# World Professional Darts Championship

The World Professional Darts Championship is one of the most important tournaments in the darts calendar. Originally held as an annual event between 1978 and 1993, players then broke off into two separate organisations after a controversial split in the game. Each organisation, the British Darts Organisation (BDO) and the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) then arranged their own World Championships, the former in January the latter in December. As a result, there was no longer a unified world champion in the sport for nearly three decades.
The BDO version dated back to 1978, when it was held at the Heart of the Midlands nightclub, Nottingham. The following year it moved to the Jollees Cabaret Club, Stoke, where it stayed until 1985. From then until 2019 it was held at the Lakeside Leisure Complex at Frimley Green, Surrey. In 2020 the tournament was held at The O2 Arena in London. The BDO went into liquidation in 2020 and the World Darts Federation announced later that they would be creating their own version of a World Championship, returning to the Lakeside Leisure Complex. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, their version didn't get underway until 2022. Since qualification for the BDO version was always based on WDF rankings, most of the player pool and legacy of this new version of the World Championship is based on the old BDO system.
The PDC version has been running since 1994 after "the split", with a field of players containing all active previous World Champions from the BDO. It was originally staged at Purfleet's Circus Tavern, Essex, before moving to its current home Alexandra Palace, London, for the 2008 World Championship.

## Men's winners

| Year | Winner | Score | Runner-up |
| 1978 | Leighton Rees | 11–7 (legs) | John Lowe |
| 1979 | John Lowe | 5–0 | Leighton Rees |
| 1980 | Eric Bristow | 5–3 | Bobby George |
| 1981 | Eric Bristow | 5–3 | John Lowe |
| 1982 | Jocky Wilson | 5–3 | John Lowe |
| 1983 | Keith Deller | 6–5 | Eric Bristow |
| 1984 | Eric Bristow | 7–1 | Dave Whitcombe |
| 1985 | Eric Bristow | 6–2 | John Lowe |
| 1986 | Eric Bristow | 6–0 | Dave Whitcombe |
| 1987 | John Lowe | 6–4 | Eric Bristow |
| 1988 | Bob Anderson | 6–4 | John Lowe |
| 1989 | Jocky Wilson | 6–4 | Eric Bristow |
| 1990 | Phil Taylor | 6–1 | Eric Bristow |
| 1991 | Dennis Priestley | 6–0 | Eric Bristow |
| 1992 | Phil Taylor | 6–5 | Mike Gregory |
| 1993 | John Lowe | 6–3 | Alan Warriner |
| 1994 | John Part | 6–0 | Bobby George |
| 1995 | Richie Burnett | 6–3 | Raymond van Barneveld |
| 1996 | Steve Beaton | 6–3 | Richie Burnett |
| 1997 | Les Wallace | 6–3 | Marshall James |
| 1998 | Raymond van Barneveld | 6–5 | Richie Burnett |
| 1999 | Raymond van Barneveld | 6–5 | Ronnie Baxter |
| 2000 | Ted Hankey | 6–0 | Ronnie Baxter |
| 2001 | John Walton | 6–2 | Ted Hankey |
| 2002 | Tony David | 6–4 | Mervyn King |
| 2003 | Raymond van Barneveld | 6–3 | Ritchie Davies |
| 2004 | Andy Fordham | 6–3 | Mervyn King |
| 2005 | Raymond van Barneveld | 6–2 | Martin Adams |
| 2006 | Jelle Klaasen | 7–5 | Raymond van Barneveld |
| 2007 | Martin Adams | 7–6 | Phill Nixon |
| 2008 | Mark Webster | 7–5 | Simon Whitlock |
| 2009 | Ted Hankey | 7–6 | Tony O'Shea |
| 2010 | Martin Adams | 7–5 | Dave Chisnall |
| 2011 | Martin Adams | 7–5 | Dean Winstanley |
| 2012 | Christian Kist | 7–5 | Tony O'Shea |
| 2013 | Scott Waites | 7–1 | Tony O'Shea |
| 2014 | Stephen Bunting | 7–4 | Alan Norris |
| 2015 | Scott Mitchell | 7–6 | Martin Adams |
| 2016 | Scott Waites | 7–1 | Jeff Smith |
| 2017 | Glen Durrant | 7–3 | Danny Noppert |
| 2018 | Glen Durrant | 7–6 | Mark McGeeney |
| 2019 | Glen Durrant | 7–3 | Scott Waites |
| 2020 | Wayne Warren | 7–4 | Jim Williams |
| Year | Winner | Score | Runner-up |
| 2022 | Neil Duff | 6–5 | Thibault Tricole |
| 2023 | Andy Baetens | 6–1 | Chris Landman |
| 2024 | Shane McGuirk | 6–3 | Paul Lim |
| Year | Winner | Score | Runner-up |
| 1994 | Dennis Priestley | 6–1 | Phil Taylor |
| 1995 | Phil Taylor | 6–2 | Rod Harrington |
| 1996 | Phil Taylor | 6–4 | Dennis Priestley |
| 1997 | Phil Taylor | 6–3 | Dennis Priestley |
| 1998 | Phil Taylor | 6–0 | Dennis Priestley |
| 1999 | Phil Taylor | 6–2 | Peter Manley |
| 2000 | Phil Taylor | 7–3 | Dennis Priestley |
| 2001 | Phil Taylor | 7–0 | John Part |
| 2002 | Phil Taylor | 7–0 | Peter Manley |
| 2003 | John Part | 7–6 | Phil Taylor |
| 2004 | Phil Taylor | 7–6 | Kevin Painter |
| 2005 | Phil Taylor | 7–4 | Mark Dudbridge |
| 2006 | Phil Taylor | 7–0 | Peter Manley |
| 2007 | Raymond van Barneveld | 7–6 | Phil Taylor |
| 2008 | John Part | 7–2 | Kirk Shepherd |
| 2009 | Phil Taylor | 7–1 | Raymond van Barneveld |
| 2010 | Phil Taylor | 7–3 | Simon Whitlock |
| 2011 | Adrian Lewis | 7–5 | Gary Anderson |
| 2012 | Adrian Lewis | 7–3 | Andy Hamilton |
| 2013 | Phil Taylor | 7–4 | Michael van Gerwen |
| 2014 | Michael van Gerwen | 7–4 | Peter Wright |
| 2015 | Gary Anderson | 7–6 | Phil Taylor |
| 2016 | Gary Anderson | 7–5 | Adrian Lewis |
| 2017 | Michael van Gerwen | 7–3 | Gary Anderson |
| 2018 | Rob Cross | 7–2 | Phil Taylor |
| 2019 | Michael van Gerwen | 7–3 | Michael Smith |
| 2020 | Peter Wright | 7–3 | Michael van Gerwen |
| 2021 | Gerwyn Price | 7–3 | Gary Anderson |
| 2022 | Peter Wright | 7–5 | Michael Smith |
| 2023 | Michael Smith | 7–4 | Michael van Gerwen |
| 2024 | Luke Humphries | 7–4 | Luke Littler |
| 2025 | Luke Littler | 7–3 | Michael van Gerwen |

### By player

The following sortable table lists all winners of both versions of the World Championship (correct as of 4 January 2025).
| Player | Total | BDO | PDC |
| Phil Taylor | 16 | 2 | 14 |
| Raymond van Barneveld | 5 | 4 | 1 |
| Eric Bristow | 5 | 5 | – |
| Martin Adams | 3 | 3 | – |
| John Lowe | 3 | 3 | – |
| Michael van Gerwen | 3 | – | 3 |
| John Part | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Glen Durrant | 3 | 3 | – |
| Gary Anderson | 2 | – | 2 |
| Peter Wright | 2 | – | 2 |
| Ted Hankey | 2 | 2 | – |
| Adrian Lewis | 2 | – | 2 |
| Dennis Priestley | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Scott Waites | 2 | 2 | – |
| Jocky Wilson | 2 | 2 | – |
| Bob Anderson | 1 | 1 | – |
| Steve Beaton | 1 | 1 | – |
| Stephen Bunting | 1 | 1 | – |
| Richie Burnett | 1 | 1 | – |
| Rob Cross | 1 | – | 1 |
| Tony David | 1 | 1 | – |
| Keith Deller | 1 | 1 | – |
| Andy Fordham | 1 | 1 | – |
| Christian Kist | 1 | 1 | – |
| Jelle Klaasen | 1 | 1 | – |
| Scott Mitchell | 1 | 1 | – |
| Gerwyn Price | 1 | – | 1 |
| Leighton Rees | 1 | 1 | – |
| Michael Smith | 1 | – | 1 |
| Les Wallace | 1 | 1 | – |
| John Walton | 1 | 1 | – |
| Wayne Warren | 1 | 1 | – |
| Mark Webster | 1 | 1 | – |
| Luke Humphries | 1 | – | 1 |
| Luke Littler | 1 | – | 1 |

### By country

The following sortable table lists all winners of both versions of the World Championship (correct as of 20 February 2024).
| Player | Total | BDO | PDC |
| England | 47 | 28 | 19 |
| Netherlands | 10 | 6 | 4 |
| Scotland | 7 | 3 | 4 |
| Wales | 5 | 4 | 1 |
| Canada | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Australia | 1 | 1 | – |

### Highest average progression

| Average | Seed | Player | Score | Opponent | Stage | Year |
| 97.49 | 3 | Leighton Rees | 6–3 | Alan Evans | QF | 1978 |
| 99.00 | 5 | John Lowe | 2–0 | Tony Brown | 1st | 1984 |
| 100.29 | unseeded | Keith Deller | 2–4 | John Lowe | QF | 1985 |
| 100.80 | unseeded | Phil Taylor | 5–0 | Cliff Lazarenko | SF | 1990 |
| 102.63 | 1 | Dennis Priestley | 3–0 | Jocky Wilson | 1st | 1993 |
| 103.98 | 1 | Phil Taylor | 6–0 | Dennis Priestley | F | 1998 |
| 105.03 | 3 | Phil Taylor | 3–0 | Reg Harding | 1st | 1999 |
| 105.87 | 2 | Phil Taylor | 6–0 | Alan Warriner | QF | 2000 |
| 107.46 | 2 | Phil Taylor | 7–0 | John Part | F | 2001 |
| 111.21 | 2 | Phil Taylor | 6–1 | Shayne Burgess | 2nd | 2002 |
| 114.05 | 1 | Michael van Gerwen | 6–2 | Raymond van Barneveld | SF | 2017 |

## Women's winners

| Year | Winner | Score | Runner-up |
| 2001 | Trina Gulliver | 2–1 | Mandy Solomons |
| 2002 | Trina Gulliver | 2–1 | Francis Hoenselaar |
| 2003 | Trina Gulliver | 2–0 | Anne Kirk |
| 2004 | Trina Gulliver | 2–0 | Francis Hoenselaar |
| 2005 | Trina Gulliver | 2–0 | Francis Hoenselaar |
| 2006 | Trina Gulliver | 2–0 | Francis Hoenselaar |
| 2007 | Trina Gulliver | 2–1 | Francis Hoenselaar |
| 2008 | Anastasia Dobromyslova | 2–0 | Trina Gulliver |
| 2009 | Francis Hoenselaar | 2–1 | Trina Gulliver |
| 2010 | Trina Gulliver | 2–0 | Rhian Edwards |
| 2011 | Trina Gulliver | 2–0 | Rhian Edwards |
| 2012 | Anastasia Dobromyslova | 2–1 | Deta Hedman |
| 2013 | Anastasia Dobromyslova | 2–1 | Lisa Ashton |
| 2014 | Lisa Ashton | 3–2 | Deta Hedman |
| 2015 | Lisa Ashton | 3–1 | Fallon Sherrock |
| 2016 | Trina Gulliver | 3–2 | Deta Hedman |
| 2017 | Lisa Ashton | 3–0 | Corrine Hammond |
| 2018 | Lisa Ashton | 3–1 | Anastasia Dobromyslova |
| 2019 | Mikuru Suzuki | 3–0 | Lorraine Winstanley |
| 2020 | Mikuru Suzuki | 3–0 | Lisa Ashton |
| 2022 | Beau Greaves | 4–0 | Kirsty Hutchinson |
| 2023 | Beau Greaves | 4–1 | Aileen de Graaf |
| 2024 | Beau Greaves | 4–1 | Sophie McKinlay |
| Year | Winner | Score | Runner-up |
| 2010 | Stacy Bromberg | 6–5 (legs) | Tricia Wright |

### By player

The following sortable table lists all winners of all versions of the World Championship (correct as of 10 December 2023).
| Player | Total | WDF (BDO) | PDC |
| Trina Gulliver | 10 | 10 | – |
| Lisa Ashton | 4 | 4 | – |
| Anastasia Dobromyslova | 3 | 3 | – |
| Beau Greaves | 3 | 3 | – |
| Mikuru Suzuki | 2 | 2 | – |
| Francis Hoenselaar | 1 | 1 | – |
| Stacy Bromberg | 1 | – | 1 |

### By country

The following sortable table lists all winners of all versions of the World Championship (correct as of 10 December 2023).
| Player | Total | WDF (BDO) | PDC |
| England | 17 | 17 | – |
| Russia | 3 | 3 | – |
| Japan | 2 | 2 | – |
| Netherlands | 1 | 1 | – |
| United States | 1 | – | 1 |

## Youth winners

The British Darts Organisation scores are sets, while the Professional Darts Corporation scores are legs.
| Year | Winner | Score | Runner-up |
| 2015 | Colin Roelofs | 3–0 | Harry Ward |
| 2016 | Joshua Richardson | 3–2 | Jordan Boyce |
| 2017 | Justin van Tergouw | 3–2 | Nathan Girvan |
| 2018 | Justin van Tergouw | 3–1 | Killian Hefferman |
| 2019 | Leighton Bennett | 3–0 | Nathan Girvan |
| 2020 | Keane Barry | 3–0 | Leighton Bennett |
| Year | Winner | Score | Runner-up |
| 2011 | Arron Monk | 6–4 | Michael van Gerwen |
| 2012 | James Hubbard | 6–3 | Michael van Gerwen |
| 2013 | Michael Smith | 6–1 | Ricky Evans |
| 2014 | Keegan Brown | 6–4 | Rowby-John Rodriguez |
| 2015 | Max Hopp | 6–5 | Nathan Aspinall |
| 2016 | Corey Cadby | 6–2 | Berry van Peer |
| 2017 | Dimitri Van den Bergh | 6–3 | Josh Payne |
| 2018 | Dimitri Van den Bergh | 6–3 | Martin Schindler |
| 2019 | Luke Humphries | 6–0 | Adam Gawlas |
| 2020 | Bradley Brooks | 6–5 | Joe Davis |
| 2021 | Ted Evetts | 6–4 | Nathan Rafferty |
| 2022 | Josh Rock | 6–1 | Nathan Girvan |
| 2023 | Luke Littler | 6–4 | Gian van Veen |
| 2024 | Gian van Veen | 6–5 | Jurjen van der Velde |