When Does the WDC Start? 2026/27 World Championship Dates Confirmed
Ask any darts fan when does the wdc start and they will barely need to glance at a calendar. For thousands of supporters, the opening night at Alexandra Palace is the moment the festive season truly begins. This year the wait is almost over: the 2026/27 PDC World Darts Championship gets under way on Friday 11 December 2026 and builds all the way to the final on Sunday 3 January 2027.
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One quick bit of housekeeping before we go any further. WDC was actually the PDC’s original name — the breakaway body was founded as the World Darts Council in the early 1990s before becoming the Professional Darts Corporation a few years later. These days, though, when fans search for when does the wdc start, they only ever mean one thing: the start of the World Championship at Ally Pally, the biggest tournament in the sport.
When Does the WDC Start? The Confirmed 2026/27 Dates
There is no guesswork needed this year. The PDC has confirmed that the 2026/27 championship — sponsored by Paddy Power — runs from Friday 11 December 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027 at Alexandra Palace in north London. So when does the wdc start? The first darts are thrown in the evening session on Friday 11 December, with the opening rounds played across afternoon and evening sessions from that point on.
This edition comes with a genuine first. After years in the West Hall, the tournament moves into Ally Pally’s bigger Great Hall, lifting the capacity to more than 5,200 fans per session and a record 180,000 tickets across the event. The final also lands on a Sunday for the first time in its new home, on 3 January 2027, when one player will lift the Sid Waddell Trophy and the £1 million winner’s cheque.
Tickets were in record demand long before anyone threw a dart. For the first time, seats were sold through a ballot — members first, then a general ballot in September — and both have now closed, so anyone still hoping to be there should only use official fan-to-fan resale channels. It underlines what regulars already know: knowing when does the wdc start is one thing, but getting through the Ally Pally doors is the real competition.
How the Start Date Fits the Festive Pattern
If the date feels familiar, that is because the championship has settled into a rhythm fans can set their Christmas by. Ask when does the wdc start in any recent year and the answer barely moves. The 2024/25 edition began on 15 December 2024, while last year’s tournament — won by Luke Littler — opened on 11 December 2025 and again finished on 3 January. A mid-December start and a final on 3 January is now firmly the shape of the event.
Inside that window sits the traditional Christmas break. There is no play on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day or Boxing Day, and this year the pause extends a little longer, with the action stopping from 24 to 27 December before the later rounds resume in the run-up to New Year. It gives the tournament its familiar two-act feel: the chaos of the early rounds before Christmas, then the heavyweight clashes once the field has thinned out.
What to Expect Once the Action Begins
For the second year running, 128 players will start the championship, every one of them entering in the first round — a far cry from the smaller fields of the past. The early rounds rattle along in best-of-five-set matches, and the format stretches as the tournament deepens, all the way to a best-of-13-sets final. With a £5 million prize fund on the table, even a first-round loser is playing for serious money.
Most playing days feature two sessions, an afternoon session starting around 12:30pm UK time and an evening session from around 7pm, so the walk-ons, the costumes and the singing rarely stop for long. If you are following from home rather than the Palace, you will find full session details, results and ticket information on the official PDC website as the tournament approaches.
When Does the WDC Start on TV, and Who Defends the Title?
Every session is shown live on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland, with coverage also available through the PDC’s broadcast partners around the world. The man everyone will be watching is Luke Littler. On 3 January 2026 he beat Gian van Veen 7–1 in the final to defend the title he had won the year before, becoming a back-to-back world champion while still a teenager.
Littler will return as the defending champion and the man to beat, but a 128-player field is a minefield: Michael van Gerwen, Luke Humphries, Gerwyn Price and van Veen himself will all fancy their chances of ruining the party. You can keep track of every result and the full festive schedule here on worlddartsguide.com throughout the tournament.
2027 Tournament Essentials: Draw, Field and Format
Knowing when the championship starts is only half the story. The 2027 edition arrives with a settled qualification system, a confirmed draw date and a field that blends the sport’s biggest names with a new generation of international qualifiers. Here are the essentials every fan should know before the first dart is thrown.
The Draw and the 128-Player Field
The tournament features a 128-player straight knockout draw with no byes. The top 32 players in the PDC World Rankings are seeded for the first round, which means the biggest names are kept apart in the early stages but every one of them still has to win six matches to lift the trophy. Qualification runs on three routes: the leading players from the two-year PDC World Rankings after the Players Championship Finals, the next best from the one-year Pro Tour rankings, and 48 international qualifiers from regional circuits around the world. The final four places are decided at the Tour Card Holder Qualifier on 30 November, just eleven days before the tournament begins, so the full field — and the draw itself — is only confirmed at the very end of November. Keep track of every confirmed name and session on the World Darts Championship 2026-27 schedule page.
Debutants, the Nine-Darter Bonus and the Format
Among the 128 will be first-time faces on the Ally Pally stage, including András Borbély, Rudie van Staden and Lihao Wen, who have all secured debut appearances through the international qualification routes. Beyond the round-by-round prize money, one bonus adds extra drama to every leg: any player who hits a nine-dart finish banks £60,000 from tournament sponsor Paddy Power, with the same amount going to a fan in the crowd and to Prostate Cancer UK. The format itself is darts’ toughest examination — best of five sets in the early rounds, rising through best of seven and best of nine, to best of eleven in the semi-finals and a gruelling best of thirteen in the final. To become world champion, a player must survive the group of death that is the first round and then win five more matches across three relentless weeks.
The road to the Palace runs through Minehead. The Players Championship Finals from 27 to 29 November is the last ranking event before the World Championship field is finalised, which makes it the final chance for players on the qualification bubble to force their way in — and the last opportunity for seeds to climb before the draw is made. Every leg in Wolverhampton and Minehead therefore carries double weight: immediate prize money, and a better starting position for the biggest tournament of them all.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the WDC start in 2026?
The 2026/27 PDC World Darts Championship starts on Friday 11 December 2026 at Alexandra Palace in London, with the final on Sunday 3 January 2027.
When does the WDC start on the opening day itself?
The opening night is an evening session, so the first matches get under way at around 7pm UK time on 11 December. Most other playing days have an afternoon session from around 12:30pm as well.
Why is it called the 2026/27 championship?
Because the tournament straddles two calendar years. It begins in December 2026 and the final is played in January 2027, so it is known as the 2026/27 edition.
What does WDC mean in darts?
WDC stands for World Darts Council, the original name of the body that broke away from the BDO in the 1990s. It was renamed the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) in 1997, but the old initials still appear in searches about the World Championship.
Is there a break over Christmas?
Yes. There is no play from 24 to 27 December 2026, covering Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day, before the tournament resumes ahead of the New Year rounds.
Who is the defending champion?
Luke Littler. He retained the Sid Waddell Trophy on 3 January 2026, beating Gian van Veen 7–1 in the final to win back-to-back world titles.
Conclusion
So, when does the wdc start? Circle Friday 11 December 2026 in red pen. That is the night the Great Hall at Alexandra Palace opens its doors, the fancy dress comes out, and 128 players begin the chase for the Sid Waddell Trophy, with everything building towards the final on Sunday 3 January 2027.
Whether you are lucky enough to have a ticket, watching on Sky Sports, or following along with us session by session, it promises to be the biggest World Championship the sport has staged. The countdown to Ally Pally is well and truly on.
