the first round.
When does the PDC World Darts Championship start?
The opening night takes place on Friday, December 11, four days earlier than the previous championship began.
Darts will then continue through the build-up to Christmas before the traditional festive break.
There will be no play from December 24 to December 27, with the tournament returning after Christmas before building towards its New Year conclusion.
The full session-by-session schedule, including confirmed dates for each individual round, has not yet been released.
PDC World Darts Championship key dates
December 11, 2026: World Championship begins
December 24-27: Christmas break
January 3, 2027: World Championship final
For the first time, the final will take place on a Sunday, with the Sid Waddell Trophy decided inside the Great Hall.
Who could win the 2027 World Darts Championship?
It is difficult to look beyond Luke Littler as the early name to beat.
The world No.1 successfully defended his World Championship crown with a 7-1 victory over Gian van Veen in January and has hardly slowed down since. Littler has already added the World Masters, UK Open, Premier League and World Matchplay titles during a dominant 2026 campaign.
A third successive Ally Pally triumph would therefore put him into even rarer territory.
Luke Humphries should again be among his biggest challengers. The former world champion partnered Littler to World Cup glory for England this summer and remains one of the leading players on the PDC circuit.
Then there is Gian van Veen, who reached his first World Championship final in January and entered 2026 as the Dutch No.1 ahead of Michael van Gerwen.
Van Gerwen himself can hardly be ignored either. The three-time world champion has won several events during 2026, including the Bahrain and Nordic Darts Masters, and remains capable of making another deep Ally Pally run.
Gerwyn Price, Josh Rock and Stephen Bunting add further depth to what already looks like a seriously strong field.
After the year he has put together so far, everyone may once again be chasing Littler when the doors open at Ally Pally in December.
