2026 IDF World Championship
| 2026 IDF World Darts Championship | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Tournament information | |||
| Dates | 13 December 2025 – 1 January 2026 | ||
| 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 | ||
| High checkout | 170 Elias Storm | ||
| Champion(s) | |||
| Elias Storm | |||
| |||
The 2026 IDF World Darts Championship was the 35th edition of the IDF World Darts Championship, organised by the International Darts Federation (IDF). The tournament was held at Alexandra Palace in London from 13 December 2025 to 1 January 2026.
Elias Storm won his first world title with a 6–3 victory over Zane Holloway in the final. Defending champion Liam Renshaw was eliminated in the quarter-finals. The tournament was widely praised for its high standard, with four players averaging over 100 in at least one match and Storm recording the tournament’s highest checkout of 170.
Format[edit | edit source]
The championship was played using the set format. Each set was the best of five legs. The match lengths increased as the tournament progressed:
- First & Second rounds – best of 5 sets
- Third round & Quarter-finals – best of 7 sets
- Semi-finals – best of 9 sets
- Final – best of 11 sets
A total of 96 players competed. The top 32 players in the IDF Order of Merit were seeded into the second round. The remaining 64 players contested the first round.
Prize money[edit | edit source]
The total prize fund for the tournament was £3,000,000, the largest in IDF history. The breakdown was as follows:
- 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 losers: £7,500
Tournament summary[edit | edit source]
First round[edit | edit source]
Notable results included Marco Flynn’s 3–0 whitewash of Eric Donnelly, where he did not drop a leg in the final two sets. Zane Holloway came from two sets down to beat Felix Kraus in a thriller, while Ollie Starr impressed with an 85% checkout rate in his 3–0 win over Timo Lange. Freddie Pike survived a match dart in the deciding set to edge past Jan-Willem Koster.
Second round[edit | edit source]
The seeded players entered at this stage. Elias Storm was pushed to five sets by Callum Price, surviving after a 160 checkout to force a decider. Holloway defeated Sebastian Droz, while Marco Flynn upset 15th seed Callum Fraser in a nervy decider. Tyler Brooks and Liam Renshaw both advanced with strong displays.
Third round[edit | edit source]
Renshaw cruised past Ollie Starr 4–1, while Storm defeated Hayden Beck 4–2. Henry Cobb narrowly overcame Alex Brow in a seven-set classic, clinching victory with a 160 finish. Zane Holloway went the distance again, this time defeating Nico Petersen after surviving match darts.
Quarter-finals[edit | edit source]
Holloway stunned the defending champion Renshaw for a second consecutive World Championship, winning 4–3 after trailing 2–3 in sets. Storm produced a clinical display to beat Matthew Keane 4–2, closing with a 161 finish. Brooks comfortably defeated Darrel Stone, while Bentley Quade came from behind to beat Henry Cobb 4–2.
Semi-finals[edit | edit source]
In one of the matches of the tournament, Elias Storm averaged 102.6 in a 5–3 win over Tyler Brooks. The match featured a 170 checkout from Storm and sustained high scoring. In the second semi-final, Holloway once again staged a comeback, saving four match darts to beat Bentley Quade 5–4.
Final[edit | edit source]
Elias Storm defeated Zane Holloway 6–3 in the final to win his first world title. The early sets were shared, but Storm took control with legs of 11, 12, and 13 darts to take a 5–2 lead. Holloway fought back but missed two darts at tops to close the gap. Storm closed the match with a 110 checkout in the final set.
Statistics[edit | edit source]
- Highest average (match): Elias Storm – 104.3 (Final)
- Highest checkout: 170 – Elias Storm (Semi-final)
- Most 180s: Tyler Brooks – 34
- Checkout percentage (Storm): 49.4%
- Total sets won by Storm: 24
- Total legs won by Storm: 79
- Average tournament average (Storm): 102.8
Legacy[edit | edit source]
Elias Storm’s long-awaited triumph was hailed as one of the most dominant title runs in modern darts. He dropped only 10 sets in the entire tournament and posted three ton-plus averages. Zane Holloway emerged as the breakout star, reaching the final unseeded and defeating three top-16 players along the way. His performances, including back-to-back wins over Bentley Quade and Liam Renshaw, were met with huge crowd support.