Every BDO/WDF World Champion since 2010: What do 'The best of the rest' go on to achieve after becoming champion

In the Darting world, there is not one sole organisation that produces World Champions. The British Darts Organisation has massively helped and improved the careers of many players, often allowing them to compete without the rigours of a year-round tour, which can be found in the Professional Darts Corporation.

Since the split between the Two brands in 1993 both sides have had varying success in terms of revenue but also the quality of player that every event has to offer, but despite the BDO's lack of financial support when compared to the PDC it still has very high level competitors on a regular basis as you will see from this list.

We are going to look at the winner of the BDO/WDF World Championship every year since 2010. As of 2020 the BDO went into liquidation with the WDF taking control of all their events in subsequent years but luckily for us, the regular World Championships is still taking place.

Since the inaugural event in 1978, there has a massive 30 winners of the BDO/WDF World Championships. Including the likes of legendary arrowsmiths such as Phil Taylor, Jocky Wilson, Raymond Van Barneveld, Steve Beaton, Eric Bristow, John Lowe, Dennis Priestley and John Part.

Before the split in 1993 all players were eligible to play in the BDO World Championships and this led to some great games and memorable victories with the aforementioned legends of the games creating life long legacies on the notorious Lakeside stage. Lets now move on to the list and find out just what these Champions have achieved after winning this iconic event.

Martin Adams or 'Wolfie' as his nickname goes is now a retired 69 year old former Darts player that won the BDO World Championships Three times during his career. Adams is famous for being one of the leading stars all throughout the BDO's existence, never once joining the PDC and staying loyal all throughout. 'Wolfie' was born in England on the 6th of June 1956.

Adams managed to defeat notable names Dave Chisnall 7-5 and Dean Winstanley 7-5 during these wins in back to back years as he showed his class to become a Three time BDO World Champion.

Following on from these victories Adams managed to achieve a last 16 place in the PDC's Grand Slam of Darts (at the time BDO players were allowed to play in this event) this proved that Adams could challenge the best and that his decision to stay in the BDO wasn't for any competitive reasons. Adams would then win the WDF Dutch open in 2015 and 2016 before joining the seniors tour soon after. Adams on the senior tour has reached the semi finals of the 'Champions' Tournament on the WST two times in 2023 and 2024 whilst also losing the World Seniors World Championship final in 2022. Lastly Adams has had serious success on the Modus Super Series posting an 111 average against Colin Osbourne in 2023.

Christian Kist is a 39 year old player from Mariënberg, Netherlands. Still relatively early in his Darting career, Kist managed to pick up the BDO World Championships at just 26 years old securing a 7-5 win over Tony O'Shea.

Kist would end up leaving the BDO in 2014 after gaining a tour card where he would stay for 5 years until he ended up losing his tour card in 2019. He would reach a UK Open last 16 in his debut year and then also the last 32 of the European Championships in 2014, 2015 and 2017. Having shown pedigree as a PDC calibre player before Kist would reach the quarter finals of the Grand Slam in 2012 as a BDO player. Lastly, the Darter from Holland would reach the last 32 of the World Championships in 2016.

After losing his tour card in 2019, Christian Kist is now back on tour having won back his spot at Q-School in 2025 not achieving anything of note so far in this spell but keep an eye out for the future as Kist is a proven winner!

Scott Waites is more than anything a very enjoyable player to watch, alongside his obvious qualities Waites has serious passion for the Sport and that is something which can be signified when viewing a match. Waites is 48 years old so there is still time for him to reach the heights we know he is capable of. Winning his 2 World Championship finals against Tony O'Shea 7-1 and Jeff Smith 7-1 respectively he is a player for the big ocassions. Waites would also go on to win the PDC Grand Slam of Darts in 2010 as a BDO entered player, proving once more his quality before he ever won the BDO World Championships.

'Scotty 2 Hotty' stayed in the BDO from 2004 until 2020 when he would go and gain a PDC tour card. Waites would win further tournaments after his BDO World Championship victories including the Isle of Man Open in 2019 and the Slovak Open in 2018. In 2021 and 2022 the Englishman would reach the last 32 of the UK Open. Presumably entering the latter stages of his career, he now does not have a Tour Card.

Stephen 'The Bullet' Bunting is one of the biggest names in the game of Darts at this current moment. Having pulled together support from all corners of the globe Stephen Bunting is a social media star as well as a supremely talented Darts player. Having defeated Alan Norris 7-4 in the 2014, Bunting would go on to leave the BDO the following year gaining a PDC tour card straight away where he has been a consistent player ever since, picking up a range of accolades along the way.

Since joining the PDC 'The Bullet' has been slowly building year on year collecting certain achievements every so often. Right now he is ranked at number Four in the world after an excellent 2024 campaign which saw him win the World masters. Other feats that Bunting has achieved include Two World Championships semi finals in 2021 and 2025, Two World Grand Prix semi finals in 2014 and 2021, a UK Open semi final in 2015 and two campaigns in the Premier League where he finished eighth both times.

At just 40 years old there is definitely time for 'The Bullet' to shoot his way up the ranks even further and I would expect him to do just that if he follows on with this current trajectory, potentially even a few more Major title wins!

Scott 'Scotty Dog' Mitchell is a 54 year old Professional Darts player from Bournemouth in England. Mitchell was in the BDO from 2007 until 2020 winning many events including the BDO Gold Cup in 2018, the England Masters in 2015 and 2019 and also the British open in 2014 as well as many more. Defeating Martin Adams 7-6 in the final, Mitchell denied a return to glory for the fan favourite in an all time classic at Lakeside.

Since his BDO World Championship victory Mitchell has had various successes as it seems that triumph was a platform for him to go and unlock his potential. Winning the Czech Open and Denmark Open in 2017 as well as the Denmark Masters and International Open Vizcaya in 2018.

Since joining the PDC in 2020 Mitchell hasn't achieved many major successes but he has had a last 32 finish in the Players Championship finals in 2021 and also made a UK Open last 64 in 2021 and 2024.

At 54 years old it does appear as if time may be running out for Mitchell to return. He has also worked in the MODUS Super Series for instance and also World Seniors as a commentator.

Glen 'Duzza' Durrant is now a retired 54 year old Darts player from Middlesbrough in England. In his prime Durrant was a sensational player that took the BDO by storm achieving 3 consecutive World Championship wins something only Eric Bristow has ever done. Durrant left the BDO after Three back to back wins in the showpiece ocassion having been with the organisation since 2004.

Durrant would join the PDC in 2019 only spending Three years with Darts' premier brand but during that time he enjoyed major successes. Durrant would reach the Semi final of the World Matchplay, The World Grand Prix and also the Grand Slam of Darts in his debut season alongside a last 16 place in the Players Championship finals.

This would be enough for Durrant to earn himself a place in 2020's Premier League of Darts where he would win the event on debut achieving his one and only PDC Major win in just his second season. Durrant would once again perform well for the remainder of his second season by clinching a quarter-final place at the World Championships, another World Matchplay semi-final and a quarter-final in the World Series finals.

Durrant would sadly retire shortly after the conclusion of the 2022 season after his form took a downturn and he decided to call an end to his storied career. He now works as a commentator and pundit for both Sky Sports Darts and the Modus Super Series. As well as a role with the PDPA.

Winning the last ever official BDO World Championship has to be the official crowning achievement of Wayne "Yank' Warren's career. Defeating Jim Williams 7-4 in the final meant that the man from Cardiff in Wales would forever take home the crown of BDO's last true World Champion. Having been with the BDO since 2003 this was a deserved winner and someone who embodies the spirit of the legendary organisation.

Warren would stop competing in the BDO after its liquidation in 2020 as well as stepping away from WDF events in 2022 as well. During his career Warren would win many titles including the BDO Gold Cup in 2014, the Antwerp Open in 2019, the BDO International Open in 2012 and the Slovak Masters in 2020.

Warren would speak about the end of the BDO in an interview with Sky Sports saying this "I was devastated to be honest. I won't beat around the bush - we knew very well we weren't getting the £100,000. I heard three or four different figures," Warren continued

"I spoke to Paul Brown my manager and we thought it would be a 50 per cent cut, so £50,000 - which is gutting as it is.

"When I had the email and I woke up to that, I just couldn't believe it - £23,000. I was shocked, I was gutted. That is why I didn't go to Q School. I was going but then I said the way I felt, I wouldn't do myself justice.

"It would have been a life-changing thing for me because I think I would have given up work, definitely for 12 months.

"With what would have come with the £100,000 - all the exhibitions and appearances, because you do a lot of work with the cup as world champion, even that was stopped because of Covid".

Since 2022 the WDF have picked up the iconic event and it has been rebranded to encompass all members of their organisation and others who can qualify through various means.

There has been 3 winners since that time and each event has taken place without any problems, this is a huge achievement given the dire straights the BDO had endured in its last years.

Neil 'Duffman' Duff is a Darts player from Northern Ireland who won the opening WDF World Championship event. Duff triumphed over Thibaut Tricole 5-4 to claim the crown in a game that went down to a last set decider. Duff is 52 years old and currently plays on the WDF circuit ranked 18th in the World.

'Duffman' has won multiple tournaments during his time including ADC The Vault National Finals in 2023, the England Open in 2024 and the Irish Classic in 2022. It remains to be seen whether Duff will ever try and make the switch over to the PDC. But up to now he has shown no hunger to.

The Belgian, Andy 'The Beast from the East" Baetens won 2023's edition after winning 6-1 against Chris Landman in the final. Baetens is 36 years old from Flanders in Belgium and has made the switch to the PDC soon after this victory.

Baetens secured his tour card in 2024 after being successful at Q School and has struggled to make headway in the PDC circuit as of right now. Only notable successes include the last 32 of the Masters as of right now. Before his time in the PDC Baetens has won many BDO and WDF tournaments including the Belgium Open in 2023 and the Croatian Open in 2023.

The most recent WDF World Champion is the Irishman Shane McGuirk. Just 30 years old McGuirk was able to defeat the legendary Paul Lim 6-3 to claim the most up to date title. The youngest winner in quite a while this may suggest that the newly reformed WDF is attracting top talent and could once again produce tournaments with the calibre of talent similar to the PDC.

McGuirk is already in the PDC system however and so this could lead to him favouring the higher paying events in the future. He hasn't achieved anything of note so far in Darts biggest company so for the time being he may choose to stick with dominating at the WDF World Championships.

As we end this retrospective look on every winner of the BDO World Championship since 2010 it is important to remember that the history associated with winning the event is not simply the main thing. But instead the acknowledgement of playing on the big stage that has been shared by many others of the past and how this could transform your career for both the short and long term future. Hopefully this can continue to be a part of darting history and many more stories can be created for years to come.