Preview Tuesday afternoon PDC World Darts Championship: Two debutant stars battle Rock and Clayton for Quarter-Final spots

The first two quarter-finalists at the 2026 PDC World Darts Championship are confirmed, with three more names to be added this afternoon. This Tuesday afternoon session on December 30 features three fourth-round ties, including one of the dark horses for the title and a Swedish debutant looking to extend his World Championship dream.

We open the afternoon with Luke Woodhouse against Krzysztof Ratajski. Next up is a clash between the world number 5 Jonny Clayton and Swedish debutant Andreas Harrysson. The session concludes with a blockbuster between fellow debutant Justin Hood and Northern Irishman Josh Rock.

Woodhouse has progressed through this Worlds with few alarms so far. The number 25 seed fell 1-0 behind in his opener against Boris Krcmar, but then reeled off three sets on the spin without needing to find top gear to seal a 3-1 win. In round two he met Max Hopp, who had impressed in his opening match. The German failed to back that up here. Woodhouse was solid and dropped just one leg in total, cruising to a 3-0 victory. The third round brought his first real test in the shape of Andrew Gidling. At least, that was the expectation after ‘Goldfinger’ had produced two superb displays beforehand. Gilding, however, completely misfired and averaged only 86. Woodhouse played well himself, averaged over 95, and once again won with ease, this time 4-1.

Ratajski had a slightly tougher path to the last 16, showing plenty of character in his most recent outing. He began against the ultra-slow Filipino Alexis Toylo, the one player everyone hoped to avoid in the draw. Not for his quality, but for his pace. Ratajski handled it well and won comfortably 3-0. On paper, round two brought a very tricky opponent in Ryan Joyce. The Englishman never got going and lost the first two sets 3-1 to fall quickly behind. Although he took the third, the fourth went 3-0 to the Pole, who booked his spot in round three. There he faced Dutchman Wesley Plaisier, who had upset Gerwyn Price in the second round. Plaisier started brilliantly and led 3-1 in sets. The Dutchman then began to miss doubles, while Ratajski tightened up and was ruthless on the outer ring. As a result, and aided by four missed match darts from Plaisier, he pulled it back to 3-3. He then took the decider 3-1 with a 116 checkout to complete the comeback and reach the last 16.

Jonny Clayton has had a peculiar route to the last 16. The Welshman came through the first round against Adam Lipscombe with relative ease. He produced a solid display and won 3-1 without needing to press. A second-round clash with Dom Taylor was next, but he was immediately disqualified after a positive doping test. That sent the world number 5 straight through to round three, giving him extra time to prepare. There he met Dutchman Niels Zonneveld in what became a thriller. Clayton was excellent with an average over 98, but Zonneveld matched him well at almost 100. Clayton edged the opener 3-2, only to see the second go 3-1 to the Dutchman. Two straight 3-0 sets then went with throw, making it 2-2. ‘The Ferret’ moved 3-2 up, but couldn’t shake Zonneveld, forcing a decider. Clayton found one last surge and swept it 3-0 to clinch the match.

For Andreas Harrysson this Worlds is a fairy tale. The Swede is making his debut and has left a strong impression so far. He drew a very tough first-round opponent in Ross Smith. The first two sets went 3-2 with throw, leaving it 1-1. Smith took the third 3-1, and after missing a handful of match darts he allowed Harrysson to level at 2-2, before the Swede sealed it 3-1 in the last to deliver one of the early shocks. He then swept aside fellow debutant Motomu Sakai 3-0 in round two. In round three he met Ricardo Pietreczko. The German disappointed, while Harrysson rose to the occasion. The first four sets went with throw to 2-2. The Swede then held again 3-0 for 3-2, and immediately broke the German’s set. That puts him into the last 16 at Ally Pally in his debut year.

Justin Hood may well be one of the biggest surprises of this World Championship so far. He opened his campaign against the Welshman Nick Kenny, immediately impressing by averaging just under 100. He took the first set of that match convincingly 3-0, and after a tighter second set that went his way 3-2, he wrapped up the third set comfortably 3-1 to seal a 3-0 win. The second round then produced arguably the match of the tournament so far. He faced sixth seed Danny Noppert, and it turned into an absolute thriller. Hood won the first set 3-2, then surprisingly took the second 3-1 to move 2-0 ahead. Noppert, however, battled back superbly with finishes including 102 and 90 to make it 2-1, and he claimed the fourth set 3-1 to force a deciding set. That final set swung wildly, with Hood firing 180s at will, but Noppert kept landing big checkouts to stay alive. It eventually reached 5-5 in legs, meaning a last-leg decider would settle it. There, Hood finally crossed the line with a 78 checkout to reach the third round. In round three he met Ryan Meikle. The question was whether he could back up his heroics against the Dutchman, and he did. He faced barely any resistance from his compatriot and cruised to a 4-1 victory to keep his dream alive.

Rock has had a relatively comfortable path to the fourth round. He met Gemma Hayter in the first round. Hayter offered the Northern Irishman little resistance and, although Rock wasn’t at his best and she managed to nick a set, he was never in trouble. He won that match fairly comfortably, 3-1 in sets. In the second round a clash with German revelation Niko Springer seemed on the cards, but he was surprisingly knocked out by New Zealander Joe Comito. Rock was again scarcely troubled in that match. He played better than in his opener and averaged over 101. He dropped only two legs and won 3-0. The third round served up a brisk encounter with Callan Rydz. Although it was expected to be tight beforehand, the reality disappointed. Rydz took the first set, but that was it. While the sets themselves were tense and the Northern Irishman edged three of his four sets 3-2, the overall scoreline was clear: 4-1.