Preview PDC World Darts Championship 2026 Wednesday evening: Darting legends headline as Van Barneveld and Wade open campaigns

A late start on this seventh day of the PDC World Darts Championship, as only an evening session is scheduled on Wednesday. And it’s a big one, with Raymond van Barneveld and James Wade both taking to the stage.

The program opens with a North American clash between Matt Campbell and Adam Sevada, followed by Raymond van Barneveld’s appearance. The Dutch darts legend faces Stefan Bellmont. James Wade then locks horns with Ryusei Azemoto, before Martin Schindler meets Stephen Burton.
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This match is a milestone in itself, as two North American players have never met at the PDC Worlds before. The stakes are especially high for Matt Campbell. “The Ninja” is on the brink of losing his PDC Tour Card and needs at least the second round and possibly even the third round to keep his professional status. Campbell did not have a terrible year on the floor, but 2024 in particular was very poor. He barely collected prize money on the Pro Tour and only qualified for the Worlds through the Tour Card Qualifier. Campbell now needs another escape, this time to save his Tour Card.

Adam Sevada is one of the debutants at this World Championship. The American dominated the CDC circuit in 2025, winning five of the sixteen events. That put him top of the CDC ranking. Sevada is not entirely without TV experience. “The Reaper” already appeared at the US Darts Masters in New York, but failed to make much of an impression there.

This is also a historic match, as Raymond van Barneveld starts his 33rd World Championship campaign. That equals record holder Steve Beaton, bringing “Barney” level with him. For the 58-year-old from The Hague this is no minor tournament either, as he has a fourth round from two years ago to defend. Van Barneveld will not be unhappy with his draw, though, landing in a section with the likes of Damon Heta and Rob Cross, which offers opportunities for another deep run. He will be less pleased with his recent form. He exited early at the World Grand Prix, European Championship and Players Championship Finals, and his floor results have also been below par. As a result, Van Barneveld has dropped out of the Pro Tour top 16, and the five-time world champion now risks having to play qualifiers in 2026 to reach the majors.

His opponent Stefan Bellmont already made history last year as the first Swiss participant ever at the World Championship. This year he was also the first Swiss player at the Grand Slam of Darts, a tournament he reached by winning the Challenge Tour Order of Merit. That also earned “Belli” a Tour Card for 2026 and 2027, so over the next few years Bellmont can show his worth on the Pro Tour. Last year Bellmont lost 3-0 to Jermaine Wattimena on his Worlds debut, so the first task for Bellmont will be to win a set on the Ally Pally stage.

When Van Barneveld made his comeback at Q-School in 2021, these two also met. Back then it was Bellmont who pulled off a surprise 6-5 win over “Barney.” What is a positive omen for Burton, though, is that he has never lost a match to Schindler. They met once at a Players Championship event in 2022, with Burton coming out on top 6-3.

James Wade has won almost everything there is to win in his already long career, but that one world title still eludes him. With eleven major titles, “The Machine” ranks as the third most successful PDC player of all time, and this year Wade had chances to add to that tally. He reached the finals of the UK Open and World Matchplay, but in both finals he was outdone by Luke Littler. It’s been a while since Wade won a match at Alexandra Palace at all, as he was knocked out in his opening match at each of his last three appearances. A strong result at the upcoming edition could well help the left-hander secure a Premier League spot.

Wade must first get past Ryusei Azemoto, one of three Japanese participants at this World Championship. He owes his spot to finishing fourth on the Asian Tour Order of Merit. On that tour Azemoto won three tournaments and lost one final. Last year Azemoto made his debut at Alexandra Palace and the Japanese player briefly dared to dream of a win. He led Wesley Plaisier 2-1 in sets, but lost a nerve-racking match 3-2 in sets. Against Wade, Azemoto faces an even tougher task to book a place in the second round.

Martin Schindler is already up to 13th in the world rankings, and that is not thanks to but in spite of his results at the televised events. The Wall has been one of the most consistent players on the Pro Tour for years, but it still will not click on TV tournaments. In 2023 he reached two major quarterfinals, but those are also the only two individual major quarterfinals he has made. This season he lost his opening match at a major four times. With a good run at Ally Pally, Schindler could well propel himself into the top 10 of the PDC Order of Merit.

In Stephen Burton he meets a player who narrowly missed out on World Championship qualification via the Pro Tour, but seized his second chance at the Tour Card qualifier. There Burton showed good form with averages of 94, 89 and 98 respectively. After appearances at the 2019 and 2025 World Championships, this will be his third visit to London. The 37-year-old Englishman cannot take much confidence from those previous campaigns, as he lost tamely to Ryan Searle (3-0) and Alexander Merkx (3-0).