The 2025/26 World Darts Championship draw is nearly underway, and all eyes will be on reigning champion Luke Littler as he returns to Alexandra Palace to begin his defence, facing Darius Labanauskas in the first round.
Lithuanian Labanauskas is a two-time World Championship quarter-finalist, reaching the last eight at the 2017 BDO World Championship and the 2020 PDC World Championship.
This edition marks a milestone for the PDC, with the tournament expanding to a 128-player field—the largest in its history—and offering an unprecedented £1 million to the eventual winner. The action unfolds from December 11 to January 3.
Qualifying spots were filled through multiple pathways: 40 players earned their place via the PDC Order of Merit, another 40 through the ProTour Order of Merit, and 48 competitors secured entry from a range of international qualifying events.
Littler, who stunned the darts world in 2025 by becoming the youngest-ever world champion at just 17, now sets his sights on defending the trophy—an achievement only three players have managed in the tournament’s 32-year run.
He heads a strong group of seeded contenders that includes former world champions Michael van Gerwen, Luke Humphries, and several other high-profile names. All will navigate a newly overhauled draw format introduced for this season.
The global growth of darts is also evident in this year’s lineup. The international qualifiers include first-time participants from nations such as Argentina and Kenya, and the tournament will feature a minimum of four female players—another step forward in widening representation at the sport’s flagship event.
Paddy Power World Darts Championship 2025/26 Draw
First Round
Luke Littler (1) v Darius Labanauskas
Luke Humphries (2) v Ted Evetts
Michael van Gerwen (3) v Mitsohiko Tatsunami
Stephen Bunting (4) v Sebastien Bialecki
Jonny Clayton (5) v Adam Lipscombe
Danny Noppert (6) v Jurjen van der Velde
James Wade (7) v Ryusei Azemoto
Chris Dobey (8) v Xiaochen Zong
Gerwyn Price (9) v Adam Gawlas
Gian van Veen (10) v Cristo Reyes
Josh Rock (11) v Gemma Hayter
Ross Smith (12) v Andreas Harryson
Martin Schindler (13) v Stephen Burton
Gary Anderson (14) v Adam Hunt
Nathan Aspinall (15) v Lourence Ilagan
Damon Heta (16) v Steve Lennon
Rob Cross (17) v Cor Dekker
Mike De Decker (18) v David Munyua
Jermaine Wattimena (19) v Dominic Gruellich
Ryan Searle (20) v Chris Landman
Dave Chisnall (21) v Fallon Sherrock
Daryl Gurney (22) v Beau Greaves
Dimitri Van den Bergh (23) v Darren Beveridge
Ryan Joyce (24) v Owen Bates
Luke Woodhouse (25) v Boris Krcmar
Cameron Menzies (26) v Charlie Manby
Ritchie Edhouse (27) v Jonny Tata
Michael Smith (28) v Lisa Ashton
Dirk van Duijvenbode (29) v Andy Baetens
Peter Wright (30) v Noa-Lynn van Leuven
Wessel Nijman (31) v Karel Sedlacek
Joe Cullen (32) v Bradley Brooks
Ricardo Pietreczko v Jose de Sousa
Andrew Gilding v Cam Crabtree
Raymond van Barneveld v Stefan Bellmont
Scott Williams v Paolo Nebrida
Krzysztof Ratajski v Alexis Toylo
Martin Lukeman v Max Hopp
Brendan Dolan v Travis Dudeney
Ricky Evans v Man Lok Leung
Mario Vandenbogaerde v David Davies
Mensur Suljovic v David Cameron
Ian White v Mervyn King
Lukas Wenig v Wesley Plaisier
Richard Veenstra v Nitin Kumar
James Hurrell v Stowe Buntz
Keane Barry v Tim Pusey
Dom Taylor v Oskar Lukasiak
Niels Zonneveld v Haupai Puha
Thibault Tricole v Motomu Sakai
Jeffrey de Graaf v Paul Lim
Gabriel Clemens v Alex Spellman
Mickey Mansell v Leonard Gates
Devin Doets v Matthew Dennant
Matt Campbell v Adam Sevada
Alan Soutar v Teemu Harju
Madars Razma v Jamai van den Herik
William O’Connor v Krzysztof Kciuk
Kim Huybrechts v Arno Merk
Connor Scutt v Simon Whitlock
Nick Kenny v Justin Hood
Ryan Meikle v Jesus Salate
Niko Springer v Joe Comito
Callan Rydz v Patrik Kovacs