The 2026 World Darts Championship not only brings together the best players in the world, but also personalities who have found their way back to Alexandra Palace after setbacks, form crises or long breaks. Five comeback stories stand out in particular - each remarkable in its own way.
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The king is back
At 59, Mervyn King is an institution in the sport of darts, even if he has always been denied the really big title in his long career. Six major finals, a World Championship semi-final in 2009 and numerous successes on the Pro Tour stand for a career full of consistency - until the Englishman slipped down the rankings after his participation in the 2023 World Championship and ultimately even lost his Tour Card. This was followed by a move to the Challenge Tour, combined with the harsh reality of having to fight his way back up in the lower house.
A striking character returns: After a two-year absence, Mervyn King celebrates his Ally Pally comeback
He finally made his return in dramatic fashion. In the last tournament of the Challenge Tour season, King survived three match darts from Lee Cocks in the quarter-finals, while rival Michael Unterbuchner was eliminated at the same time. With fourth place in the final Order of Merit, King surprisingly secured his World Championship spot. On December 12, he will meet Ian White in the afternoon session and celebrate his comeback on the sport's biggest stage.
The wizard works his magic again
Simon Whitlock has been one of the defining figures in international darts for years. However, the 2012 European Champion, 2022 World Cup winner and 2010 World Darts Championship finalist seemed to have reached the end of his professional career after his last World Championship appearance in 2024. Missing out on qualification last year and losing his Tour Card led many to assume that the Australian had already written the final chapter of his illustrious career.
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Simon "The Wizard" Whitlock celebrates his World Championship comeback - the Australian secured his ticket by winning the ANZ Premier League
But Whitlock found new momentum in his home country. By winning the first edition of the ANZ Premier League, the 56-year-old celebrated a remarkable comeback and at the same time secured his ticket for the World Championship. His return takes him to his first round match against Connor Scutt in the evening session on December 15.
The return of Cristo
Hardly any comeback at this World Championship has been as surprising as that of Cristo Reyes. The Spaniard, who reached the round of 16 at major tournaments several times in the mid-2010s and was considered one of the most talented newcomers, almost completely disappeared from the scene after the 2021 season. Travel difficulties during the coronavirus pandemic and the loss of his Tour Card meant that he no longer played any PDC tournaments from 2022.
Cristo Reyes is back - the Spaniard returns to the World Championship spotlight after a six-year break
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When Reyes suddenly appeared at the Mediterranean Qualifier in November 2025, a jolt went through the darts scene. Even more remarkable: he played his way to victory there in impressive style and with top-class averages and thus back to the World Darts Championship. On December 12, the 38-year-old will meet Gian van Veen in the evening session - his first match at the Ally Pally for six years.
The German pioneer returns
Max Hopp has been the figurehead of the German darts scene for years. Semi-finals at the World Championship and the European Championship as well as his European Tour title in 2018 made him the pioneer of an entire German generation. After his last World Championship appearance in 2021, however, Hopp lost touch, missed the following World Championships by a wide margin and ultimately slipped so far that he lost his Tour Card.
Max Hopp makes an impressive comeback - after years of drought, the "Maximiser" confidently qualified for the World Championships via the Pro Tour
The new start came at the beginning of 2025 at the Q-School, where Hopp surprisingly regained his Tour Card. His comeback year was convincing: stable performances on the Pro Tour, qualification for the Players Championship Finals and ultimately 28th place in the Pro Tour qualifying race - enough to secure his place at the 2026 World Championship. On December 15, the 29-year-old will face Martin Lukeman in the evening session.
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The living legend
Paul Lim is one of the defining figures in the history of darts. At the age of 71, the "Singapore Slinger" is taking part in a World Darts Championship for the 28th time this winter. His 9-darter at the 1990 BDO World Championship is still legendary today, as are his countless international successes. Even in his old age, Lim remains competitive - in 2024 he sensationally reached the final of the WDF World Championship and impressively proved that he continues to stand not only for beautiful stories, but also extraordinary darts on stage.
Paul Lim, the living legend - the 71-year-old "Singapore Slinger" is contesting his 28th World Darts Championship
Lim qualified for the 2026 PDC World Championship via the Asian Tour, where he won two tournaments and performed consistently over the months. The crowd favorite is thus returning to the biggest of all PDC stages after his last participation in 2022. On December 13, he will face Jeffrey de Graaf - and once again Alexandra Palace will tell the story of a man who can seemingly outwit time.
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Samuel GillChief Content Officer
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
In his current role, Samuel works closely with editors and writers to ensure content meets clear journalistic standards, with a focus on source verification, editorial consistency, and timely updates when new, confirmed information becomes available.
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- Ultimately it is a bye for whoever draws Barney. It will be another stroppy and sulky performance once he goes behind. Barney was excellent but really must completely call it a day now.richieburnettrocks07-11-2026
- I'm disappointed he was not able to secure a spot at the Grand Slam. With Carl Sneyd taking care of Daryl Gurney, he would have had to beat Andy Boulton before facing the winner of Sneyd vs Mensur Suljović for a Grand Slam spot. Unfortunately, after beating Filip Bereza comfortably, he succumbed to Boulton, and the board would ultimately be won by the highly inconsistent Carl Sneyd. Since he could instead have been drawn against the likes of Cristo Reyes, Dirk van Duijvenbode and Stephen Bunting, I think once Gurney was out of the picture he would have been favourite to win his board, and it seems like a massive missed opportunity to put 5 grand on his ranking and seal another major TV appearance ahead of the Worlds. The highs and lows of following Raymond van Barneveld!Deduce635806-11-2026
- Probably i will receive a lot of backlash and hate for this reaction, but well, so be it. I am more than sick and tired of those lies of you Barry Hearn. How dare you defend yourself over the back of Fallon’s son! He has a disability and not an illness, so let me correct that for you! I know because I have the exact same disability. I have tried to reach out to Fallon in the past, and offered her to help her and her son, because I was struggling with the same problems, and I understood the boy. I wanted him to have finally someone who understood him. However she told me that she did not want my help, and I have respected Fallon’s choice. I have never asked Fallon for money. They don’t need money in that case. I only ever wanted the best for Fallon and Rory, but I have to be honest about the situation. Fallon should tell the true story and not be forced to tell lies. I don’t hate Fallon, and I don’t begrudge or envy a single penny that she gets, but this situation/case is just not fair. I hate the lies and the dishonesty and injustice. I don’t want Fallon to be hated because there is an unfair disadvantage created. Don’t proclaim your false lies over the back of Rory! I only stand for integrity and justice. I am precisely the one who always sticks up for Fallon. And you don't, you don't give a damn about them. You were never there for them, and now you only want to save your own position! You are just trying to talk your way out of your own bad behavior at the expense of someone with a disability. And to Fallon, I don’t know if this may ever reach you, and you read it, but I want you to know I love you and I love your son Rory very much, I am sorry how things developed and went. I hope you and Harriet are still friends. I am sorry if I were too persistent to you, or you experienced it that way, but it was never my intention. Please understand I have autism as well. As Barry Hearn would say, I am only just a human being too, and I also make mistakes and misjudge things sometimes. I promise you I did everything out of the deepest love and care for you and Rory. If I were you, I should just keep all the money, only please never be dishonest or tell lies anymore for Barry Hearn, or anyone else. I hope you have the best life, and I wish nothing more than the best for you. I have always loved the two of you. Farewell.Hiddo05-11-2026
- She is a professional. If darts is her income, she is a professional. Same as Adrian Lewis, Martin Adams. A tour card just means someone can play on the PDC tour. You could even make a case that Clayton wasn't a professional (until recently I believe) because he had employment elsewhere.BandB04-11-2026
- She's technically not a professional though as she doesn't hold a pro tour card.mr-pablo04-11-2026
- Such a shame that lakeside has been reduced to this. Fantastic venue,and previously a great tournament. Not any morerick6703-11-2026
- Seems to me that the top 16 players pick and choose whatever they want to play. Good,all the money will get spread out more. They get more money from exhibitions than tournaments so let them all withdrawrick6703-11-2026
- Play all legs and the winners split the pot. Luke gets the lot of he wins them all. If your occupation is darts player you can't enter, regardless of ability.BandB01-11-2026
- I'm quite a jaded person all things considered, but to be honest I found Beat Luke Littler to be pretty entertaining. It certainly wasn't seamless, which is to be expected given the lack of precedence, but I actually think the pacing was pretty good, the production was impressive, and there was a good sense of humour and levity to it. I think it was a very ambitious undertaking but one that, for the most part, paid off. I liked the system with the four pots and I think it added to the drama and intrigue. I enjoyed seeing the diverse range of entrants and learning about their backstories. I think the interactivity was pretty clever and well-integrated. The panel was a little incoherent at times; Lee Mack shone however, and his improvisational skills were appreciated during some more awkward interstitial moments. As far as the darts is concerned, it was a shame that the format didn't allow Littler to get into full flow. You obviously don't want him to steamroll everyone but you want to feel like you're getting the full Littler package rather than seeing him struggling to get out of first gear. I will say that his leg against Jayden Walker was very impressive, but it was mostly downhill from there. The attraction revolves around Littler being this untouchable, indomitable force, yet the format doesn't really allow him to fulfil that characterisation. As for Fallon Sherrock, she was mightily impressive and deserved the victory. It is a testament to her unshakeable character that she was able to bang in a 14-darter under such mind-bending pressure. Everything that has been said about the misleading marketing is valid, though they were clear about their eligibility criteria and were able to offload the responsibility somewhat by bringing the viewers into the decision-making process in real time. What is clear though, is that Fallon played the game according to the rules, and she should not be criticised for that, much less abused. I will admit though that it is a kick in the teeth for those true amateurs who committed time and money to the course, and I would also question those who think pub players would have no chance, given that some of Littler's winning legs were dispatched in 7 visits to the board! The great thing about darts is that it isn't so much that amateurs cannot replicate the feats of brilliance pulled off by professionals of the sport, than it is that they simply cannot replicate the consistency of their output, something that this format almost entirely removes from the equation. It should also be noted that, financially, Fallon certainly stands to benefit much less in relative terms from the paycheque than would your average pub thrower, as I'm sure she nets a fair income from the lucrative exhibition circuit alone. What I do hope is that she might use this as an opportunity to really build up a head of steam heading into the new season, as it seems long overdue that she come through Q-School and really take it to the pros on a week-in week-out basis, but whatever she chooses to do, she has certainly achieved enough already for one if not several lifetimes, so who am I to dictate terms? To conclude though, I will state once again that I found Beat Luke Littler to be a pretty enjoyable evening of entertainment. I do feel for the contestants who never actually had the chance to try their luck against the world #1, although I suppose it comes with the format, but all which inevitably raises the question: will Netflix be tempted to do it all again next year? It's hard to say. Whether it would be financially viable, I can't weigh in there. One point I have been making though, and which I touched on earlier, is that the entire concept relies on a public perception that Littler is more or less unbeatable, and that certainly hasn't been the case of late. If the execs had been trying to pitch the show in recent months while Littler has seemed vulnerable, rather than when he was mopping up almost every major title on the calendar, it would certainly be a tougher sell. We will have to see in about 6 months' time whether Littler can still reliably command perception as a near-unstoppable force in darts, and then we'll have a clearer idea about whether we should expect a second helping. Even as a one-off experiment though, and with all the controversy taken into account, I still don't think they disgraced themselves by any means, and that will probably be my lingering assessment of the event when all is said and done.Deduce635801-11-2026
- Fair play to Fallon. But...shows the mockery when a professional players wins what was meant to be an amateur v Pro event, Littlers performance was poor, and what about the players who didn't get a game? Would have been better if the pot was split amoungst all the winners and they all got a leg.BandB31-10-2026