Top seed and tournament favourite Luke Littler is on course to retain his world dart’s championship title. The Nuke has booked his place in the 3rd round of the 2026 PDC World Championship without even losing a set. Including Littler, 32 players will be returning to Ally Pally after the Christmas break. Some of the big names who won’t be back are Danny Noppert, James Wade, Chris Dobey and Gerwyn Price.All four were seeded in the top ten and they are now out of the running to land the record £1 million winner’s cheque after crashing out in the second round. We’re still on course for a repeat of the 2024 final between Littler and Humphries, an epic that was watched by a record 4.8 million viewers.Littler is back in action in the Saturday evening session against Mensur Suljović, while Humphries will take on Gabriel Clemens on Sunday.Latest 2026 PDC World Championship oddsPlayerBest oddsBookmaker offering best oddsSecond best odds offeringLuke Littler8/11William Hill4/6Luke Humphries9/2Sky Bet4/1Gian van Veen9/1Paddy Power8/1Josh Rock12/1Betway11/1Michael van Gerwen16/1bet36514/1Stephen Bunting (dark horse)28/1William Hill25/1Luke Littler and Luke Humphries top the latest betting. They have won the previous two editions and have been the two dominant players in the world over the past two years. Following Gerwyn Price’s shock elimination, the top sportsbooks and betting apps have promoted Gian van Veen to third favourite. Gian van Veen, Josh Rock, MVG and Stephen Bunting are also expected to feature. Our top offer for the PDC World Championship Find the best betting offers for the PDC World Championship PDC World Championship key contendersThe best darts bookies are favouring a second successive world title for Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler. Below, we take a look at the defending champion’s performances so far at Ally Pally, along with those of his main title rivals: Luke LittlerTournament average: 99.35Checkout percentage: 55.83%Legs won: 69.23%180’s: 11Luke Littler has had a sensational year. He has already won six major finals, and retaining his world title will cap things off nicely and get 2026 off to a flying start. The Nuke didn’t have to get out of first gear to see off Darius Labanauskas in Round 1. The teenager only dropped five legs on his way to a 3-0 win. Littler defeated David Davies by the same scoreline in Round 2, however, it wasn’t as comfortable a win as the scoreline suggests. Davies only won four legs, but that was because he missed 16 of his 20 double attempts. Littler will face Mensur Suljović in the third round and then has a potential fourth round clash against one of Damon Heta or Rob Cross. His cause has further been helped by the early eliminations of Gerwyn Price and Chris Dobey who were potential quarter-final opponents. Back Luke Littler to retain the World Darts Championship at 8/11 with William Hill Luke HumphriesTournament Average: 97.90Checkout percentage: 41.67%Legs won: 76% 180’s: 11Luke Humphries is one of the few players in the world who can give Littler a run for his money. Cool Hand began the competition as the 5/1 second favourite, and after wins over Ted Evetts (3-1) in Round 1 and Paul Lim (3-0) in Round 2, his odds have been slightly trimmed into 9/2. Humphries had an average of 98.5 across 2025. He has been slightly below that in this competition (97.90), but his title challenge has been helped by the elimination of Wessel Nijman in Round 2. That said, a third round clash with Gabriel Clemens won’t be easy, but the big German is probably a preferred opponent to Dutchman Nijman who can blow opponents away when he is on song. Should Humphries come through the Clemens match unscathed, Nathan Aspinall is a possible fourth round opponent. However, the biggest obstacle facing Humphries is going to be a possible showdown with Gian van Veen in the quarter-finals. Come through that, and Cool Hand will start to believe he can lift the Sid Waddell Trophy again. Tip Luke Humphries to reclaim his World Darts title at 9/2 with Sky Bet Gian van VeenTournament Average: 103.60Checkout percentage: 44.65% Legs won: 64.52% 180’s: 13Gian van Veen was talked up pre-tournament as a possible winner, and his performances to date have certainly backed that up.The Dutchman had some double trouble in his opening round 3-1 win over Cristo Reyes, hitting just 10 of his 24 efforts. Despite that, he still averaged 98.91 in the match.Van Veen was then forced to up his game against Alan Soutar in the second round. Soutar cashed in on some poor finishing from van Veen again, taking the opening set 3-1. It was a crazy opening set that saw Soutar average 97.47, with a checkout percentage of 60. Van Veen averaged 104.70, but had a checkout success of just 12.50%. Alan Soutar then missed darts to go 2-0 in sets. Had the Scot gone two up, it would have been a long way back for the young Dutchman. Van Veen made the most of his lucky break and won the set. He then won sets three and four without losing a leg, finishing the match with an average of 108.28. The Dutchman’s performances have seen his opening odds cut from 14/1 to 9/1. Go Dutch with Gian van Veen to win the World Darts Championship at 9/1 with Paddy Power Josh RockTournament Average: 95.76Checkout percentage: 38.10Legs won: 70.37180’s: 7Josh Rock has seen his odds to win the world championship cut from 16/1 to 12/1. Following Gerwyn Price’s elimination, Rocky is now the fourth favourite. Rock didn’t need to get out of first gear to beat Gemma Hayter 3-1 in the first round. Looking slightly nervy, the Northern Irishman only averaged 90.18, with a checkout success rate of just 33.33 percent.Things were different in Round 2. The real Josh Rock turned up and he crushed Joe Comito 3-0, with the Aussie winning only two legs. Rock finished the match with a three-dart average of 101.33 and a checkout percentage of 42.86.Rock can’t be underestimated, he has already won a world title this year, when partnering Daryl Gurney, the duo won the World Cup of Darts for Northern Ireland. He won’t be phased and a potential quarter-final against Michael van Gerwen will hold no fear for the number 11 seed. Bet on Josh Rock to win a first World Championship title at 12/1 with Betway Michael van GerwenTournament Average: 95.51Checkout percentage: 45.96% Legs won: 60.61180’s: 11Three-time champion Michael van Gerwen started off with a scrappy 3-1 win over Mitsuhiko Tatsunami in Round 1. The Green Machine managed an average of 90.82 and had a checkout percentage of just 29.41.The real MVG turned up for his second round showdown with William O’Conner, with the Dutchman averaging 100.20 and hitting 62.50 percent of his doubles. It was a polar-opposite performance to his win over Tatsunami. Van Gerwen’s odds have been cut from 20/1 to 16/1 after his win over O’Conner. If that version of MVG turns up, he will be a great bet. The problem is we just don’t know what we will get from the former champion.If MVG can get past Arno Merk (who whitewashed Peter Wright 3-0 in Round 2), he has a potential fourth round showdown with old foe Gary Anderson and a likely quarter-final against Josh Rock. Back MVG to rediscover his title-winning form at this year’s World Championship at 16/1 with bet365 Stephen BuntingTournament Average: 95.25Checkout percentage: 51.47%Legs won: 62.50%180’s: 11Stephen Bunting was given a real scare in round one by Poland’s Sebastian Białecki. The Bullet eventually won 3-2, but it was a below par performance, with the crowd favourite at times looking like he might be the first big name casualty of the competition.Bunting had no such problems in the second round, defeating qualifier Nitin Kumar 3-0 in sets. Kumar couldn’t repeat his heroics from the first round where he beat Richard Veenstra 3-2. The Indian only managed to win two legs and was no match for Bunting. A potential fourth round showdown with Martin Schindler or Ryan Searle awaits. If Bunting can get past that stage, he will likely face Jonny Clayton in the quarter-final. With the draw in his favour, there is no reason why The Bullet can’t repeat his 2025 run to the semi-final. Go for Stephen Bunting to win the PDC World Championship at 28/1 with William Hill PDC World Championship fixturesThis year’s competition got under way on December 11th, with Luke Littler defeating Darius Labanauskas on the opening night. We are now down to the last 32, and when the action resumes on Saturday, it will be in Round 3, which means the games will be longer as they are now the best of seven sets (first to four). Round 3 will take place from Saturday to Monday, with three matches in an afternoon session and three in all evening sessions. The final third round match will take place in the Monday night session and will be immediately followed by the first two fourth round matches.The remainder of the fourth round will be played on Tuesday December 30th, with three matches in the afternoon and another three at night. There will then be a break for New Year’s Eve, with the action returning for two quarter finals on the afternoon of New Year’s Day. The third and fourth quarter-finals will take place that night, with all four matches played over the best of nine sets.Both semi-finals will be played in a night session on Friday, with both the best of 11 sets. The final will be on the night of Saturday 3rd and be the best of 13 sets. The winner will receive a record-breaking winner’s cheque of one million pounds. Don’t forget, you can see every dart live on Sky Sports.RoundDatesKey information3rd RoundSaturday, December 27 – Monday, December 29, 2025Best of 7 Sets.4th RoundMonday, December 29 – Tuesday, December 30, 2025Best of 7 Sets. Quarter-FinalsThursday, January 1, 2026Best of 9 Sets. Two matches in the afternoon session and two in the evening.Semi-FinalsFriday, January 2, 2026Best of 11 Sets. Two matches in the evening session.FinalSaturday, January 3, 2026Best of 13 Sets. The ultimate showdown for the Sid Waddell Trophy.VenueAlexandra Palace, LondonThe “Ally Pally” has hosted the event since 2008.PDC World Darts Championship previous winnersThree of last year’s semi-finalists are still in the hunt for this year’s title. Of the three, Luke Littler is the favourite. The teenager is bidding to become the first player to win back-to-back titles since Gary Anderson did it in 2015 and 2016. 202320242025WinnerMichael SmithLuke HumphriesLuke LittlerRunner-upMichael van GerwenLuke LittlerMichael van GerwenSemi-finalistsGabriel Clemens & Dimitri Van den BerghScott Williams & Rob CrossStephen Bunting & Chris DobeyAbout the authorDean EtheridgeDean Etheridge is an experienced freelance sports betting writer who specialises in football, cricket, and darts, with a keen focus on the Premier League and Champions League, as well as in-depth coverage of Premier League Darts and major tournaments. He can turn his hand to all aspects of the beautiful game and beyond, delivering expert analysis across a range of sports. He predominantly covers the Premier League and Champions League but can turn his hand to all aspects of the beautiful game. You can follow Dean on LinkedIn (@deanetheridge)Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to talkSPORT. 18+. T&Cs apply. 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