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Scottish Sun
20 hours ago
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Major change to PDC World Darts as Luke Littler forced to go through Wimbledon style format to win £1million jackpot
The top 40 stars after one tournament will automatically qualify What a racquet Major change to PDC World Darts as Luke Littler forced to go through Wimbledon style format to win £1million jackpot Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) LUKE LITTLER will have to win SEVEN games to claim a £1million jackpot – as darts chiefs adopt a Wimbledon-style draw for the next PDC World Championship. And a minimum of four women will compete on the Alexandra Palace stage this Christmas at the sport's biggest ever tournament. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Luke Littler will have to battle through a Wimbledon-style format to retain his World Darts Champion title Credit: Getty 2 The 2025/26 edition of the event will be the biggest ever, with double the prize money and a record 128 players Credit: Alamy A record 128 darts players will participate in the lucrative flagship event, which starts in December 2025 and runs until the first week of January 2026. In a landmark move, the Professional Darts Corporation have increased the prize money for the winner of the Sid Waddell Trophy, doubling it from £500,000 to a record £1million. The total prize fund will top £5million for the first time. Littler – the sport's most high-profile figure – became the youngest world champion in history when he lifted the title aged 17 on January 3, beating 7-3 Dutchman Michael van Gerwen in the final at Ally Pally. READ MORE IN DARTS NOT A GOOD LUKE Is Littler and Humphries' friendship a facade? Inside their World Cup fail In previous editions, when it was a 96-player field, the top names were parachuted into the competition via the second round. This time, however, it will be a straight 128-player draw with the top 32 in the world being seeded. This is a similar structure to the men's and women's singles draws at Wimbledon. Players ranked 33-64 will be drawn at random into the left-hand side of the draw against the remaining 64 qualifiers. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK The top 40 players from the PDC Order of Merit following November's Players Championship Finals at Butlin's Minehead will qualify automatically. The top 40 non-qualified players from the ProTour Order of Merit will also feature in this year's extravaganza – with the remaining 48 places allocated to international qualifiers. Luke Littler and Luke Humphries BOOED by German crowd on day they got their MBEs but fans love their 's---house' walk-on Places will be allocated for the World Youth Champion, Women's World Matchplay Winner and top performers in Australia, China, Czech Republic, Hungary, India, Japan and Poland. As the illegal war rages in Ukraine, players from Russia and Belarus may only enter 'subject to certain special conditions' – but the PDC have yet to clarify what that entails. Later this year, a historic Sky Sports £125million five-year TV deal will kick-in as more money than ever floods into the sport.
The Irish Sun
20 hours ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Major change to PDC World Darts as Luke Littler forced to go through Wimbledon style format to win £1million jackpot
LUKE LITTLER will have to win SEVEN games to claim a £1million jackpot – as darts chiefs adopt a Wimbledon-style draw for the next PDC World Championship. And a minimum of four women will compete on the Alexandra Palace stage this Christmas at the sport's biggest ever tournament. Advertisement 2 Luke Littler will have to battle through a Wimbledon-style format to retain his World Darts Champion title Credit: Getty 2 The 2025/26 edition of the event will be the biggest ever, with double the prize money and a record 128 players Credit: Alamy A record 128 darts players will participate in the lucrative flagship event, which starts in December 2025 and runs until the first week of January 2026. In a landmark move, the Professional Darts Corporation have increased the prize money for the winner of the Sid Waddell Trophy, doubling it from £500,000 to a record £1million. The total prize fund will top £5million for the first time. history when he lifted the title aged 17 on January 3, beating 7-3 Dutchman Michael van Gerwen in the final at Ally Pally. Advertisement READ MORE IN DARTS In previous editions, when it was a 96-player field, the top names were parachuted into the competition via the second round. This time, however, it will be a straight 128-player draw with the top 32 in the world being seeded. This is a similar structure to the men's and women's singles draws at Wimbledon. Players ranked 33-64 will be drawn at random into the left-hand side of the draw against the remaining 64 qualifiers. Advertisement Most read in Darts Latest Exclusive BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK The top 40 players from the PDC Order of Merit following November's Players Championship Finals at Butlin's Minehead will qualify automatically. The top 40 non-qualified players from the ProTour Order of Merit will also feature in this year's extravaganza – with the remaining 48 places allocated to international qualifiers. Luke Littler and Luke Humphries BOOED by German crowd on day they got their MBEs but fans love their 's---house' walk-on Places will be allocated for the World Youth Champion, Women's World Matchplay Winner and top performers in Australia, China, Advertisement As the illegal war rages in Ukraine, players from Russia and Belarus may only enter 'subject to certain special conditions' – but the PDC have yet to clarify what that entails. Later this year, a historic Sky Sports £125million five-year TV deal will kick-in as more money than ever floods into the sport.
