The last five winners of the PDC World Championships
It’s that time of the year again, when crowds en masse descend upon Alexandra Palace in North London for one of the most iconic sporting events of the year: The PDC World Darts Championships.
The tournament is the highlight of the festive sporting calendar, with thousands in fancy dress getting in the holiday spirit at ‘Ally Pally’ and millions more glued to their TVs over Christmas and New Year.
For the players, it’s the one they all want to win — and with World Darts Championship odds once again in sharp focus, it’s the perfect moment to look back.
Five different champions have lifted the coveted Sid Waddell Trophy since 2021. So, with it all to play for again this year, here’s a rundown of the five most recent names on the roll of honour.
2021: Gerwyn Price
Rugby-player-turned-arrow-thrower Gerwyn Price claimed his maiden world title in 2021, defeating two-time champion Gary Anderson 7–3 in the final.
“The Iceman” held his nerve throughout the tournament, including a tense 5–4 quarter-final win over Daryl Gurney and a 6–4 victory against crowd favourite Stephen Bunting in the semis.
It was a dominant and defining performance from the Welshman as he capped off his remarkable rise in the sport.
2022: Peter Wright
Two years after lifting his first World Championship crown, Peter Wright returned to the summit in 2022 with a dramatic 7–5 victory over Michael Smith.
Trailing 5–4, “Snakebite” found another gear, rattling off three straight sets to seal the title. Along the way, Wright also knocked out fellow Scot Anderson 6–4 in the semi-finals and eased past rising star Luke Humphries 5–2 in the quarters.
It was another flamboyant and determined showing from the ever-popular veteran.
2023: Michael Smith
After the heartbreak of 2022, Smith finally achieved his dream in 2023. The man from St Helens produced the moment of the tournament — and one of the most iconic legs in darts history — by hitting the only nine-darter of the championship in the final.
To add to the drama, it came just moments after Michael van Gerwen himself missed double 12 for a perfect leg.
Smith went on to win the match 7-3 and secure his first world title, cementing his place among the sport’s elite.
2024: Luke Humphries
The 2024 championship will always be remembered as the stage where young sensation Luke Littler burst onto the global scene, but it was Luke Humphries who left Ally Pally as world champion.
Despite being booed to the stage by sections of the crowd, Humphries delivered a superb performance in the final, beating Littler 7–4 with a 103.67 average — the highest in a final since Rob Cross’s 107.67 in 2018.
It was the culmination of a breakthrough year for “Cool Hand Luke,” who had rapidly established himself as the world’s best player.
2025: Luke Littler
Twelve months later, Littler got his redemption story. The teenager produced a phenomenal tournament in 2025, smashing the record for the highest three-dart average with an astonishing 140.91 in the second round.
Impressive wins over Nathan Aspinall (5–2) and Bunting (6–1) in the quarters and semis set up a final against Van Gerwen.
Littler stormed into a four-set lead and never looked back, eventually winning 7–3 to become the youngest world champion in history. His victory marked the beginning of what many believe will be a truly era-defining career.
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With five different winners in five years — and the landscape changing faster than ever — the PDC World Darts Championship remains one of the most unpredictable and exciting events in world sport.
For fans looking to get involved with darts betting, each tournament offers new narratives, emerging stars, and unforgettable drama. And with another showdown finale at Ally Pally looming, the question remains: who will add their name to the famous roll of honour next?