By Jaimie Eccles
With the annual PDC calendar containing 11 ‘major’ tournaments, making an accurate prediction of the winners of each of these tournaments before a single dart has been thrown is a task as close to impossible as you can get.
Regardless, this article will attempt to do just that as we look ahead to 2026 and predict who will triumph in each of these events in order.
World Darts Championship – Luke Littler
Where else to start but with the freshly crowned world no. 1 Luke Littler? The Nuke comes into his third appearance at Ally Pally this year as the defending champion looking to retain his title, and there is good reason to predict he will do just that.
Littler has shown over the last year that he is nearly untouchable when it comes to longer-format matches, taking home both the Grand Slam and World Matchplay titles on top of his World Championship crown.
The 18-year-old seems to never get caught in a long-term slump and is almost always able to find his exceptional best when he needs it as a game goes on. If Luke is not stopped early whilst the format is shorter, then it is fair to assume he is once again the favourite to become a two-time world champion.
World Masters – Josh Rock
It truly feels as though it is a matter of ‘when?’ rather than ‘if?’ Josh Rock will secure his first solo major tournament in darts.
The 24-year-old has undoubtedly recaptured the hype that once surrounded his name after overcoming a long-term dip in form after he initially burst onto the darting scene. Rocky will be coming off a fantastic year in which he reached three major semi-finals alongside winning the World Cup with fellow Northern Irishman Daryl Gurney.
Rock has also demonstrated an increased level of maturity this year, most notably when he took complete accountability for a slight dip in form towards then end of the year due to being “a bit lazy” and has promised to set the record straight.
The World Masters has provided a host of somewhat unusual winners in recent years, such as Joe Cullen, Chris Dobey and Stephen Bunting. With the confidence of a strong run at the World Championship, an early major title for Rock is well on the cards.
UK Open – Jonny Clayton
It is somewhat astonishing that Jonny Clayton did not pick up any major titles in 2025. The current world no. 5 made it to three semi-finals and two finals in the year, both of those final losses coming in deciding legs to Luke Humphries (World Masters) and Northern Ireland (World Cup).
Clayton made the semi-final of the UK open last year before being stopped by eventual champion Luke Littler. The Ferret will be eager to improve on this and claim his maiden title at the event.
Premier League Darts – Gerwyn Price
Since his World Championship win in 2021, Gerwyn Price has only managed to take home two solo major titles, the most recent of which being the World Series of Darts Finals in 2022.
Despite this, Price enjoyed a strong return to form in 2025 after an extremely disappointing 2024 campaign. Whilst his spot at the Premier League is not yet confirmed, the Welshman brings an entertainment value that the PDC find hard to ignore, and it is fair to assume he will be involved.
The Premier League is a competition in which The Iceman is very comfortable. He holds the record for most nine-dart legs hit at the event with three and is a former finalist, losing to Michael Van Gerwen in 2023.
Price will be looking to end his major drought this year and will likely see this event as a chance to do just that.
World Cup of Darts – England
The English duo of Luke Littler and Luke Humphries will be looking to bounce back after an extremely disappointing attempt at the World Cup last year.
Despite coming into the event as heavy favourites, the world no 1 and 2 were comfortably beaten by the German duo of Ricardo Pietreczko and Martin Schindler in their very first game.
Regardless, the pair of Lukes are undoubtedly the two best players in the sport today and keeping them down two years in a row is hard to envision.
World Matchplay – Luke Humphries
There’s only so long that you can keep Cool Hand away from the silverware, and a second World Matchplay title may be in Luke Humphries’ sights.
Humphries took home the 2024 edition of the Matchplay after beating Michael Van Gerwen in the final yet suffered a shock defeat to Gian Van Veen in his first game last year.
Luke will be eager to set the record straight, something we have seen him do before in the Grand Slam. His 2023 win of the event was followed by a group-stage exit the next year, with Cool Hand then making next year’s final.
Humphries isn’t one to let disappointment last very long and will undoubtedly be looked at as a favourite at the Winter Gardens.
World Series of Darts Finals – Luke Humphries
A second solo major could then follow in quick succession for the current world no. 2.
Luke Humphries will almost certainly be coming into this event as a seeded player. On top of that, the latter stages of this event are contested over a best of 19/21 format, the length of game where Cool Hand tends to be at his brilliant best.
Should he progress past the earlier, shorter rounds where a shock is more likely, Humphries is undoubtedly a favourite as the tournament progresses.
World Grand Prix – Gary Anderson
Next on the calendar is the most unique tournament the PDC has to offer due to its double start format, and the prediction goes the way of two-time world champion Gary Anderson.
The 54-year-old Scotsman is one of the best the sport has ever had to offer yet is without a solo major since 2018. Despite this, Anderson has undoubtedly shown that the quality to challenge at the top level is still there.
The Flying Scotsman maintained a top 10 spot in the PDC’s form guide throughout 2025, consistently scoring heavily and maintaining a solid doubling percentage.
Anderson has yet to claim the Grand Prix in his career, his best attempt coming in 2016 where he made the final. 2026 could be the chance for Gary to claim his first Grand Prix and take what may be the last major of his illustrious career.
European Championship – Luke Littler
Predicting Luke Littler to go roughly nine months without winning a solo major title will most likely end up being the boldest prediction on this list.
Luke Littler tends to show his very best ability when questions start to get asked about him. The media pressure that oversees the young star is like nothing ever seen before, and it is a certainty that the media will be focusing heavily on Littler should a drought of this nature happen due to his ridiculously high standards.
Therefore, in addition to the win of the European Championship, expect some truly breathtaking stuff from the world no. 1 should this prediction come to fruition.
Grand Slam of Darts – Luke Littler
Similarly to Luke Humphries, stopping Luke Littler once he gets going is one of the greatest challenges you can face in the sport.
As mentioned under the World Championship prediction, Littler is as close to untouchable as you can get in darts when the format is longer. The Nuke has won back-to-back Grand Slam titles coming into 2026 and remains as a strong favourite for this year’s edition.
Players Championship Finals – Gian Van Veen
As the year comes to a close, the young Dutch powerhouse Gian Van Veen will look to get in on the act and claim a second major PDC title of his career.
Van Veen has had an exceptional 2025, particularly in the latter stages of the year which included him taking home the European Championship in sensational fashion. This form saw him break into the top 10 of the world rankings for the first time.
The Dutchman possesses a level of quality that could see him become a truly dominant force if the competition wasn’t as fierce as it is nowadays in darts. After a few near, unfortunate missed opportunities across 2026, Van Veen will finally manage to get his hands on a title at the end of the year.
AS IT HAPPENS: WORLD DARTS CHAMPIONSHIP NIGHT RECAPS
EDITORS PICKS:
- 5 Darts Players Who’ve Thrown Shade at Luke Littler
- 5 Hidden Gems to Watch at the 2026 World Darts Championships
- World Darts Championship 2026: Meet ALL the debutants heading to Ally Pally
- “Move over Ally Pally”- 5 Possible venues for the PDC Darts World Championships
- Who is on the Mount Rushmore of Darts for 2025?