2026 IDF World Darts Championship
| 2026 IDF World Darts Championship | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Tournament information | |||
| Dates | December 10, 2025 – January 7, 2026 | ||
| Venue | Winter Gardens | ||
| Location | Blackpool, England | ||
| Organisation(s) | International Darts Federation (IDF) | ||
| Format | Sets | ||
| Prize fund | $5,000,000 | ||
| Winner's share | $1,000,000 | ||
| Champion(s) | |||
| Max Mad | |||
| |||
The 2026 IDF World Darts Championship was a professional darts tournament that was held from 10 December 2025 to 7 January 2026 at Alexandra Palace in London, England. It was the 4th World Darts Championship to be organised by the International Darts Federation and the 4th to be held at Alexandra Palace. The winner will receive $1,000,000 from a total prize fund of $5,000,000.
The tournament featured a 48 player field, with the top 16 players on the IDF Order of Merit being seeded into the second round. Alex Brow was the defending champion, having defeated Logan White 7–4 in the 2025 final to win his first world title. However, he lost to Reed Hamilton 2–3 in the third round. Max Mad won the event defeating Elias Carter 6-4 in the final. This is his third title overall.
Overview
The International Darts Federation (IDF) was founded in 2022 to provide greater opportunities for players outside the established Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) system, particularly in Australia, where many competitors identified as casual or semi-professional sought access to major events with comparable prize funds. The federation staged its inaugural IDF World Darts Championship in 2023, with Alexandra Palace in London serving as the host venue since the beginning.
The upcoming 2026 IDF World Darts Championship will be the fourth edition of the tournament and the fourth consecutive to be held at Alexandra Palace, running from 10 December 2025 to 7 January 2026. A record field of 128 players, including 32 seeds, will compete following the IDF’s March 2025 decision to expand the draw from 96 to 128 entrants. Alex Brow will return as defending champion after defeating Logan White 7–4 in the 2025 final to claim his first world title.
Format
Under the new format, all players – including the 32 seeds – will enter the tournament in the first round, a change from previous years where seeds entered in the second round. The 32 seeds will be the top 32 players on the IDF Order of Merit heading into the tournament. The seeded players, plus players ranked 33–64 drawn at random, will be placed on the left hand side of the draw, and will be matched up against the remaining 64 qualifiers drawn at random.
All matches will consist of games of 501, where players are required to reduce their score from 501 to zero in order to win a leg, finishing on a double or the bullseye. The matches are played in set format, with the amount of sets required to win a match increasing as the tournament progresses. All sets will be played to the best of five legs in the first round, and also in non-deciding sets of subsequent rounds. In the deciding set of all but the first round, the first player to win at least three legs and be leading by two or more will win the set and the match. If the set reaches a 5–5 tie without a winner, it will be decided by a sudden death leg.
| Round | Best of (sets) | First to (sets) |
|---|---|---|
| First & second | 5 | 3 |
| Third & fourth | 7 | 4 |
| Quarter-finals | 9 | 5 |
| Semi-finals | 11 | 6 |
| Final | 13 | 7 |
Ranking
The IDF's main world ranking system, the IDF Order of Merit, is calculated on a two-year cycle. Prize money won by players in ranking tournaments are removed from their ranking after 104 weeks, meaning players who participated in the 2024 World Championship, who did not lose their IDF Tour Card during the two-year period, will be 'defending' their prize money from that event. At the end of the tournament, the prize money won at the 2026 tournament will be added and the prize money won at the 2024 tournament will be removed. After the tournament, the top 64 players in the IDF Order of Merit will receive a one-year extension on their Tour Card, joined by the players who earned two-year Tour Cards in 2025 who will enter their second year in 2026. Players with two or more years on their Tour Card, who finish outside of the top 64, will lose their Tour Card and see their ranking reset to $0, along with all other players who earned prize money in ranking tournaments without holding a Tour Card.
Prize money
On 31 March 2025, the IDF announced the biggest prize money increase in the organisation's history, starting from the 2026 season onward. Coinciding with the expansion of the field to 128 players, the World Championship's total prize money and winner's share doubled from $2,500,000 to $5,000,000 and from $500,000 to $1,000,000 respectively; this was the first time the tournament's prize money increased. The winner will also receive the IDF World Trophy. The prize money breakdown is shown below:
| Position (no. of players) | Prize money
(Total: $5,000,000) | |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | (1) | $1,000,000 |
| Runner-up | (1) | $400,000 |
| Semi-finalists | (2) | $200,000 |
| Quarter-finalists | (4) | $100,000 |
| Fourth round losers | (8) | $60,000 |
| Third round losers | (16) | $35,000 |
| Second round losers | (32) | $25,000 |
| First round losers | (64) | $15,000 |
Qualification
The 128-player field will comprise three sets of qualification routes. The top 40 players on the two-year IDF Order of Merit after the 2025 Players Championship Finals will qualify automatically, followed by the next 40 highest-ranked players on the one-year IDF Pro Tour Order of Merit. The remaining 48 places will go to various international qualifiers.
List of confirmed international qualifiers
Seeded (1–32):
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Draw
| First round (best of 5 sets) 28–30 November | Second round (best of 5 sets) 29 November–3 December | Third round (best of 5 sets) 4 December | Quarter-finals (best of 7 sets) 5 December | Semi-finals (best of 9 sets) 6 December | Final (best of 11 sets) 7 December | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Xander Young 64.2 | 1 | 1 | Max Mad 65.44 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spencer Taylor 66.7 | 3 | Spencer Taylor 64.81 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Max Mad 65.77 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Zane Adams 63.44 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alec Baker 61.3 | 2 | 16 | Damon Edwards 62.19 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Zane Adams 63.9 | 3 | Zane Adams 63.77 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Max Mad 66.02 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nathan Reeves 65.77 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Brody Clarke 60.1 | 1 | 8 | Aiden Brooks 64.90 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Caleb Daniels 65.5 | 3 | Caleb Daniels 65.12 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Aiden Brooks 65.22 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nathan Reeves 66.14 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eli Fletcher 58.4 | 0 | 9 | Nate Parker 62.41 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nathan Reeves 66.3 | 3 | Nathan Reeves 66.11 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Max Mad 66.33 | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lukas Parker 65.88 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Felix Grant 62.4 | 2 | 4 | Lukas Parker 65.03 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Toby Underwood 64.7 | 3 | Toby Underwood 64.72 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lukas Parker 65.41 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wesley Adams 65.12 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Parker Reeves 59.3 | 1 | 13 | Quinn Sanders 61.22 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wesley Adams 65.2 | 3 | Wesley Adams 65.28 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lukas Parker 65.33 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hayden Ingram 66.44 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Grant Hayes 58.8 | 0 | 5 | Mason Owens 62.09 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hayden Ingram 67.2 | 3 | Hayden Ingram 66.57 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hayden Ingram 66.89 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jordan Knight 64.55 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Isaac Johnson 63.1 | 2 | 12 | Owen Quinn 60.93 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jordan Knight 64.9 | 3 | Jordan Knight 64.90 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Max Mad 66.71 | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Elias Carter 66.32 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Corey Allen 66.1 | 3 | 2 | Alex Brow 62.55 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dominic Flynn 60.2 | 1 | Corey Allen 60.39 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alex Brow 58.26 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reed Hamilton 58.34 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reed Hamilton 66.8 | 3 | 15 | Wyatt Walker 63.02 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oliver Scott 62.7 | 2 | Reed Hamilton 66.12 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reed Hamilton 65.22 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cole Bennett 65.55 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bryan Matthews 61.0 | 2 | 7 | Logan White 61.44 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Trevor Kane 63.4 | 3 | Trevor Kane 63.55 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Trevor Kane 63.66 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cole Bennett 65.44 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shane Douglas 58.7 | 1 | 10 | Zion Carte 60.14 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cole Bennett 65.0 | 3 | Cole Bennett 65.00 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cole Bennett 65.77 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Elias Carter 66.44 | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Damian Frost 59.1 | 0 | 3 | Blake Carter 64.66 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eric Lawson 66.4 | 3 | Eric Lawson 66.40 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Blake Carter 64.88 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jett Pearson 64.22 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jett Pearson 64.8 | 3 | 14 | Victor Vaughn 61.93 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Connor Black 58.9 | 1 | Jett Pearson 64.80 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Blake Carter 64.99 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Elias Carter 66.11 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alex Harris 63.8 | 3 | 6 | Ryan Thomas 62.17 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nolan Price 59.4 | 0 | Alex Harris 63.80 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alex Harris 63.41 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Elias Carter 65.99 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Elias Carter 65.9 | 3 | 11 | Kai Mitchell 59.89 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Brandon Fox 61.2 | 1 | Elias Carter 65.90 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||