Written by Ruben Marbus
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The most prestigious darts tournament of the year is coming up! The iconic Alexandra Palace, also known as ‘Ally Pally’, will host the 31st edition of the PDC World Darts Championship from 15 December to 3 January. This year’s total prize money is £2,500,000, so there is plenty to play for.
Are you looking forward to the tournament at Ally Pally and want to know everything about this year’s event? Then this blog is for you, let’s dive right in!
Table of contents:
1. Tournament qualification
2. World Darts Championship schedule
3. Structure of the tournament
4. Prize money
5. World Darts Championship Winners
Until PDC World Darts Championship 2018, the tournament consisted of 72 players. Since the following edition in 2019, the number has been adjusted to 96 and that will also be the number for The World Darts Championship 2024.
Darters can qualify in three different ways, with 32 darters in each way. The first qualification opportunity is via the Order of Merit. Here, the top 32 players in the darts rankings on 26 November 2023 will qualify directly for the tournament. These darters will start the tournament in the second round.
The Pro Tour Order or Merit is the next way to qualify. These are the 32 highest not already qualified players from the PDC Pro Tour 2023 and will start in the first round. The final qualification option is via the International Qualifiers and through this route, the participants will also start in the first round of the tournament.
The tournament is taking place between 15 December and 3 January. There is a break from games on December 24th to 26th, so players can celebrate Christmas. The tournament resumes after this on 27 December. Check out this year’s playing schedule below:
| Date | Session time | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| Friday 15 December | 20:00 CET | 3x First Round, 1x Second Round |
| Saturday 16 December | 13:30 CET | 3x First Round, 1x Second Round |
| 20:00 CET | 3x First Round, 1x Second Round | |
| Sunday 17 December | 13:30 CET | 3x First Round, 1x Second Round |
| 20:00 CET | 3x First Round, 1x Second Round | |
| Monday 18 December | 20:00 CET | 3x First Round, 1x Second Round |
| Tuesday 19 December | 13:30 CET | 3x First Round, 1x Second Round |
| 20:00 CET | 3x First Round, 1x Second Round | |
| Wednesday 20 December | 13:30 CET | 3x First Round, 1x Second Round |
| 20:00 CET | 2x First Round, 2x Second Round | |
| Thursday 21 December | 13:30 CET | 4x Second Round |
| 20:00 CET | 4x Second Round | |
| Friday 22 December | 13:30 CET | 4x Second Round |
| 20:00 CET | 4x Second Round | |
| Saturday 23 December | 13:30 CET | 4x Second Round |
| 20:00 CET | 4x Second Round | |
| Wednesday 27 December | 13:30 CET | 3x Third Round |
| 20:00 CET | 3x Third Round | |
| Thursday 28 December | 13:30 CET | 3x Third Round |
| 20:00 CET | 3x Third Round | |
| Friday 29 December | 13:30 CET | 3x Third Round |
| 20:00 CET | 1x Third Round, 2x Fourth Round | |
| Saturday 30 December | 13:30 CET | 3x Fourth Round |
| 20:00 CET | 3x Fourth Round | |
| Monday 1 January | 13:30 CET | 2x Quarter-Finals |
| 20:00 CET | 2x Quarter-Finals | |
| Tuesday 2 January | 20:30 CET | Semi-Finals |
| Wednesday 3 January | 21:00 CET | Final |
The schedule is designed so that the matches get longer as the tournament progresses. In the first and second round, the winner is determined by best of 5 sets which is equivalent to first to 3 sets. This increases until the final to best of 13 sets which is the same as first to 7 sets. To give you a good overview of the structure of the tournament, we have worked it out for you in a tabular form:
| Round | Best of (sets) | First to (sets) |
|---|---|---|
| First/Second | 5 | 3 |
| Third/Fourth | 7 | 4 |
| Quarter-Finals | 9 | 5 |
| Semi-Finals | 11 | 6 |
| Final | 13 | 7 |
The World Darts Championship total prize money will probably stand at £2,500,000 for the 6th year in a row. The exact breakdown of this year’s money is not known at the time of writing, but it is likely the same as last year.
The prize money is not exclusively reserved for the winner; it’s shared among all participants, with the largest portion going to the champion. At the last edition, the winner walked away with £500,000 and, of course, the Sid Waddell Trophy. The prize money is conveniently presented here:
| Position (Number of players) |
Prize Money (Total: £2,500,000) |
|---|---|
| Winner (1) | £500,000 |
| Runner up (1) | £200,000 |
| Semi-Finalists (2) | £100,000 |
| Quarter-Finalists (4) | £50,000 |
| Fourth round losers (8) | £35,000 |
| Third round losers (16) | £25,000 |
| Second round losers (32) | £15,000 |
| First round losers (32) | £7,500 |
Across the years, there have been plenty of finals, but a few have truly stood out. For example, the 2015 final with Gary Anderson against Phil Taylor was a fantastic match. In this final, Anderson won his first world title 4 years after losing a truly hard-fought contest against Adrian Lewis.
You might also remember Raymond ‘Barney’ van Barneveld’s final against Phil Taylor in 2007. Here, Barney came face to face with then 13-time world champion Phil Taylor. Barney found himself 3-0 down but turned it around to a 6-5 lead. In the decisive leg, Barney hit double 20 to become PDC World Champion for the first time.
Several darters have won the World Darts Championship once or twice. Michael van Gerwen, is one of the few who has taken the title 3 times. But there is only 1 king of the PDC World Championship and that is the retired Phil Taylor with 14 titles.
Last year’s Championship was won by Michael Smith, who we think has a good chance of winning the title again this year. It could go either way and who knows, this year’s tournament at Ally Pally might bring a surprising champion.
Are you also curious to see who takes the title at Alexandra Palace this year and want to experience the tournament live? Then book your tickets now at P1 Travel!
