Who will crown themselves world champions at the 2026
PDC World Darts Championship? It is the question on the minds of analysts, fans and darts followers in the coming weeks as they make their forecasts for the tournament at Alexandra Palace.
To provide support in this regard, DartsNews.com asked ChatGPT to calculate the entire PDC World Darts Championship. The advanced AI analyzed the playing schedule and came up with a full simulation of the tournament, including results for each round.
Follow the 2026 World Darts Championship via our live scores!Prediction World Darts Championship 2026 according to ChatGPT
First round
With 128 players, the largest-ever World Championship will begin on Dec. 11. According to ChatGPT, the opening match is won by Kim Huybrechts, who takes the win against Arno Merk (3-2) in an exciting match. Lisa Ashton manages to snatch a set from Michael Smith, while Luke Littler starts his hunt for title prolongation with a 3-0 win over Darius Labanauskas without any problems. Madars Razma is then responsible for the elimination of the first Dutchman as, according to the forecast, he wins 3-2 over Jamai van den Herik.
What else stands out is that almost all the players in the top-32 of the seedings list advance to the second round. Only Luke Woodhouse does not survive the first shuffle. He loses 3-2 to Boris Krcmar. However, there are a number of other surprising results.
However, that is not true of all the seeds in the top-32. Boris Krcmar books a hard-fought 3-2 win over Luke Woodhouse, while In a veteran clash, Mervyn King triumphs 3-2 in sets against Ian White, while Max Hopp celebrates his return to Alexandra Palace with a 3-2 victory over Martin Lukeman. Oskar Lukasiak eliminates Dom Taylor, while Jose de Sousa advances to the second round at the expense of Ricardo Pietreczko. The cracker between Daryl Gurney and Beau Greaves is won 3-2 by Gurney after a deciding set, eliminating all five female participants after the first round.
| Luke Littler | 3-0 | Darius Labanauskas |
| Mario Vandenbogaerde | 3-1 | David Davies |
| Joe Cullen | 3-1 | Bradley Brooks |
| Mensur Suljovic | 2-3 | David Cameron |
| Damon Heta | 3-1 | Steve Lennon |
| Raymond van Barneveld | 3-0 | Stefan Bellmont |
| Rob Cross | 3-1 | Cor Dekker |
| Ian White | 2-3 | Mervyn King |
| Chris Dobey | 3-0 | Xiaochen Zong |
| Andrew Gilding | 3-2 | Cam Crabtree |
| Luke Woodhouse | 2-3 | Boris Krcmar |
| Martin Lukeman | 2-3 | Max Hopp |
| Gerwyn Price | 3-1 | Adam Gawlas |
| Lukas Wenig | 1-3 | Wesley Plaisier |
| Ryan Joyce | 3-2 | Owen Bates |
| Krzysztof Ratajski | 3-0 | Alexis Toylo |
| Stephen Bunting | 3-1 | Sebastian Bialecki |
| Richard Veenstra | 3-0 | Nitin Kumar |
| Dirk van Duijvenbode | 3-1 | Andy Baetens |
| James Hurrell | 2-3 | Stowe Buntz |
| Martin Schindler | 3-0 | Stephen Burton |
| Keane Barry | 3-1 | Tim Pusey |
| Ryan Searle | 3-2 | Chris Landman |
| Brendan Dolan | 3-1 | Tavis Dudeney |
| Jonny Clayton | 3-0 | Adam Lipscombe |
| Dom Taylor | 2-3 | Oskar Lukasiak |
| Michael Smith | 3-1 | Lisa Ashton |
| Niels Zonneveld | 1-3 | Haupai Puha |
| Ross Smith | 3-0 | Andreas Harrysson |
| Thibault Tricole | 3-2 | Motomu Sakai |
| Dave Chisnall | 3-1 | Fallon Sherrock |
| Ricardo Pietreczko | 2-3 | Jose de Sousa |
| Luke Humphries | 3-0 | Ted Evetts |
| Jeffrey de Graaf | 3-1 | Paul Lim |
| Wessel Nijman | 3-2 | Karel Sedlacek |
| Gabriel Clemens | 3-1 | Alex Spellman |
| Nathan Aspinall | 3-1 | Lourence Ilagan |
| Mickey Mansell | 2-3 | Leonard Gates |
| Mike De Decker | 3-0 | David Munyua |
| Kevin Doets | 3-2 | Matthew Dennant |
| James Wade | 3-0 | Ryusei Azemoto |
| Ricky Evans | 3-1 | Man Lok Leung |
| Cameron Menzies | 3-1 | Charlie Manby |
| Matt Campbell | 3-2 | Adam Sevada |
| Gian van Veen | 3-1 | Cristo Reyes |
| Alan Soutar | 3-0 | Teemu Harju |
| Dimitri Van den Bergh | 3-1 | Darren Beveridge |
| Madars Razma | 3-2 | Jamai van den Herik |
| Michael van Gerwen | 3-0 | Mitsuhiko Tatsunami |
| William O'Connor | 3-1 | Krzysztof Kciuk |
| Peter Wright | 3-1 | Noa-Lynn van Leuven |
| Kim Huybrechts | 3-2 | Arno Merk |
| Gary Anderson | 3-0 | Adam Hunt |
| Connor Scutt | 2-3 | Simon Whitlock |
| Jermaine Wattimena | 3-1 | Dominik Gruellich |
| Scott Williams | 3-0 | Paolo Nebrida |
| Danny Noppert | 3-1 | Jurjen van der Velde |
| Nick Kenny | 2-3 | Justin Hood |
| Ritchie Edhouse | 3-1 | Jonny Tata |
| Ryan Meikle | 3-0 | Jesus Salate |
| Josh Rock | 3-0 | Gemma Hayter |
| Niko Springer | 3-2 | Joe Comito |
| Daryl Gurney | 3-2 | Beau Greaves |
| Callan Rydz | 3-1 | Patrik Kovacs |
Second Round
At the last 64, a lot more seeded players fly out. Raymond van Barneveld gets a nice result by winning 3-2 in sets over Damon Heta, while Krzysztof Ratajski takes care of Ryan Joyce's elimination.
Wessel Nijman did not make it against Gabriel Clemens and lost 3-2 in sets to the German, while Kevin Doets struck in a five-setter against Mike De Decker. In an exciting match Scott Williams defeats Jermaine Wattimena and Ryan Meikle reaches the last 32 for the first time after a 3-2 victory over Ritchie Edhouse.
Callan Rydz sends Daryl Gurney back to Northern Ireland. Also worth mentioning is Max Hopp's 3-2 victory over Boris Krcmar, giving 'The Maximiser' a nice continuation of his return to the World Darts Championship.
| Luke Littler | 3-0 | Mario Vandenbogaerde |
| Joe Cullen | 3-1 | David Cameron |
| Damon Heta | 2-3 | Raymond van Barneveld |
| Rob Cross | 3-1 | Mervyn King |
| Chris Dobey | 3-0 | Andrew Gilding |
| Boris Krcmar | 2-3 | Max Hopp |
| Gerwyn Price | 3-0 | Wesley Plaisier |
| Ryan Joyce | 1-3 | Krzysztof Ratajski |
| Stephen Bunting | 3-1 | Richard Veenstra |
| Dirk van Duijvenbode | 3-0 | Stowe Buntz |
| Martin Schindler | 3-2 | Keane Barry |
| Ryan Searle | 3-1 | Brendan Dolan |
| Jonny Clayton | 3-0 | Oskar Lukasiak |
| Michael Smith | 3-1 | Haupai Puha |
| Ross Smith | 3-2 | Thibault Tricole |
| Dave Chisnall | 3-1 | Jose de Sousa |
| Luke Humphries | 3-0 | Jeffrey de Graaf |
| Wessel Nijman | 2-3 | Gabriel Clemens |
| Nathan Aspinall | 3-0 | Leonard Gates |
| Mike De Decker | 2-3 | Kevin Doets |
| James Wade | 3-1 | Ricky Evans |
| Cameron Menzies | 3-2 | Matt Campbell |
| Gian van Veen | 3-1 | Alan Soutar |
| Dimitri Van den Bergh | 3-0 | Madars Razma |
| Michael van Gerwen | 3-0 | William O'Connor |
| Peter Wright | 3-2 | Kim Huybrechts |
| Gary Anderson | 3-1 | Simon Whitlock |
| Jermaine Wattimena | 2-3 | Scott Williams |
| Danny Noppert | 3-1 | Justin Hood |
| Ritchie Edhouse | 2-3 | Ryan Meikle |
| Josh Rock | 3-1 | Niko Springer |
| Daryl Gurney | 2-3 | Callan Rydz |
Last 32
Raymond van Barneveld revives old times at Alexandra Palace, settling with former world champion Rob Cross in seven sets. It leads to a meeting with teenage sensation Luke Littler, who does give up a set for the first time against Joe Cullen (4-1).
Dirk van Duijvenbode also makes it to the last sixteen after a 4-3 victory over Stephen Bunting, while Michael Smith scores a fine 4-2 victory against Jonny Clayton. Dave Chisnall makes up somewhat for his disappointing season by advancing to the Last 16 of the World Darts Championship with a 4-1 victory over Ross Smith.
Gian van Veen and Dimitri Van den Bergh provide spectacle in the third round, but it is the Dutchman who wins 4-3 in sets. Michael van Gerwen beats his old rival Peter Wright 4-2, while Callan Rydz knocks out another seeded player thanks to a 4-3 win over Josh Rock.
| Luke Littler | 4-1 | Joe Cullen |
| Raymond van Barneveld | 4-3 | Rob Cross |
| Chris Dobey | 4-0 | Max Hopp |
| Gerwyn Price | 4-2 | Krzysztof Ratajski |
| Stephen Bunting | 3-4 | Dirk van Duijvenbode |
| Martin Schindler | 4-3 | Ryan Searle |
| Jonny Clayton | 2-4 | Michael Smith |
| Ross Smith | 1-4 | Dave Chisnall |
| Luke Humphries | 4-0 | Gabriel Clemens |
| Nathan Aspinall | 4-2 | Kevin Doets |
| James Wade | 4-1 | Cameron Menzies |
| Gian van Veen | 4-3 | Dimitri Van den Bergh |
| Michael van Gerwen | 4-2 | Peter Wright |
| Gary Anderson | 4-1 | Scott Williams |
| Danny Noppert | 4-0 | Ryan Meikle |
| Josh Rock | 3-4 | Callan Rydz |
Last 16
Raymond van Barneveld's good tournament comes to an end at the last sixteen after a 4-1 defeat against defending champion Luke Littler. Gerwyn Price wins in a thriller from Chris Dobey (4-3), taking revenge for his loss against 'Hollywood' a year earlier at the World Darts Championship. Dirk van Duijvenbode reaches his second quarterfinal at the World Darts Championship by beating Martin Schindler 4-3, while Michael Smith brushes aside compatriot Dave Chisnall 4-2.
Luke Humphries more than lives up to his favorites against Nathan Aspinall, winning 4-1 in sets from 'The Asp'. Gian van Veen keeps his nerves in check in an absolute thriller against James Wade, drawing 4-3 against the eleven-time major winner. Michael van Gerwen flattens Gary Anderson 4-2 in sets, while Danny Noppert becomes the fourth Dutchman to reach the last eight after a resounding 4-0 victory over Callan Rydz.
| Luke Littler | 4-1 | Raymond van Barneveld |
| Chris Dobey | 3-4 | Gerwyn Price |
| Dirk van Duijvenbode | 4-3 | Martin Schindler |
| Michael Smith | 4-2 | Dave Chisnall |
| Luke Humphries | 4-1 | Nathan Aspinall |
| James Wade | 3-4 | Gian van Veen |
| Michael van Gerwen | 4-2 | Gary Anderson |
| Danny Noppert | 4-0 | Callan Rydz |
Quarterfinal
Luke Littler is really tested for the first time this tournament, but passes the test gloriously with a 5-3 victory over Gerwyn Price. Michael Smith reaches the last four at the World Darts Championship for the first time since 2023 after a 5-3 win over Dirk van Duijvenbode.
Luke Humphries puts an end to Gian van Veen's tournament in convincing fashion, sending 'GVV The Giant' home with a 5-1 victory. Danny Noppert is the only Dutchman to advance to the semifinals by winning a thrilling Dutch cracker with a 5-4 win over Michael van Gerwen.
| Luke Littler | 5-3 | Gerwyn Price |
| Michael Smith | 5-3 | Dirk van Duijvenbode |
| Luke Humphries | 5-1 | Gian van Veen |
| Michael van Gerwen | 4-5 | Danny Noppert |
Semifinals
For the third year in a row, Luke Littler advances to the final. Michael Smith starts the match well by winning the first set, but then is no match for the scoring power of Luke Littler, who takes over the lead with four sets in a row. Smith keeps himself in the match by winning the sixth set, but then still has to give in.
In the second semifinal, Luke Humphries quickly grabs a comfortable 3-0 lead against Danny Noppert. 'The Freeze' does grab set four, but misses a dart to cut the deficit to 3-2. Instead, it becomes 4-1, and eventually Humphries also wins his match 6-2.
| Luke Littler | 6-2 | Michael Smith |
| Luke Humphries | 6-2 | Danny Noppert |
Final
The final provides the expected top confrontation between the two strongest players in the tournament. Two years ago, these two players also faced each other in the World Cup final, and then it was Humphries who took the world title.
But as has been the case many times in the past season, Humphries loses to the new star of darts. Chance is not lost on "Cool Hand Luke," however, as ChatGPT thinks Humphries is the better player in the early stages of the final. However, Humphries fails to make up the difference and falls behind for the first time in the ninth set. Littler then makes it 6-4 in sets, after which Humphries still manages to close to 6-5. Then it was Littler who struck in his own set and lifted the Sid Waddell Trophy for the second time in a row.
| Luke Littler | 7-5 | Luke Humphries |
The winner of the World Darts Championship goes home with the Sid Waddell Trophy