ANALYSIS: Five Scotsmen at the 2026 World Darts Championship - The legendary two-time champions, the fireman and an 'Ice Cold' darting star

The 2026 PDC World Championship kicks off on Thursday night at the Alexandra Palace with five Scotsmen qualifying for the end-of-year showpiece.

The number of Scotsman has improved since last year, with Darren Beveridge getting on the fun, although an improved number is less surprising considering the expansion to a 128 player field.

Before looking ahead to this years fixtures, it is worth looking at last year's World Championship. There were four Scotsman last year, all having qualified again this year. It was an unsuccessful year for the Scots, with Alan Soutar and Cameron Menzies falling short, both losing 3-1 in the First Round of the competition. Gary Anderson went out in the Second Round after a shock 3-0 defeat to Jeffrey de Graaf. 'Snakebite' Peter Wright went the furthest out of the Scotsmen, rolling back the years as he reached the Quarter-Finals, losing 5-2 to an inform Stephen Bunting.

Since then, Scottish players have had some impressive performances on the PDC Pro Tour. Below is an early look ahead at Scotland's five representatives at the upcoming World Darts Championship.

Last year was a disappointing one for Gary Anderson, falling short at the World Championships to Jeffrey de Graaf in just the Second Round. The 54-year-old has struggled with form this year, including a shock exit in the group stage at the Grand Slam of Darts last month. Anderson is one of the most talented players we've ever seen, winning back to back World Championship titles in 2015 and 2016, but has failed to reach those heights as of late.

Finishing bottom of his group at the Grand Slam of Darts was a new low for the former World Champion, this the first time in his career. Anderson's best result was a win at the European Darts Grand Prix in May, beating Andrew Gilding 8-0 in a vintage Gary Anderson performance. This was his second title of the season, winning Players Championship 7, with a 8-3 win over Adam Lipscombe.

At Ally Pally, the 'Flying Scotsman' starts his campaign against Adam Hunt, a match that you'd expect him to win. In Round 2, he'd take on the winner of Connor Scutt and Simon Whitlock. A likely Third Round match up would put him up against Jermaine Wattimena.

Winning the first two rounds looks good for Anderson, even if his confidence is low after back to back unsuccessful majors. A third-round meeting with Wattimena would be a real test with the Dutchman having his best year on tour.

'Snakebite Peter Wright was one of the top players in the World for numerous years, but now sits 30th in the world rankings. Wright has tampered with a number amount of darts in the last few years and has really struggled to create any run of form. The 55-Year-Old still featured at the World Cup of Darts this year, alongside Gary Anderson, but the pair fell short in the last 16. The duo lost 8- to the Netherlands.

Wright had a successful World Championship last year, reaching the Quarter-Finals, but falling short in a 5-2 loss to the "Bullet" Stephen Bunting. Despite a good run at the Worlds, Wright has struggled this year, failing to pick up a single title, losing in his only final appearance. This came in Players Championship 11, where fellow Scotsman Cameron Menzies took the title with an impressive 8-3 win.

He will be hoping for a successful run at the Worlds again this year, hopefully setting him up for a good 2026. Wright will face off against Noa-Lynn van Leuven. The Second Round will see a potential match up against either Kim Huybrechts or Arno Mark. If Wright makes it to the third round, it could see him face off against the mighty Michael van Gerwen.

Cameron Menzies is the second highest ranked Scotsman this year, behind only Gary Anderson. It was a disappointing World Championships last year for 'Cammy' as he exited in the First Round. with a 3-1 loss to Leonard Gates.

Menzies has bounced back this year, reaching three floor finals, picking up his just second Players Championship title, with a convincing 8-3 win over Peter Wright. Menzies has openly struggled with the mental side of the game in recent years, but really proved himself this year, climbing up the rankings.

This will be Menzies fourth appearance at Ally Pally, as he takes on the young superstar Charlie Manby in a tough First Round affair. If he makes it to the Second Round he will meet the winner of Matt Campbell and Adam Sevada. Menziez could have a good run at the Worlds this year, with a likley match up with either James Wade or Ricky Evans.

Soutar is heading into his fourth Ally Pally appearance and will be hoping for a better attempt than last year where he exited in the first round to Kai Gotthardt, in somewhat of a shock result. 'Soots', has had some good runs at Ally Pally, reaching the last 16 on debut back in 2022, where he beat the likes of Jose de Sousa and Mensur Sujovic.

In 2023, Soutar again reached the last 16, an impressive achievement that saw some impressive wins. These included a 3-0 demolition of Daryll Gurney and then a 4-2 win over Dutchman, Danny Noppert.

The Scotsman has not been too successful this year, with three quarter finals on the floor events his biggest success. The year has been one that Soutar will not be best please with, but something he can use as fuel on the big stage.

In the first round, Soutar takes on Teemu Harju in their first ever match up. Soutar should be set to win the game and will most likely take on this years high flying Gian van Veen.

The 33-Year-Old is the youngest of the Scottish Qualifiers and the lowest ranked as he sits 75th in the World Rankings. Beveridge has never featured at Ally Pally and will be hoping to impress on Debut.

Beveridge has played in six previous majors, five UK Opens and one Players Championship Final. His one appearance at the finals saw him lose 6-1 to Ryan Searle despite averaging an impressive 98.76 and throwing more 180s than Searle.

What Beveridge has to offer in unknown compared to the rest, but his recent appearance at the Players Championship Final leaves us hopeful that he can put on a show in his First Round match up with Dimitri Van den Bergh. If he is to cause an upset he'll meet the winner of Madars Razma and Jamai van den Herik.

Andy Boulton and William Borland both miss out this year. The pair had previously participated a combined four time, with Borland hitting than iconic 9 darter in a 3-2 last leg shootout against Bradley Brooks back in 2022.