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Christmas is synonymous with the PDC World Darts Championship now. Every December, the best darts players in the world descend on Alexandra Palace to play for the biggest title and prize pot in the sport.
Luke 'The Nuke' Littler is the reigining World Champion and comes to Ally Pally in great form. There are many other players who stand a real chance if Littler falls at any stage, made up of young pretenders and former winners.
Below we look at the odds to see who the favourites are to become the 2026 PDC World Champion:
Luke Littler
The world number one and reigning World Champion, Luke Littler, is the favourite to retain his crown. This year started with the win over Michael van Gerwen to win the PDC World Championship, and since then has won the UK Open, World Matchplay, World Grand Prix, Grand Slam of Darts and Players Championship Finals all on TV. You can add to that five non-televised trophies, and this year has been nothing but an establishment of the new darts order. It’s Littler’s darting world, and we’re all living in it.
He has a great chance to win the title at Ally Pally again, and the odds are backing him strongly. He is on the opposite side of the draw to Luke Humphries, so we could be in for a repeat of the 2024 final if the wins follow the rankings. If Littler does win the title, he will be the first player to retain at the World Darts Championship since Gary Anderson in 2016.
Tip: Luke Littler: 10/11 @ bet365
Luke Humphries
The world number two was the world number one for almost two years, holding the top ranking from January 2024 to November 2025. Luke Humphries will want to take that back, but more so will want to regain his World Championship. It has still been a successful year for the man from Leeds, toppling Littler in the Premier League of Darts and winning the PDC World Masters. He has also won the US World Series of Darts and the Czech Darts Open.
Humphries is the second favourite to win at Ally Pally this year and is a good bet to get behind.
Tip: Luke Humphries: 4/1 @ bet365
Gian van Veen
The recent winner of the PDC World Youth Championship, Gian van Veen, is the third favourite to win in Ally Pally at bet365. The young Dutchman also won his first major senior title this year, bagging the European Championship in October, where he beat Luke Humphries in the final. A strong year has seen Gian reach a high of world number seven this year, but he comes into the World Championships at number 10. His great form in the latter part of the year sees him as the best of the rest in the odds.
Tip: Gian van Veen: 12/1 @ bet365
Gerwyn Price
For many, Gerwyn Price may be the best man to topple Luke Littler. Price had Littler’s number at the beginning of the year, beating him four times in a row. Since then, though, Littler has gone into the lead, winning the next seven. Price regularly rattles competitors with his antics at the oche and can produce great darts. He’s a former World Champion and was number one ranked in the Players Championship Rankings this year. He comes in with a new mindset, too, and will be dangerous. I predict a strong run in this year's championship, if not the title.
Tip: Gerwyn Price: 14/1 @ bet365
Josh Rock
Josh Rock is close to fulfilling the potential that players and pundits have been predicting for him for a few years now. He’s only 24 and can beat anyone on his day. This year, he won the PDC World Cup of Darts with Daryll Gurney and has put in several really strong television appearances, making deep runs in many tournaments. He comes to Ally Pally as the world number 11, but for him to take out many ranked higher than him would come as no shock.
Michael van Gerwen
The Big Green Machine is not the force he once was. That is not to say that Michael van Gerwen’s powers are gone; he’s just had a difficult year, and he would be the first to say that. He’s entered a period of inconsistency, which differs remarkably from the player who holds the record for the longest run as world number 1 (2,559 days). But doubt Van Gerwen at your peril because he can pull victory from the jaws of defeat at any moment.
He is coming in as the third seed but is the sixth favourite to win at the bookies. 20/1 odds on MVG are probably the most attractive odds outside of the two Lukes, but that is based on what MVG was, not what he is. The biggest gap between world title wins in the PDC era is held by John Part at five years; it has been seven years since MVG’s third world title. Never say never.
Tip: Michael van Gerwen: 20/1 @ bet365
Top odds for other players
Nathan Aspinall: 35/1 @ bet365
Stephen Bunting: 40/1 @ bet365
Gary Anderson: 50/1@ bet365
Odds correct at time of writing, subject to change