2027 IDF World Championship
| 2027 IDF World Darts Championship | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Tournament information | |||
| Dates | 13 December 2026 – 1 January 2027 | ||
| 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 (Round 3 – Henry Cobb) | ||
| High checkout | 170 Elias Storm | ||
| Champion(s) | |||
| Tyler Brooks | |||
| |||
The 2027 IDF World Darts Championship was the 36th edition of the IDF World Darts Championship, organised by the International Darts Federation (IDF). It was held at Alexandra Palace in London from 13 December 2026 to 1 January 2027.
Tyler Brooks claimed his first World Championship title with a 6–4 win over defending champion Elias Storm in the final.
Format
The tournament used the standard set-play format. Each set was the best of five legs. The number of sets required to win increased by round:
- First and second rounds – best of 5 sets
- Third round and quarter-finals – best of 7 sets
- Semi-finals – best of 9 sets
- Final – best of 11 sets
A total of 96 players competed, with 32 seeded players entering in the second round.
Prize money
The prize fund remained unchanged from previous years at £3,000,000:
| 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
First round
The opening round delivered several tight encounters and one major shock. Unseeded American prospect Dante Voss stunned the crowd by defeating 2024 semi-finalist Dean Maddox in five sets. Freddie Pike edged a nervy final set tiebreak against Thomas Zhu, and Zane Holloway survived a scare against Czech qualifier Marek Dolensky, rallying from 2–1 down.
- Marco Flynn and Hayden Beck each posted averages over 94 in convincing wins, while debutant Reza Aslani became the first Iranian to win a match at the IDF Worlds.
Second round
The top 32 seeds entered — but five were eliminated.
Reigning champion Elias Storm overcame Lucas Henningsen 3–1, but was unconvincing early. Tyler Brooks looked sharp in a 3–0 win over Ollie Starr, averaging 101.2. Fifth seed Henry Cobb survived two match darts against Ben Chadwick, edging it 3–2 with a 144 checkout in the decider.
Upsets included: - Zane Holloway defeating 13th seed Pascal Huber (3–1) - Hayden Beck eliminating 10th seed Nico Vance (3–2) - Dante Voss continuing his run by knocking out 21st seed Milan Kostas
Renshaw cruised through 3–0 against Martin Talvik, but his average (89.3) raised concerns about form.
Third round
Storm rediscovered rhythm with a 4–1 win over Reza Aslani, hitting five 180s and finishing 121 and 170 in back-to-back sets.
The round’s highlight came in Henry Cobb’s win over Rory Shaw, where Cobb produced the first nine-darter of the tournament — the fourth in IDF Worlds history — in the fifth set. Brooks dismantled Zane Holloway 4–0, ending his title hopes.
Meanwhile, Marco Flynn ended Bentley Quade’s run with a dominant 4–2 win, and Hayden Beck overcame 7th seed Matthew Keane 4–3 after trailing 2–0.
Quarter-finals
Storm vs Cobb was billed as the final before the final. Cobb stormed to a 2–0 lead, but Storm rallied with devastating scoring, taking the last four sets to win 4–2. His 170 checkout in set 6 sealed it.
Tyler Brooks dropped just one set against Marco Flynn, again averaging over 100. Hayden Beck’s dream run ended at the hands of Liam Renshaw, who finally looked back to form in a 4–1 win.
In the final quarter, Darrel Stone edged out underdog Dante Voss 4–3, saving three match darts in the seventh set.
Semi-finals
Storm faced his longtime rival Liam Renshaw, and the pair delivered a tense affair. Storm led 3–1 before Renshaw found his range, taking the next two sets. However, Storm held on, winning 5–3 with a 13-dart final leg.
The other semi-final saw Tyler Brooks finally break through. He averaged 102.3 in a 5–2 win over Darrel Stone, hitting 11 180s and finishing at 54%. Stone called it “the best anyone’s ever played against me.”
Final
The final between Elias Storm and Tyler Brooks was a rematch of their semi-final from the previous year. Storm started strong, taking a 2–0 lead with back-to-back 12-darters.
But Brooks flipped the match with a blistering eight-leg winning streak, storming into a 4–2 lead. Storm responded with a 140 finish to take set 7, but Brooks’ momentum was relentless.
In the tenth set, Brooks hit back-to-back 180s and closed out the title with a 13-darter, winning 6–4.
Statistics
- Highest average: 104.3 – Elias Storm (Final)
- Most 180s: Tyler Brooks – 58
- Highest checkout: 170 – Elias Storm (Quarter-final)
- Nine-dart finish: Henry Cobb (Third round)
- Checkout percentage (Brooks): 52.6%
- Most sets dropped by champion: 7
Legacy
Tyler Brooks’ triumph was seen as the culmination of a steady four-year rise. After semi-final defeats in 2025 and 2026, he finally delivered on his potential. Storm, despite losing the final, cemented his status as the world’s best by reaching back-to-back finals and recording the tournament’s highest average.
The tournament also marked the possible decline of Liam Renshaw, who, despite a late surge, failed to reach the final for a third straight year. Zane Holloway, last year’s finalist, struggled with inconsistency and failed to reach the last 16.
Dante Voss’ debut run to the quarter-finals turned heads, and Henry Cobb’s nine-darter secured his place in IDF history.