Preview 2026 PDC World Darts Championship Tuesday Evening: Gerwyn Price begins world title quest with tournament dark horse Danny Noppert also in action

Another enticing evening awaits at the 2026 PDC World Darts Championship in London. On Tuesday night we welcome two of the Lukes biggest threats for the title in Gerwyn Price and Danny Noppert. 

Ricardo Pietreczko opens the evening session against Jose de Sousa, before an all-Dutch showdown between Danny Noppert and Jurjen van der Velde. Gerwyn Price then launches his Worlds campaign against Adam Gawlas. In the final match of the night, Niko Springer and Joe Comito battle for a place in the second round.
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Jose de Sousa was one of the last players to secure a spot at the World Darts Championship. “The Special One” struck at the end of November at the final qualifier for Tour Card holders. De Sousa, the surprise Grand Slam of Darts winner in 2020, is in danger of losing his Tour Card, and this appearance gives him the chance to extend his stay on the Pro Tour. That will be a tough task, however, as the Portuguese must reach at least the fourth round to achieve that. That is not unfamiliar territory for the former Premier League finalist, since at the 2023 edition De Sousa also reached the last sixteen.

Ricardo Pietreczko is gearing up for his third Worlds appearance, knowing he has never been eliminated before Christmas. Two years ago he fell in the third round to Luke Humphries, while last year Nathan Aspinall proved too strong in the fourth round. On the floor, “Pikachu” was less effective in 2025 than in recent seasons, but on the majors the German did post some notable results. Pietreczko reached the quarterfinals at the European Championship, and made the third round at the Players Championship Finals.

This will be the fifth meeting between Pietreczko and De Sousa. The latter won their first clash in 2020 by 6-0, but Pietreczko has since beaten his Portuguese opponent three times in a row.

Two entrants from Friesland at the World Darts Championship, and the draw even paired them together. From a sporting perspective it is certainly not a bad draw for Danny Noppert, who is determined to break his Worlds hoodoo. “The Freeze” enjoyed a superb 2025, with semifinals at the World Masters, World Grand Prix, European Championship, and the Grand Slam of Darts. As a result, the Joure thrower is viewed as a dark horse for the world title. However, across seven Worlds appearances Noppert has never gone beyond the last 32, and at his last two visits to Alexandra Palace he even lost in the second round. A similar outcome would not help Noppert now, as a strong run in London could well open the door to the lucrative Premier League Darts in 2026.

Last year Jurjen van der Velde came very close to a Worlds debut, but missed match darts to win the World Youth Championship. This year Van der Velde earned his spot at the biggest event of the year via the Development Tour. He also picked up valuable stage experience at the Grand Slam of Darts. Van der Velde exceeded expectations there, as a sensational win over Damon Heta sent the 23-year-old Dutchman into the last 16, where Luke Humphries proved a class apart.

Although both Dutchmen have spent several years together on the PDC Pro Tour, they have never met in an official PDC match.

As one of the outright title favorites, Gerwyn Price begins his twelfth Worlds appearance on Tuesday night. In 2021 “The Iceman” captured the world title in an empty Alexandra Palace, as fans were not permitted due to the coronavirus pandemic. Price would love nothing more than to repeat that triumph, but this time in front of a packed crowd. It has now been four years since Price won an individual major, but the positive is that compared to recent seasons the Welshman is once again regularly putting himself in position to win tournaments. With the former rugby player’s current form, it may not be long before Price finally gets his hands on a big trophy again.

‘The Iceman’ will hardly have been thrilled with the draw, as Adam Gawlas is known as a very slow player. ‘Flawlas’, runner-up at the World Youth Championship in 2019, is appearing in North London for the second time. At the 2023 edition he impressively beat Richie Burnett 3-2 in the first round, before Ryan Searle proved too strong with a 3-0 win in round two. The 23-year-old Czech no longer holds a PDC Tour Card, but secured his World Darts Championship spot via the Czech qualifier.

Four years ago these two men already faced off on a big stage. Back then Price beat Gawlas 10-3 in the second round of the European Championship. That was also their only head-to-head meeting.

If we draw up a list of young players to watch at the World Darts Championship, Niko Springer certainly makes the cut. ‘Meenzer Bub’ is widely seen as Germany’s most talented prospect and made an instant impact in his debut season on the PDC Pro Tour with a Euro Tour title. The 25-year-old German is also unafraid of big scalps, as he downed both Gary Anderson and Michael van Gerwen at the Grand Slam of Darts. This will be his second appearance at Ally Pally, after he lost a cracking first-round tie to Scott Williams last year.

Joe Comito is back at this tournament for the second year running. The Australian earned qualification thanks to strong results on the DPA Pro Tour, the circuit for players in Australia. Last year Comito played the opening match of the World Darts Championship, losing 3-1 in sets to Thibault Tricole. Now Comito again faces a tough task to notch a win at Alexandra Palace.