PDC World Darts Championship Winners: Every Champion Since 1994
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The list of pdc world darts championship winners is the roll of honour of the biggest prize in darts. Since the first edition in 1994, only thirteen players have lifted the Sid Waddell Trophy at the end of the sport’s most gruelling test — a month-long marathon of sets darts that begins in December and ends in January. From Dennis Priestley’s inaugural triumph to Luke Littler’s back-to-back titles, this is the complete record of every champion, every final score, and the stories behind them.
The championship was born in 1994 out of darts’ famous split, when the leading players broke away to form what became the PDC. The winner receives the Sid Waddell Trophy, named after the legendary commentator, and the event forms one leg of darts’ Triple Crown alongside the Premier League and the World Matchplay. Played at the Circus Tavern until 2007 and at Alexandra Palace ever since, it remains the tournament every player wants on their CV.
Complete List of PDC World Darts Championship Winners (1994–2026)
Below is every final in the history of the championship: year, champion, score and runner-up. The tournament was played at the Circus Tavern in Purfleet from 1994 to 2007 and has been staged at Alexandra Palace in London ever since.
| Year | Champion | Score | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Dennis Priestley | 6–1 | Phil Taylor |
| 1995 | Phil Taylor | 6–2 | Rod Harrington |
| 1996 | Phil Taylor | 6–4 | Dennis Priestley |
| 1997 | Phil Taylor | 6–3 | Dennis Priestley |
| 1998 | Phil Taylor | 6–0 | Dennis Priestley |
| 1999 | Phil Taylor | 6–2 | Peter Manley |
| 2000 | Phil Taylor | 7–3 | Dennis Priestley |
| 2001 | Phil Taylor | 7–0 | John Part |
| 2002 | Phil Taylor | 7–0 | Peter Manley |
| 2003 | John Part | 7–6 | Phil Taylor |
| 2004 | Phil Taylor | 7–6 | Kevin Painter |
| 2005 | Phil Taylor | 7–4 | Mark Dudbridge |
| 2006 | Phil Taylor | 7–0 | Peter Manley |
| 2007 | Raymond van Barneveld | 7–6 | Phil Taylor |
| 2008 | John Part | 7–2 | Kirk Shepherd |
| 2009 | Phil Taylor | 7–1 | Raymond van Barneveld |
| 2010 | Phil Taylor | 7–3 | Simon Whitlock |
| 2011 | Adrian Lewis | 7–5 | Gary Anderson |
| 2012 | Adrian Lewis | 7–3 | Andy Hamilton |
| 2013 | Phil Taylor | 7–4 | Michael van Gerwen |
| 2014 | Michael van Gerwen | 7–4 | Peter Wright |
| 2015 | Gary Anderson | 7–6 | Phil Taylor |
| 2016 | Gary Anderson | 7–5 | Adrian Lewis |
| 2017 | Michael van Gerwen | 7–3 | Gary Anderson |
| 2018 | Rob Cross | 7–2 | Phil Taylor |
| 2019 | Michael van Gerwen | 7–3 | Michael Smith |
| 2020 | Peter Wright | 7–3 | Michael van Gerwen |
| 2021 | Gerwyn Price | 7–3 | Gary Anderson |
| 2022 | Peter Wright | 7–5 | Michael Smith |
| 2023 | Michael Smith | 7–4 | Michael van Gerwen |
| 2024 | Luke Humphries | 7–4 | Luke Littler |
| 2025 | Luke Littler | 7–3 | Michael van Gerwen |
| 2026 | Luke Littler | 7–1 | Gian van Veen |
Most Titles: The Roll of Honour
Phil Taylor’s dominance of the PDC World Darts Championship may never be matched. He won 14 of the 33 editions played so far and reached 19 finals — both records by a distance. His eight consecutive titles from 1995 to 2002 remain the longest winning streak in the history of the event.
Here is how the multiple champions stack up:
- Phil Taylor — 14 titles (1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2013)
- Michael van Gerwen — 3 titles (2014, 2017, 2019)
- Gary Anderson — 2 titles (2015, 2016)
- John Part — 2 titles (2003, 2008)
- Adrian Lewis — 2 titles (2011, 2012)
- Peter Wright — 2 titles (2020, 2022)
- Luke Littler — 2 titles (2025, 2026)
The one-time champions are Dennis Priestley (1994), Raymond van Barneveld (2007), Rob Cross (2018), Gerwyn Price (2021), Michael Smith (2023) and Luke Humphries (2024). England has produced 22 of the 33 champions, with Scotland on four, the Netherlands on four, Canada on two and Wales on one.
What makes Taylor’s record so remarkable is the gap to the rest. Michael van Gerwen, the second-most successful player in the event’s history, sits on three titles — eleven behind. Five players share third place on two apiece, and of those only Luke Littler is still in the early years of his career, which is why the debate about whether anyone can ever catch Taylor starts and ends with the teenager from Warrington.
Memorable Finals in Championship History
Some finals are remembered long after the trophy is lifted. The 2007 final between Raymond van Barneveld and Phil Taylor is widely regarded as the greatest ever played: it went all the way to a sudden-death deciding leg, with van Barneveld finally ending Taylor’s era of dominance at the Circus Tavern.
Taylor was on the wrong end of another classic in 2004, when Kevin Painter pushed him to 7–6 in a final that went down to the last dart. And in 2015, Gary Anderson beat Taylor 7–6 to claim his first world title — the last final Taylor would ever reach.
The modern era has produced its own epics. In 2018, debutant Rob Cross beat Taylor 7–2 in what proved to be the 14-time champion’s final professional match. The 2023 final between Michael Smith and Michael van Gerwen is remembered for Smith’s nine-dart finish — only the second perfect leg ever thrown in a world final, after Adrian Lewis managed the feat against Gary Anderson in 2011.
Perhaps the most extraordinary final of all came in 2024, when 16-year-old Luke Littler reached the final on his Alexandra Palace debut, only to be beaten 7–4 by Luke Humphries. Twelve months later, Littler returned to beat Michael van Gerwen 7–3 and become the youngest world champion in darts history at 17. In 2026 he defended the title with a 7–1 demolition of Gian van Veen, averaging 106.02 and becoming only the fourth player — after Taylor, Lewis and Anderson — to win back-to-back world championships.
Two more finals deserve a place in any history of the event. In 2003, John Part ended Taylor’s eight-year reign with a 7–6 victory in a deciding set, becoming the first man to beat Taylor in a PDC world final since Priestley in 1994. And in 2016, Gary Anderson beat Adrian Lewis 7–5 in a rematch of the 2011 final — the first final between two defending PDC champions since Taylor met van Barneveld in 2009.
Youngest and Oldest Champions
Luke Littler’s 2025 triumph at the age of 17 shattered the previous record for the youngest PDC world champion. Before Littler came along, that mark belonged to Michael van Gerwen, who was 24 when he beat Peter Wright in the 2014 final.
At the other end of the scale stands Phil Taylor. When he beat van Gerwen 7–4 in the 2013 final, Taylor was 52 years and five months old — the oldest world champion the sport has ever seen, and a record that underlines the remarkable longevity of his career.
The Recent Era: 2020–2026
The last seven editions have produced six different champions, a sign of how open the modern game has become. Peter Wright broke the Taylor-van Gerwen stranglehold in 2020, Gerwyn Price became Wales’ first champion in 2021, and Wright added a second title in 2022 by beating Michael Smith 7–5.
Smith finally got his hands on the trophy in 2023, Luke Humphries denied the teenage Littler in 2024, and then the Littler era began: titles in 2025 and 2026, back-to-back crowns, and a record £1 million winner’s cheque from a £5 million prize fund in 2026 — the richest in the tournament’s history.
That 2026 edition was also the first played with an expanded 128-player field, underlining how far the championship has come since Dennis Priestley’s inaugural win in 1994. What began as a breakaway gamble on satellite television is now the biggest and richest tournament in world darts.
Now all eyes turn to the 2027 edition, which runs from 11 December 2026 to 3 January 2027 at Alexandra Palace. Littler will attempt to become only the second player ever to win three consecutive world championships — a feat achieved solely by Phil Taylor, who once won eight in a row. Follow every session on the World Darts Championship 2026-27 schedule, and keep track of the season’s other majors on our darts schedule hub at World Darts Guide, including the Grand Slam of Darts in November.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who has won the most PDC World Darts Championship titles?
Phil Taylor, with 14 titles between 1995 and 2013. He also reached 19 finals, winning eight in a row from 1995 to 2002.
Who won the most recent PDC World Darts Championship?
Luke Littler won the 2026 edition, beating Gian van Veen 7–1 in the final with a 106.02 average. It was his second consecutive title.
How many different players have won the PDC World Darts Championship?
Thirteen. The multiple winners are Phil Taylor (14), Michael van Gerwen (3), Gary Anderson (2), John Part (2), Adrian Lewis (2), Peter Wright (2) and Luke Littler (2).
Has anyone ever hit a nine-darter in a World Championship final?
Yes — twice. Adrian Lewis hit one against Gary Anderson in the 2011 final, and Michael Smith hit one against Michael van Gerwen in the 2023 final.
Who is the youngest PDC world champion?
Luke Littler, who was 17 when he won the 2025 title. The previous youngest was Michael van Gerwen, aged 24 in 2014.
Who is the oldest PDC world champion?
Phil Taylor, who was 52 years and five months old when he won his 14th and final title in 2013.
Conclusion
The story of the PDC World Darts Championship winners is the story of darts itself: the Taylor era of total dominance, the post-split years at the Circus Tavern, the move to Alexandra Palace, and now the Littler era — a teenager rewriting records that stood for decades. Thirteen champions in 33 editions tells you how hard this title is to win, and how special every name on the list is.
Whether Littler can join Taylor as a three-in-a-row champion this winter is the question that will define the 2027 tournament. Whatever happens, the roll of honour above will only grow more prestigious with time.
