2029 IDF World Championship
| 2029 IDF World Darts Championship | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Tournament information | |||
| Dates | 13 December 2028 – 2 January 2029 | ||
| Venue | Alexandra Palace | ||
| Location | London | ||
| Country | Template:ENG | ||
| Organisation(s) | IDF | ||
| Format | Sets Final – best of 11 | ||
| Prize fund | £3,000,000 | ||
| Winner's share | £500,000 | ||
| Nine-dart finish | Yes (Quarter-final – Marco Flynn) | ||
| High checkout | 170 Dante Voss | ||
| Champion(s) | |||
| Elias Storm | |||
| |||
The 2029 IDF World Darts Championship was a professional darts tournament that was held from 13 December 2028 to 2 January 2029 at Alexandra Palace in London, England. It was the 38th edition of the World Darts Championship organised by the International Darts Federation and the 21st held at Alexandra Palace. The winner received £500,000 from a total prize fund of £3,000,000.
The tournament featured 96 players, with the top 32 players on the IDF Order of Merit seeded into the second round. Matthew Keane was the defending champion, having won the title in 2028 with a 6–5 victory over Elias Storm. Keane reached the semi-finals but was defeated by Marco Flynn in a final-set thriller.
The championship was won by Elias Storm, who defeated Marco Flynn 6–4 in the final to claim his second world title in three years. Storm, who had finished runner-up the previous year, produced some of the tournament’s most consistent performances and averaged over 100 in five of his six matches. Flynn, contesting his first major final, became the second unseeded player to reach the final in the modern IDF era, and his quarter-final nine-darter was the first ever hit in a televised knockout stage match at Alexandra Palace.
Dante Voss, the American sensation, recorded the tournament’s highest checkout with a 170 finish in his second round victory over Rory Shaw. Reza Aslani became the first Iranian player to reach the last 16 of a World Championship, while Liam Renshaw announced his retirement following a second round defeat to Hayden Beck.
Format[edit | edit source]
The tournament followed the standard set format used by the IDF. Each set consisted of the best of five legs. The match format increased across rounds as follows: best of 5 sets in the first and second rounds, best of 7 in the third round and quarter-finals, best of 9 in the semi-finals, and best of 11 in the final.
Prize money[edit | edit source]
The prize fund remained unchanged for the fifth consecutive year, with the winner receiving £500,000. An additional £10,000 bonus was awarded for each nine-dart finish achieved during the tournament.
| Position | Prize money |
|---|---|
| Winner | £500,000 |
| Runner-up | £200,000 |
| Semi-finalists | £100,000 |
| Quarter-finalists | £50,000 |
| Last 16 | £30,000 |
| Last 32 | £20,000 |
| Last 64 | £15,000 |
| First round | £7,500 |
| Nine-dart bonus | £10,000 |
Tournament summary[edit | edit source]
First round[edit | edit source]
The tournament began with several high-quality matches and two seeded upsets. Former youth champion Adrian Weber defeated Callum Price 3–2 in a nervy five-set encounter, while Zane Holloway eased past Dutch qualifier Sven Dekker in straight sets. Reza Aslani produced the highest average of the round with 98.4 in his 3–1 win over José Meireles of Portugal.
Freddie Pike’s run ended in the opening round with a 3–2 loss to South African debutant Lyle Erasmus. Meanwhile, fan-favourite Dante Voss recovered from a sluggish start to defeat Arvid Hauser 3–1.
Second round[edit | edit source]
The top 32 seeds entered the tournament, but several fell early. Dante Voss upset 12th seed Rory Shaw 3–1, closing the match with a 170 checkout. Hayden Beck eliminated Liam Renshaw 3–2 in what would be Renshaw’s final professional appearance.
Elias Storm opened his campaign with a commanding 3–0 win over Peter Liu, averaging 104.6 and landing eight 180s. Matthew Keane survived a late surge from Tomas Lindström to win 3–2, while Tyler Brooks defeated Nico Petersen in four sets. Marco Flynn came through a nervy five-set encounter with French qualifier Laurent Giraud.
Third round[edit | edit source]
Elias Storm faced Reza Aslani in one of the most anticipated third round matches. After dropping the first set, Storm reeled off four in a row to win 4–1, showcasing brutal scoring and an 86% checkout rate. Marco Flynn beat Hayden Beck in a deciding set thriller, hitting a 132 checkout to seal the win.
Dante Voss lost in straight sets to Henry Cobb, who was imperious on the doubles, while Tyler Brooks was beaten 4–3 by unseeded Belgian Florian De Meyer. Keane came from 2–0 down to defeat Ollie Starr 4–2 in a match that featured ten breaks of throw.
Quarter-finals[edit | edit source]
Marco Flynn produced one of the most iconic moments in IDF history, hitting a nine-darter in the fourth set of his 4–1 victory over Henry Cobb. Flynn averaged 104.1 and appeared unshakable throughout.
Matthew Keane edged past Darrel Stone 4–3 in a topsy-turvy battle that went the distance. Elias Storm faced off against Florian De Meyer and swept the match 4–0, winning 12 of 14 legs.
In the final quarter-final, Zane Holloway’s run was ended by Alex Brow, who reached his first major semi-final with a 4–2 win, showing new levels of composure and power scoring.
Semi-finals[edit | edit source]
The semi-finals saw two contrasting matches. Elias Storm faced Alex Brow in a high-scoring contest that saw both players average above 100. Storm broke throw in the opening set and never trailed, eventually winning 5–2 to reach his third consecutive final.
The other semi-final between Marco Flynn and Matthew Keane was a rematch of their group stage clash at the Grand Masters, and this one lived up to expectations. Flynn led 3–1 before Keane forced a decider, but Flynn held his nerve and finished 92 on tops to win the ninth set and book his place in his first world final.
Final[edit | edit source]
The final between Elias Storm and Marco Flynn began at a blistering pace. Storm took the first two sets with three consecutive 14-darters. Flynn responded with back-to-back sets of his own, landing a 150 finish and taking out 87 on the bull.
Storm regained control by winning sets five and six, and despite a late rally from Flynn in set eight, Storm held his nerve in set ten to close out the match 6–4 with a 13-dart leg on throw.
Statistics[edit | edit source]
- Highest average: 106.8 – Elias Storm (Second round)
- Highest checkout: 170 – Dante Voss (Second round)
- Most 180s: Marco Flynn – 61
- Nine-dart finish: Marco Flynn (Quarter-final)
- Most legs won: Elias Storm – 82
- Most sets dropped by champion: 10
- Checkout percentage (Storm): 51.2%
Legacy[edit | edit source]
Elias Storm’s victory placed him among the all-time greats in the IDF era, with two titles and three consecutive finals to his name. Marco Flynn’s run established him as a top-tier contender, with many predicting a future world champion title within reach. Matthew Keane’s semi-final exit ended his reign as champion, while Alex Brow’s breakthrough result saw him break into the top 8 of the Order of Merit for the first time.
The retirement of Liam Renshaw was met with widespread tributes, ending a career that included one world title and five semi-final appearances. The continued rise of international talent, including Dante Voss and Reza Aslani, marked another strong step in the global expansion of the game.