WDF World Championship 2026 Schedule: Full Lakeside Fixtures
The WDF World Championship 2026 schedule is now confirmed, and Lakeside has its full running order. Ten days of darts begin on Friday 27 November at Lakeside in Frimley Green, with 90 players across four tournaments chasing a share of the £223,500 prize fund. Carsten Hoffmann against Dennis Nilsson opens the show at 6pm, and four champions will be crowned on Finals Day, Sunday 6 December.
On this page
- Table of Contents
- WDF World Championship 2026 Schedule at a Glance
- Opening Weekend: Friday 27 to Sunday 29 November
- Midweek Sessions: Monday 30 November to Wednesday 2 December
- Knockout Stages: Thursday 3 to Sunday 6 December
- Mitchell Lawrie and Deta Hedman Lead the Seeds
- How to Watch the WDF World Championship 2026
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Conclusion
It is the fifth staging and the biggest field yet: 48 in the Open, 24 in the Women’s, 12 in the Youth and six in the Girls. Here is the full day-by-day guide, the ties to watch and how to follow it.
Table of Contents
WDF World Championship 2026 Schedule at a Glance
Evening sessions start at 6pm, afternoon sessions at 12.30pm, Finals Day at 2pm:
- Fri 27 Nov, 6pm: Opening session, six Open first-round ties
- Sat 28 – Sun 29 Nov: Women’s event begins, Hedman defends title
- Mon 30 Nov – Tue 1 Dec, 6pm: First and second-round ties
- Wed 2 Dec, 1.30pm and 6pm: Youth begins, Lawrie starts
- Thu 3 – Sat 5 Dec: Last 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals
- Sun 6 Dec, 2pm: Finals Day, all four champions crowned
Lakeside opens on the same weekend as the Players Championship Finals in Minehead, and finishes the week before the PDC World Championship begins at Alexandra Palace on 11 December. Open matches run best of five sets early on, rising to best of 11 for the final.
Opening Weekend: Friday 27 to Sunday 29 November
Friday’s opening session is six Open first-round ties. Hoffmann against Nilsson starts it, then Matt Clark meets Terry Tan, the first Malaysian ever at Lakeside. Jeff Smith takes on David Davies in the tie of the round, and Harry Lane plays Declan Bailey for the right to face top seed Mitchell Lawrie.
Saturday brings the Women’s event into play. Former Girls champion Aurora Fochesato opens against debutant Steph Clarke, and seeds Moreno Blom, Paul Krohne and Corne Groeneveld enter in the evening. Cali West against Desi Mercer decides who meets defending champion Deta Hedman on Sunday, when fourth seed Leonard Gates also plays and Lerena Rietbergen meets Sophie McKinlay. In the evening, Hedman begins her defence, Lewis Gurney meets Ron Meulenkamp, back at Lakeside after 12 years, and Haupai Puha faces Tomoya Goto.
Midweek Sessions: Monday 30 November to Wednesday 2 December
According to the WDF World Championship 2026 schedule, Monday’s evening session mixes first and second-round ties. Daniel Zapata meets Aaron Turner, who steps in after Jack Drayton withdrew on qualifying for the 2027 PDC World Championship. Kirsi Viinikainen, Kaya Baysal, Maria Carli and Matthew Edgar all enter, and Tuesday is a second-round night, with second seed Jenson Walker playing the winner of Mark Cleaver and Blake Hatchett.
Wednesday is when the Youth event begins, with the all-German tie between Mika Donnevert and Benjamin Dopfer opening the afternoon session. In the evening, top seed Mitchell Lawrie starts his campaign against the winner of Lane and Bailey, live on S4C, while former champion Neil Duff, second seed Rhian O’Sullivan and 10th seed Ross Montgomery also play.
Knockout Stages: Thursday 3 to Sunday 6 December
Thursday is last-16 day in the Open across two sessions, and the Youth quarter-finals begin: Jack Nankervis against Cori Wiltshire, and Ben Townley against 12-year-old Addison Hefferon, the youngest player in the event. The Girls event starts in the evening, with defending champion Zehra Gemi against Celina Glaser.
Friday is quarter-finals day, with the Youth quarter-finals in the afternoon and the Open and Women’s in the evening. Saturday brings the semi-finals, with top Girls seed Paige Pauling playing in the afternoon and second seed Macy Gibbons in the evening. Sunday is Finals Day from 2pm, closing the WDF World Championship 2026 schedule with all four champions crowned in one session.
Mitchell Lawrie and Deta Hedman Lead the Seeds
All eyes will be on Mitchell Lawrie. The 15-year-old Scot finished runner-up to Jimmy van Schie last year and returns as number one seed, chasing the title he nearly won. Van Schie cannot defend his crown after winning a PDC Tour Card in January 2026, so Lawrie is the headline act, and he is also defending his Youth title. Behind him, Jenson Walker is second seed after eight ranking titles this season, Paul Krohne is third and Leonard Gates fourth.
In the Women’s event, Deta Hedman defends the title she finally won last year, with Rhian O’Sullivan second seed and Priscilla Steenbergen third. Hedman has won the Las Vegas Open, Denmark Open and Toronto Area Open this year, and she will be a strong favourite to keep her crown.
How to Watch the WDF World Championship 2026
Every match is live on the WDF YouTube channel, with further coverage on S4C, BBC iPlayer and Sport One Germany. Tickets are on sale through Eventbrite. The full WDF World Championship 2026 schedule on Live Darts lists every tie session by session, and our WDF World Championship 2026 draw and event guide have every tie, seed and prize detail. The Open champion takes home £50,000 from the £223,500 total prize fund, the biggest pot in the event’s five-year history.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the WDF World Championship 2026?
Friday 27 November to Sunday 6 December 2026, at the Lakeside Country Club in Frimley Green. The WDF World Championship 2026 schedule was confirmed on 10 November.
What time does the WDF World Championship 2026 start each day?
Evening sessions start at 6pm GMT and afternoon sessions at 12.30pm, with Finals Day at 2pm. Wednesday 2 December starts earlier, at 1.30pm.
Who plays in the opening match at Lakeside?
Carsten Hoffmann against Dennis Nilsson opens the WDF World Championship 2026 schedule on Friday 27 November at 6pm, the first of six Open first-round ties.
When does Mitchell Lawrie play his first match?
Top seed Mitchell Lawrie starts on Wednesday 2 December in the evening session, against the winner of Harry Lane and Declan Bailey.
How can I watch the WDF World Championship 2026?
The whole tournament is live on the WDF YouTube channel, with further broadcasts on S4C, BBC iPlayer and Sport One Germany.
What is the prize money for the WDF World Championship 2026?
£223,500 in total across the four events, with the Open champion receiving £50,000.
Conclusion
The WDF World Championship 2026 schedule gives Lakeside ten days to look forward to, from Hoffmann against Nilsson on the opening night to four finals on Sunday 6 December. Lawrie’s bid for the title he nearly won, Hedman’s defence and the biggest field in the event’s history make this the strongest Lakeside line-up yet.
With every session time now confirmed, fans can plan around the ties that matter most. The opening weekend sets the tone, the midweek sessions bring in the seeds, and Finals Day decides four champions in one afternoon.
