5 Hidden Gems to Watch at the 2026 World Darts Championships - 180UK.com
Darts News PDC World Championships Tyler Hart

5 Hidden Gems to Watch at the 2026 World Darts Championships

11 December 2025
Tom Sansom

By Tyler Hart

The World Darts Championship is undoubtedly the biggest tournament in the darting calendar. It’s where legends are born, dreams are made, and for the debutants, it’s an opportunity to put themselves on the mat. With the newly formatted tournament boasting 28 newcomers, these 5 will be looking to etch their name into darts folklore with a solid debut run.

1. Charlie Manby

Charlie Manby will be this years ‘new kid on the block’. The 20 year old star, nicknamed ‘Champagne’, hasn’t yet appeared on any televised PDC events, but has been lighting up the Development Tour, through which he qualified for Alexandra Palace.

In Development Tour event four, hosted in Milton Keynes, Manby beat Patrik Williams with a three-dart average of 130.70, which is the record for the highest recorded match average in the history of the PDC. He also claimed Development Tour gold in their 16th event, beating Owen Bates 5-4 in the final in Wigan. He played Luke Littler in this years World Youth Championship, averaging only one point less than ‘The Nuke’ in a 5-4 defeat.

Since then he followed further in the current World Champions footsteps by winning the Modus Super Series, beating Tom Sykes in the series 12 final. Littler won the Modus Super Series twice before making his break into the PDC. It has been an astonishing year for the young talent from Huddersfield, and he’ll be looking to end his year on the biggest note possible, Ally Pally glory.

He faces Cameron Menzies in the first round, seeded 26th but dipping in and out of form, it will be a closely drawn game if both players are on their best, however if Manby makes it through, he has a strong chance at making it far in the tournament.

Prediction: Third Round

2. Gemma Hayter

The sole female debutant Gemma Hayter will be aiming to etch her name in darts history by becoming the second woman to win a match at the World Darts Championship. Hayter finished 5th in the PDC Women’s Series, which ensured her qualification for Ally Pally after Beau Greaves and Lisa Ashton qualified in other ways.

She has also competed in various Modus Super Series weeks, and also defended her WADC Winmau Championship Tour title successfully in the Live Lounge in Portsmouth. She has won two WDF titles this year and made her Womens World Matchplay debut this year, narrowly losing to Fallon Sherrock.

Hayter may have seemed like she came from out of nowhere, however she has been playing darts since 2009, but her opinions on the lack of women’s opportunities with darts saw her take a hiatus in 2016, and only coming back to the sport last year. She has one of the more difficult draws for a debutant, facing World Cup champion Josh Rock, seeded 11th and one of darts’ top prospects. One thing is for certain she won’t go down without a fight.

Prediction: First Round

3. Lukas Wenig

A recent run of form in the Grand Slam of Darts has shun the spotlight on German international Lukas Wenig. As a tour card holder since 2024, Wenig has competed in various Pro Tour events in the recent years, his biggest result coming in the 2025 PC23 in his home nation, where he lost in the final to Jermaine Wattimena, his first and only PDC title.

Apart from the UK Open and the preliminary round of the World Masters, Wenigs only other major event appearance was the 2025 Grand Slam of Darts, where he reached the quarter finals after beating sixth seed Jonny Clayton and Cam Crabtree in the group stage. His only group loss came to Danny Noppert, who also beat him in the quarter finals.

Expect ton-plus checkouts and bullseye fireworks from Wenig, as he faces Wesley Plaisier in the first round, If he comes through against the Dutchman, he will have a tough challenge in former World Champion Gerwyn Price. However if at his best, he will give him a good game.

Prediction: Second Round

4. Tavis Dudeney

Already taking the crown of the coolest name in darts, Tavis Dudeney makes his debut in this years World Darts Championship after he won his tour card in emotional fashion in January. A Development Tour winner in 2024 and winner of several youth tournaments, the 21 year old talent from Brighton will be looking to go big in his first televised appearance bar the first round of the UK Open.

‘The Dude’ appeared in every Players Championship event, his best result coming in the seventh event, where he reached the fourth round, beating the likes of Nick Kenny and Martin Schindler before losing to two-time World Champion Gary Anderson. Conveniently he faces the last opponent he faced in the Players Championship in the first round at Ally Pally, Brendan Dolan. Dolan won 6-2 in said match, however Tavis has shown that he can compete with talented opposition, can he do it on the big stage?

Prediction: Second Round

5. Cam Crabtree

If you don’t know of ‘Shazam’, get to know him. He earned his tour card earlier this year, and since then has made the most of his opportunities, turning up to every Players Championship event, with two quarter-final finishes and one semi-final finish. He aced the Development Tour with five titles, which slotted himself first in the tours order of merit, above Beau Greaves.

However he qualified through the Pro Tour order of merit finishing 11th out of the players not in the overall top 40. This years World Championship will be his sixth major ranked event, following decent displays in the UK Open, Players Championship Finals, and the Grand Slam, where he beat Jonny Clayton with a 102.07 average.

He also made the quarter finals of the World Youth Championship, losing to eventual winner Gian Van Veen. If he shows what he’s capable of, Crabtree has the chance to go further than any other debutant.

Prediction: Fourth Round

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