World Professional Darts Championship

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The World Professional Darts Championship is one of the most important tournaments in the darts calendar. Originally held as an annual event between 1978 and 1993, players then broke off into two separate organisations after a controversial split in the game. Each organisation, the British Darts Organisation (BDO) and the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) then arranged their own World Championships, the former in January the latter in December. As a result, there was no longer a unified world champion in the sport for nearly three decades.

The BDO version dated back to 1978, when it was held at the Heart of the Midlands nightclub, Nottingham. The following year it moved to the Jollees Cabaret Club, Stoke, where it stayed until 1985. From then until 2019 it was held at the Lakeside Leisure Complex at Frimley Green, Surrey. In 2020 the tournament was held at The O2 Arena in London. The BDO went into liquidation in 2020 and the World Darts Federation announced later that they would be creating their own version of a World Championship, returning to the Lakeside Leisure Complex.^[1] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, their version didn't get underway until 2022.^[2] Since qualification for the BDO version was always based on WDF rankings, most of the player pool and legacy of this new version of the World Championship is based on the old BDO system.

The PDC version has been running since 1994 after "the split", with a field of players containing all active previous World Champions from the BDO. It was originally staged at Purfleet's Circus Tavern, Essex, before moving to its current home Alexandra Palace, London, for the 2008 World Championship.

Men's winners

British Darts Organisation Main article: BDO World Darts Championship Year Winner Score Runner-up 1978 Leighton Rees 11–7 (legs) John Lowe 1979 John Lowe 5–0 Leighton Rees 1980 Eric Bristow 5–3 Bobby George 1981 Eric Bristow 5–3 John Lowe 1982 Jocky Wilson 5–3 John Lowe 1983 Keith Deller 6–5 Eric Bristow 1984 Eric Bristow 7–1 Dave Whitcombe 1985 Eric Bristow 6–2 John Lowe 1986 Eric Bristow 6–0 Dave Whitcombe 1987 John Lowe 6–4 Eric Bristow 1988 Bob Anderson 6–4 John Lowe 1989 Jocky Wilson 6–4 Eric Bristow 1990 Phil Taylor 6–1 Eric Bristow 1991 Dennis Priestley 6–0 Eric Bristow 1992 Phil Taylor 6–5 Mike Gregory 1993 John Lowe 6–3 Alan Warriner 1994 John Part 6–0 Bobby George 1995 Richie Burnett 6–3 Raymond van Barneveld 1996 Steve Beaton 6–3 Richie Burnett 1997 Les Wallace 6–3 Marshall James 1998 Raymond van Barneveld 6–5 Richie Burnett 1999 Raymond van Barneveld 6–5 Ronnie Baxter 2000 Ted Hankey 6–0 Ronnie Baxter 2001 John Walton 6–2 Ted Hankey 2002 Tony David 6–4 Mervyn King 2003 Raymond van Barneveld 6–3 Ritchie Davies 2004 Andy Fordham 6–3 Mervyn King 2005 Raymond van Barneveld 6–2 Martin Adams 2006 Jelle Klaasen 7–5 Raymond van Barneveld 2007 Martin Adams 7–6 Phill Nixon 2008 Mark Webster 7–5 Simon Whitlock 2009 Ted Hankey 7–6 Tony O'Shea 2010 Martin Adams 7–5 Dave Chisnall 2011 Martin Adams 7–5 Dean Winstanley 2012 Christian Kist 7–5 Tony O'Shea 2013 Scott Waites 7–1 Tony O'Shea 2014 Stephen Bunting 7–4 Alan Norris 2015 Scott Mitchell 7–6 Martin Adams 2016 Scott Waites 7–1 Jeff Smith 2017 Glen Durrant 7–3 Danny Noppert 2018 Glen Durrant 7–6 Mark McGeeney 2019 Glen Durrant 7–3 Scott Waites 2020 Wayne Warren 7–4 Jim Williams Since 2022: WDF World Darts Championship Main article: WDF World Darts Championship Year Winner Score Runner-up 2022 Neil Duff 6–5 Thibault Tricole 2023 Andy Baetens 6–1 Chris Landman 2024 Shane McGuirk 6–3 Paul Lim 2025 Jimmy van Schie 6–3 Mitchell Lawrie

Professional Darts Corporation Main article: PDC World Darts Championship Year Winner 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

By player

The following sortable table lists all winners of both versions of the World Championship (correct as of 4 January 2025).

Player	Total	BDO	PDC
Phil Taylor	16	2	14
Raymond van Barneveld	5	4	1
Eric Bristow	5	5	–
Martin Adams	3	3	–
John Lowe	3	3	–
Michael van Gerwen	3	–	3
John Part	3	1	2
Glen Durrant	3	3	–
Gary Anderson	2	–	2
Peter Wright	2	–	2
Ted Hankey	2	2	–
Adrian Lewis	2	–	2
Dennis Priestley	2	1	1
Scott Waites	2	2	–
Jocky Wilson	2	2	–
Luke Littler	2	–	2
Bob Anderson	1	1	–
Steve Beaton	1	1	–
Stephen Bunting	1	1	–
Richie Burnett	1	1	–
Rob Cross	1	–	1
Tony David	1	1	–
Keith Deller	1	1	–
Andy Fordham	1	1	–
Christian Kist	1	1	–
Jelle Klaasen	1	1	–
Scott Mitchell	1	1	–
Gerwyn Price	1	–	1
Leighton Rees	1	1	–
Michael Smith	1	–	1
Les Wallace	1	1	–
John Walton	1	1	–
Wayne Warren	1	1	–
Mark Webster	1	1	–
Luke Humphries	1	–	1

By country

The following sortable table lists all winners of both versions of the World Championship (correct as of 20 February 2024).

Player	Total	BDO	PDC
England	47	28	19
Netherlands	10	6	4
Scotland	7	3	4
Wales	5	4	1
Canada	3	1	2
Australia	1	1	–

Highest average progression

Average	Seed	Player	Score	Opponent	Stage	Year
97.49	3	Leighton Rees	6–3	Alan Evans	QF	1978
99.00	5	John Lowe	2–0	Tony Brown	1st	1984
100.29	unseeded	Keith Deller	2–4	John Lowe	QF	1985
100.80	unseeded	Phil Taylor	5–0	Cliff Lazarenko	SF	1990
102.63	1	Dennis Priestley	3–0	Jocky Wilson	1st	1993
103.98	1	Phil Taylor	6–0	Dennis Priestley	F	1998
105.03	3	Phil Taylor	3–0	Reg Harding	1st	1999
105.87	2	Phil Taylor	6–0	Alan Warriner	QF	2000
107.46	2	Phil Taylor	7–0	John Part	F	2001
111.21	2	Phil Taylor	6–1	Shayne Burgess	2nd	2002
114.05	1	Michael van Gerwen	6–2	Raymond van Barneveld	SF	2017

Women's winners

World Darts Federation (formerly British Darts Organisation) Main articles: BDO World Darts Championship and WDF World Darts Championship Year Winner Score Runner-up 2001 Trina Gulliver 2–1 Mandy Solomons 2002 Trina Gulliver 2–1 Francis Hoenselaar 2003 Trina Gulliver 2–0 Anne Kirk 2004 Trina Gulliver 2–0 Francis Hoenselaar 2005 Trina Gulliver 2–0 Francis Hoenselaar 2006 Trina Gulliver 2–0 Francis Hoenselaar 2007 Trina Gulliver 2–1 Francis Hoenselaar 2008 Anastasia Dobromyslova 2–0 Trina Gulliver 2009 Francis Hoenselaar 2–1 Trina Gulliver 2010 Trina Gulliver 2–0 Rhian Edwards 2011 Trina Gulliver 2–0 Rhian Edwards 2012 Anastasia Dobromyslova 2–1 Deta Hedman 2013 Anastasia Dobromyslova 2–1 Lisa Ashton 2014 Lisa Ashton 3–2 Deta Hedman 2015 Lisa Ashton 3–1 Fallon Sherrock 2016 Trina Gulliver 3–2 Deta Hedman 2017 Lisa Ashton 3–0 Corrine Hammond 2018 Lisa Ashton 3–1 Anastasia Dobromyslova 2019 Mikuru Suzuki 3–0 Lorraine Winstanley 2020 Mikuru Suzuki 3–0 Lisa Ashton 2022 Beau Greaves 4–0 Kirsty Hutchinson 2023 Beau Greaves 4–1 Aileen de Graaf 2024 Beau Greaves 4–1 Sophie McKinlay 2025 Deta Hedman 4–1 Lerena Rietbergen

Professional Darts Corporation Main article: PDC World Championship Year Winner Score Runner-up 2010 Stacy Bromberg 6–5 (legs) Tricia Wright

By player

The following sortable table lists all winners of all versions of the World Championship (correct as of 10 December 2023).

Player	Total	WDF (BDO)	PDC
Trina Gulliver	10	10	–
Lisa Ashton	4	4	–
Anastasia Dobromyslova	3	3	–
Beau Greaves	3	3	–
Mikuru Suzuki	2	2	–
Francis Hoenselaar	1	1	–
Deta Hedman	1	1	-
Stacy Bromberg	1	–	1

By country

The following sortable table lists all winners of all versions of the World Championship (correct as of 7 December 2025).

Player	Total	WDF (BDO)	PDC
England	18	18	–
Russia	3	3	–
Japan	2	2	–
Netherlands	1	1	–
United States	1	–	1

Youth winners

The British Darts Organisation scores are sets, while the Professional Darts Corporation scores are legs.

British Darts Organisation Year Winner Score Runner-up 1986 Mark Day 3–1 Lee Woodrow 1987 Rowan Barry 3–2 Harith Lim 2015 Colin Roelofs 3–0 Harry Ward 2016 Joshua Richardson 3–2 Jordan Boyce 2017 Justin van Tergouw 3–2 Nathan Girvan 2018 Justin van Tergouw 3–1 Killian Hefferman 2019 Leighton Bennett 3–0 Nathan Girvan 2020 Keane Barry 3–0 Leighton Bennett

Professional Darts Corporation (current sponsors: Winmau) Year Winner Score Runner-up 2011 Arron Monk 6–4 Michael van Gerwen 2012 James Hubbard 6–3 Michael van Gerwen 2013 Michael Smith 6–1 Ricky Evans 2014 Keegan Brown 6–4 Rowby-John Rodriguez 2015 Max Hopp 6–5 Nathan Aspinall 2016 Corey Cadby 6–2 Berry van Peer 2017 Dimitri Van den Bergh 6–3 Josh Payne 2018 Dimitri Van den Bergh 6–3 Martin Schindler 2019 Luke Humphries 6–0 Adam Gawlas 2020 Bradley Brooks 6–5 Joe Davis 2021 Ted Evetts 6–4 Nathan Rafferty 2022 Josh Rock 6–1 Nathan Girvan 2023 Luke Littler 6–4 Gian van Veen 2024 Gian van Veen 6–5 Jurjen van der Velde 2025 Gian van Veen 6–3 Beau Greaves

Nine-dart finishes

Seventeen nine-dart finishes have been thrown at the World Championship. The first one was thrown by Paul Lim in the 1990 BDO World championship, while the following were thrown in the PDC World Championship.

Two have been made in world finals: firstly by Adrian Lewis in 2011 and then Michael Smith in 2023.

Number	Player	Year (+ Round)	Method	Opponent	Result
1.	Paul Lim	1990, 2nd Round	3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12	Jack McKenna	Won
2.	Raymond van Barneveld	2009, Quarter-Final	3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12	Jelle Klaasen	Won
3.	Raymond van Barneveld	2010, 2nd Round	3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12	Brendan Dolan	Won
4.	Adrian Lewis	2011, Final	3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12	Gary Anderson	Won
5.	Dean Winstanley	2013, 2nd Round	3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12	Vincent van der Voort	Lost
6.	Michael van Gerwen	2013, Semi-Final	3 x T20; 2 x T20, T19; 2 x T20, D12	James Wade	Won
7.	Terry Jenkins	2014, 1st Round	3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12	Per Laursen	Lost
8.	Kyle Anderson	2014, 1st Round	3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12	Ian White	Lost
9.	Adrian Lewis	2015, 3rd Round	3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12	Raymond van Barneveld	Lost
10.	Gary Anderson	2016, Semi-Final	3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12	Jelle Klaasen	Won
11.	James Wade	2021, 3rd Round	3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12	Stephen Bunting	Lost
12.	William Borland	2022, 1st Round	3 x T20; 2 x T20, T19; 2 x T20, D12	Bradley Brooks	Won
13.	Darius Labanauskas	2022, 1st Round	T20, 2 x T19; 3 x T20; T20, T17, D18	Mike De Decker	Lost
14.	Gerwyn Price	2022, Quarter-Final	3 x T20; 3 x T20; T19, T20, D12	Michael Smith	Lost
15.	Michael Smith	2023, Final	3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12	Michael van Gerwen	Won
16.	Christian Kist	2025, 1st Round	3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12	Madars Razma	Lost
17.	Damon Heta	2025, 3rd Round	3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12	Luke Woodhouse	Lost

References