Race to Ally Pally nears climax: Who will make it to the 2026 PDC World Darts Championship?

The race to Alexandra Palace is entering its decisive stage as the 2025 PDC Pro Tour reaches its final week. The last two Players Championship events, on 29 and 30 October, will determine which players secure their spots at the 2026 PDC World Darts Championship — the biggest tournament in the sport’s history.

This year’s event will feature a record 128 players, with most places awarded through the regular PDC rankings. The top 40 on the PDC Order of Merit and the top 40 on the Pro Tour Order of Merit will qualify automatically, while the remaining 48 places go to winners of international and regional qualifying events.

Every player who makes it to Ally Pally is guaranteed £15,000, with the prize money rising each round — and an extraordinary £1 million waiting for the new world champion.

The top 32 players on the PDC Order of Merit will be seeded at Ally Pally, ensuring they can’t meet until the third round. But with the Grand Slam of Darts and Players Championship Finals still to come, the final order is far from set.

Luke Littler looks poised to enter as the No. 1 seed after a remarkable season that has seen him close the gap on Luke Humphries, last year’s number one seed. Michael van Gerwen sits third, while Stephen Bunting, Jonny Clayton, James Wade, and Gerwyn Price all remain firmly in the upper reaches of the rankings.

For players outside the world’s top 40, the final Pro Tour events of the year offer one last chance to make it to Ally Pally. The qualification line currently sits around £24,000 in prize money, though £26,000 is expected to be enough to guarantee a place.

Emerging names such as Niko Springer, Bradley Brooks, and Sebastian Bialecki are among those who have impressed on the floor this year, while seasoned campaigners like William O’Connor, Kim Huybrechts, and Callan Rydz remain in the mix. A strong finish this week could also propel players like Maik Kuivenhoven, Gabriel Clemens, and Keane Barry into contention for the final qualification places.

The Pro Tour race has produced no shortage of drama this season — and the final double-header is expected to be fiercely competitive, with dozens of players still harbouring realistic hopes of reaching the sport’s biggest stage.

The 33rd edition of the PDC World Darts Championship begins on Thursday 11 December 2025 at London’s legendary Alexandra Palace.

Luke Littler, who made history last year by becoming the youngest world champion of all time at just 17, will lead the field as the defending champion — and the man everyone wants to beat.

With rivalries renewed, qualification battles reaching their conclusion, and the sport’s biggest names all converging on Ally Pally, the Race to the World Championship is building towards a spectacular finish.

1 Luke Littler 1703.5
2 Luke Humphries 1502.5
3 Michael van Gerwen 670.5
4 Stephen Bunting 589.25
5 Jonny Clayton 560
6 James Wade 514.25
7 Gian van Veen 513.5
8 Chris Dobey 482.5
9 Danny Noppert 481.25
10 Josh Rock 470
11 Ross Smith 451.75
12 Gerwyn Price 442
13 Gary Anderson 441
14 Damon Heta 433.5
15 Martin Schindler 432.5
16 Rob Cross 429
17 Mike De Decker 411
18 Ryan Searle 386
19 Dave Chisnall 386
20 Nathan Aspinall 375.5
21 Jermaine Wattimena 372.5
22 Daryl Gurney 338.5
23 Dimitri Van den Bergh 331.75
24 Ryan Joyce 325.5
25 Cameron Menzies 322.75
26 Ritchie Edhouse 314
27 Dirk van Duijvenbode 308.75
28 Luke Woodhouse 298.75
29 Peter Wright 295.5
30 Michael Smith 288.5
31 Joe Cullen 282
32 Ricardo Pietreczko 275
----------
33 Andrew Gilding 271.5
34 Wessel Nijman 263.5
35 Raymond van Barneveld 263.5
36 Scott Williams 244.25
37 Krzysztof Ratajski 239.5
38 Martin Lukeman 226.5
39 Brendan Dolan 207.25
40 Kevin Doets 169.5
----------
41 Callan Rydz 165.5
42 Niels Zonneveld 159.75
43 Mickey Mansell 157.75
44 William O'Connor 157.25
45 Ricky Evans 149
46 Madars Razma 146.5
47 Gabriel Clemens 142.25

1 Niko Springer 84.5
2 Niels Zonneveld 69.5
3 William O'Connor 69
4 Karel Sedlacek 52.25
5 Bradley Brooks 50.25
6 Mario Vandenbogaerde 43.25
7 Jeffrey de Graaf 43
8 Callan Rydz 42.75
9 Mickey Mansell 41.75
10 Ian White 40.75
11 Sebastian Bialecki 40.75
12 Cam Crabtree 36.5
13 Dom Taylor 36
14 Kim Huybrechts 34.5
15 Alan Soutar 34.5
16 Richard Veenstra 34
17 Madars Razma 34
18 Lukas Wenig 33.75
19 Mensur Suljovic 33.5
20 Ricky Evans 33.25
21 Darren Beveridge 31.5
22 Gabriel Clemens 30.75
23 Justin Hood 29.75
24 Wesley Plaisier 29.5
25 Steve Lennon 29.25
26 Matthew Dennant 29.25
27 Max Hopp 29.25
28 James Hurrell 29.25
29 Ryan Meikle 28.75
30 Thibault Tricole 28.75
31 Nick Kenny 28.5
32 Dominik Gruellich 27.75
33 Adam Lipscombe 27.5
34 Darius Labanauskas 27.25
35 Cor Dekker 24.75
36 Chris Landman 24.5
37 Connor Scutt 24.5
38 Keane Barry 24.25
39 Matt Campbell 24.25
40 Owen Bates 24
----------
41 Adam Hunt 22.75
42 Andy Boulton 22.75
43 Maik Kuivenhoven 22.5
44 Stephen Burton 22
45 Robert Grundy 21.75
46 Darryl Pilgrim 21.75
47 Andy Baetens 21.5
48 Jelle Klaasen 20.5
49 Dylan Slevin 20
50 Rob Owen 19.75
51 Patrick Geeraets 18.75
52 Jitse Van der Wal 18.75
53 Leon Weber 18.75
54 Tom Bissell 18.5
55 Christian Kist 17.5
56 Jamai van den Herik 17.5
57 Florian Hempel 17
58 Martijn Dragt 17
59 Dennie Olde Kalter 16.5
60 Andreas Harrysson 16