The international qualifying structure for the 2026/27 Paddy Power World Darts Championship has been confirmed, as two spots will be awarded to players from Africa for the first time. The World Darts Championship will see a whopping 128-player field battling to lift the iconic Sid Waddell Trophy, with a total prize fund of £5m on […]
The international qualifying structure for the 2026/27 Paddy Power World Darts Championship has been confirmed, as two spots will be awarded to players from Africa for the first time.
The World Darts Championship will see a whopping 128-player field battling to lift the iconic Sid Waddell Trophy, with a total prize fund of £5m on offer.
The top 40 players from the PDC Werner Rankings Ladder and the top 40 non-qualified players from the ProTour Rankings will qualify for the sport’s flagship tournament, while the remaining 48 places are allocated to International Qualifiers.
This includes players from the PDC’s secondary and global affiliate tours, and the landmark inclusion of two guaranteed spots for African players at the World Darts Championship, following Kenyan trailblazer David Munyua’s exploits at Alexandra Palace.
The two places will be awarded through the African Darts Group, with a Northern African Qualifier and a Southern African Qualifier determining the two spots.
There are five spaces awarded to the highest-ranked players on the PDC Asian Tour and two spots are given to the Asian Championship finalists, whilst the PDC China Champion and qualifiers in India and Japan will also receive a place each.
Five further spots are given to players competing on the Championship Darts Corporation circuit, with three spots up for grabs for players in the Nordic and Baltic region.
Four women will be guaranteed a place at Alexandra Palace once again, with the Women’s World Matchplay winner and the top three players on the Women’s Series Rankings also qualifying.
The top three players on the Development Tour and Challenge Tour Rankings and the PDC World Youth Champion will secure a spot, whilst a minimum of two players from the Tour Card Holder Qualifier will earn a place in the capital.
All players will enter the tournament in round one, with 32 seeded players and players ranked 33-64 drawn at random into the left hand side of the draw against the remaining 64 qualifiers.
The 2026/27 World Darts Championship will begin in December before closing out in January, with further information to be confirmed in due course.
2026/27 Paddy Power World Darts Championship
International Qualifiers
Invited in the following order
PDC World Youth Champion
PDC Development Tour First Place
PDC Development Tour Second Place
PDC Development Tour Third Place
PDC Challenge Tour First Place
PDC Challenge Tour Second Place
PDC Challenge Tour Third Place
PDC Women’s World Matchplay Winner
PDC Women’s Series First Place
PDC Women’s Series Second Place
PDC Women’s Series Third Place
Japanese Qualifier
PDC China Championship Winner
IDC Indian Qualifier
PDC Asian Championship Winner
PDC Asian Championship Runner-Up
PDC Asian Tour Qualifier
PDC Asian Tour Qualifier
PDC Asian Tour Qualifier
PDC Asian Tour Qualifier
PDC Asian Tour Qualifier
PDCE Netherlands & Belgium Qualifier
PDCE Mediterranean Qualifier
PDCE South-East Europe Qualifier
PDCE Czechia Qualifier
PDO Polish Qualifier
PDCE DACH Super League Winner
Hungarian Super League Winner
PDC UK&IRE Tour Card Holder & Associate Member Qualifier
CDC Continental Cup Winner
CDC Cross-Border Challenge Winner
North American Championship Winner
CDC Top Ranked American
CDC Top Ranked Canadian
CDLC Qualifier
PDC Nordic & Baltic Championship Winner
PDCNB ProTour Winner
PDCNB ProTour Runner-Up
ANZ Premier League Winner
ADA Australian Tour Winner
DPNZ ProTour Winner
TBC – Aus/NZ Qualifier
African Darts Group – Northern Africa Qualifier
African Darts Group – Southern Africa Qualifier
PDC Tour Card Holder Qualifier 1
PDC Tour Card Holder Qualifier 2
Two spots TBC