The 2025/26 PDC World Darts Championship has kicked off at London’s Alexandra Palace, with reigning champion Luke Littler successfully launching his title defence.

The Warrington-born champ, who made history as the youngest-ever winner when he triumphed over three-time victor Michael van Gerwen at just 17 in last year’s final, sailed into the second round with a 3-0 win against Lithuania’s Darius Labanauskas on the tournament’s opening night.

Littler enters the competition, his third stint at Ally Pally, riding a wave of recent success, with wins at the World Matchplay, World Grand Prix, Grand Slam, and Players Championship Finals cementing his position as top seed and World Number One.

He is joined at Alexandra Palace by former world champions, including Michael van Gerwen, Luke Humphries, and Gerwyn Price. Also vying for the title this year are Stephen Bunting, Nathan Aspinall, James Wade, and Jonny Clayton, all part of the expanded 128-player field.

This comprises the top 40 from the PDC’s Werner Rankings Ladder, 40 qualifiers from the one-year ProTour Ranking, and 48 International Qualifiers from PDC Secondary and Affiliate Tours and Qualifying Events. 

One of the tournament’s major talking points is the potential for another epic face-off with rival Luke Humphries, the 2024 champion. Humphries is seeking redemption after a 16-11 defeat to Littler in the Grand Slam of Darts final last November.

A victory for Humphries in this tournament would see him reclaim the world number one spot, with this year’s champion set to pocket a staggering £1 million prize.

Every match from the competition will be broadcast live and exclusively on one channel. So, here’s your guide to watching the World Darts Championship in the UK.

The PDC World Darts Championship is already in full swing, with afternoon sessions commencing at 12.30pm and evening sessions at 7pm. This schedule continues through to the quarter-finals on New Year’s Day.

Darts enthusiasts can tune into the semi-finals at 7.30pm on January 2, with the grand finale starting at 8pm on January 3.

Every match from the PDC World Darts Championship is being aired live and exclusively on Sky Sports, which has reintroduced its dedicated Sky Sports Darts channel. The most significant matches will also be broadcast on Sky Sports Main Event, with all the action available to watch with Sky’s £35 Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle.

In addition to comprehensive World Darts Championship coverage, this package includes thousands of matches from the Premier League, EFL and Carabao Cup, as well as all the action from Formula 1. It also offers over 100 regular channels such as Sky Atlantic, along with complimentary subscriptions to Netflix and Discovery+.

Virgin Media customers can also catch the darts via the provider’s competitive £56.99 Sport bundle, which is currently free for three months as part of a last-minute Black Friday offer. Those who secure the deal before the 10th of December will gain access to more than 200 TV channels, a Netflix subscription, and 362Mbps fibre broadband.

However, both Sky and Virgin’s TV contracts come with an annual price increase; while Sky has yet to announce its changes for 2026, Virgin has already confirmed that customers on its £56.99 package will see their bills rise to £60.99 from April 2026 and £64.99 from April 2027.