TL;DR
- The 2026 PDC World Championship will feature a record 128 participants.
- Players qualify through PDC Order of Merit, ProTour Order of Merit, and International Qualifiers.
- Several players like Luke Littler and Michael van Gerwen have already secured spots.
- Qualification routes may adjust if players secure multiple spots, opening opportunities.
The second half of the year is filled with huge tournaments on the PDC calendar.
The World Matchplay, World Grand Prix and Grand Slam of Darts, just to name a few.
While these tournaments hold significance, they don't quite match the prestige of the PDC World Championship, a major event commencing in mid-December and concluding in early January.
As the tournament approaches, a new format will be implemented, allowing a record 128 participants, and players are gradually securing their spots.
MORE: PDC Darts 2026 World Championship dates and sessions revealed
As of now, who has secured a spot in the 2026 PDC World Championship?
The 128 players will consist of players qualifying through these routes (via the PDC website):
- Top 40 from PDC Order of Merit
- Top 40 from ProTour Order of Merit not otherwise qualified
- 48x International Qualifiers
PDC Top 40 Merit
- Luke Littler
- Luke Humphries
- Michael van Gerwen
- Stephen Bunting
- Jonny Clayton
- James Wade
- Gian van Veen
- Chris Dobey
- Danny Noppert
- Josh Rock
- Ross Smith
- Gerwyn Price
- Gary Anderson
- Damon Heta
- Martin Schindler
- Rob Cross
- Mike De Decker
- Dave Chisnall
- Ryan Searle
- Nathan Aspinall
- Jermaine Wattimena
- Daryl Gurney
- Dimitri Van den Bergh
- Ryan Joyce
- Cameron Menzies
- Ritchie Edhouse
- Luke Woodhouse
- Dirk van Duijvenbode
- Peter Wright
- Michael Smith
- Joe Cullen
- Wessel Nijman
- Ricardo Pietreczko
- Andrew Gilding
- Raymond van Barneveld
- Scott Williams
- Krzysztof Ratajski
- Martin Lukeman
- Brendan Dolan
- Kevin Doets
The top 40 players from The ProTour Order of Merit who haven't already qualified
- William O'Connor
- Callan Rydz
- Niels Zonneveld
- Mickey Mansell
- Ricky Evans
- Madars Razma
- Gabriel Clemens
- Jeffrey de Graaf
- Richard Veenstra
- Ian White
- Niko Springer
- Kim Huybrechts
- Alan Soutar
- Keane Barry
- Nick Kenny
- Connor Scutt (provisionally qualified)
- Matt Campbell
- Mensur Suljović
- Thibault Tricole
- Ryan Meikle
- Dom Taylor
- James Hurrell
- Mario Vandenbogaerde
- Chris Landman
- Karel Sedláček
- Bradley Brooks
- Sebastian Białecki
- Cam Crabtree
- Lukas Wenig
- Matthew Dennant
- Darren Beveridge
- Justin Hood
- Wesley Plaisier
- Steve Lennon
- Max Hopp
- Adam Lipscombe
- Darius Labanauskas
- Dominik Grüllich
- Owen Bates
- Cor Dekker
48x International Qualifiers
Routes might be altered if a single player secures several spots, creating chances for other participants to qualify.
| Qualification Route | Player | Notes |
| PDC Development Tour Qualifier | Beau Greaves | |
| PDC Development Tour Qualifier | Owen Bates | |
| PDC Development Tour Qualifier | Charlie Manby | |
| PDC Development Tour Qualifier | Jamai van den Herik | |
| PDC Challenge Tour Qualifier | Stefan Bellmont | |
| PDC Challenge Tour Qualifier | Ted Evetts | |
| PDC Challenge Tour Qualifier | Mervyn King | *Qualifies via 4th place since Darius Labanuaskas qualifies via Pro Tour OoM |
| PDC Women's World Matchplay Winner | Lisa Ashton | |
| PDC Women's Series Qualifier | Fallon Sherrock | *Qualifies via 2nd place since Greaves already qualified |
| PDC Women's Series Qualifier | Noa-Lynn van Leuven | *Qualifies via 4th place since Ashton already qualified |
| PDC Women's Series Qualifier | Gemma Hayter | *Qualifies via 5th place since Ashton already qualified |
| Steel Darts Japan Tour Winner | Mitsuhiko Tatsunami | |
| PDC China Championship Winner | Xiaochen Zong | |
| IDC Indian Qualifier | Nitin Kumar | |
| PDC Asian Championship Winner | Lourence Ilagan | |
| PDC Asian Championship Runner-Up | Alexis Toylo | |
| PDC Asian Tour Qualifier | Man Lok Leung | Qualifies via 6th place since Toylo already qualified |
| PDC Asian Tour Qualifier | Motomu Sakai | |
| PDC Asian Tour Qualifier | Paolo Nebrida | Qualifies via 7th place since Ilagan already qualified |
| PDC Asian Tour Qualifier | Ryusei Azemoto | |
| PDC Asian Tour Qualifier | Paul Lim | |
| PDCE Netherlands & Belgium Qualifier | Andy Baetens | |
| PDCE Mediterranean Qualifier | Cristo Reyes | |
| PDCE South-East Europe Qualifier | Boris Krcmar | |
| PDCE Czechia Qualifier | Adam Gawlas | |
| PDO Polish Qualifier | Krzysztof Kciuk | |
| PDCE DACH Super League Winner | Arno Merk | |
| Hungarian Super League Winner | Patrik Kovacs | |
| PDC UK&IRE Tour Card Holder & Associate Member Qualifier | David Davies | |
| CDC Top-Ranked Non-Qualifier | Stowe Buntz | |
| CDC Continental Cup Winner | Alex Spellman | |
| CDC Cross-Border Challenge Winner | Leonard Gates | |
| CDC Top-Ranked American | Adam Sevada | |
| CDC Top-Ranked Canadian | David Cameron | |
| CDLC Qualifier | Jesús Salate | |
| PDC Nordic & Baltic Championship Winner | Teemu Harju | |
| PDCNB ProTour Winner | Andreas Harryson | |
| PDCNB ProTour Qualifier | Oskar Lukasiak | Qualifies via Harju winning Nordic/Baltic Championship |
| ANZ Premier League Winner | Simon Whitlock | |
| ADA Australian Tour Winner | Tim Pusey | |
| DPA ProTour Winner | Joe Comito | |
| DPNZ ProTour Winner | Jonny Tata | |
| African Darts Group Qualifier | David Munyua | |
| PDC Tour Card Holder Qualifier 1 | Jose De Sousa | |
| PDC Tour Card Holder Qualifier 2 | Adam Hunt | |
| PDC Tour Card Holder Qualifier 3 | Haupai Puha | |
| PDC Tour Card Holder Qualifier 4 | Stephen Burton | |
| PDC Tour Card Holder Qualifier 5 | Tavis Dudeney |
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