Darts tournaments explained

Same board, different nights out

Darts isn't one tournament repeated in different towns. Some events bring a whole field to one venue for a week.

Others tour the arenas, with the same selected players returning each Thursday. The competition and ticket change; the walk-ons and big finishes remain.

The PDC runs the televised events most people recognise from Ally Pally and Blackpool.

Its wider circuit includes floor tournaments, European weekends and routes for younger players and women.

The World Darts Federation, or WDF, runs a separate structure.

For a visit, start with the occasion rather than the longest list of famous names. Compare winter London, summer Blackpool or a local arena.

Our guide to choosing a session turns that choice into a practical booking plan. This page explains the sporting differences behind the names.

The main TV events through the year

Here's the shape of the year, using the announced 2027 calendar. The Worlds straddle Christmas and New Year; the Premier League stretches across spring.

Blackpool comes in July, then autumn brings several separate trophies. Don't read a calendar date as an on-sale date: ticket announcements follow their own timetable.

The European Open is new for 2027, while the European Championship expands to six days and 48 players.

Those are different events: one is in Salzburg in June, the other in Dortmund in October.

The World Series also takes invitational tournaments overseas, with its Finals a separate competition. Follow the PDC calendar for that year's full programme.

A touring Premier League ticket buys one night's programme at the named arena. A tournament ticket usually buys a particular session within a longer event.

Check which product you're buying before reserving the hotel. The ticket-sales guide explains the two events covered in detail here.

World Championship or World Matchplay?

The World Championship is the London winter fixture. You get a knockout competition played in sets, with the trophy decided in the New Year.

December 2026 takes the event into Alexandra Palace's Great Hall.

Use the World Championship event guide for the current dates, starts and ticket bands, rather than planning from an old television schedule.

The Alexandra Palace venue guide handles the rest of that visit: hilltop arrival, seating choices, nearby meals and hotel areas.

Compare an afternoon return with the cost of staying after an evening.

World Matchplay makes a summer base at Blackpool's Winter Gardens. Its main competition uses legs, so you'll follow one running match score.

The Matchplay event page carries the session advice and trip calculator.

Our detailed Matchplay page still uses 2026 sessions and prices as a guide; use the 2027 calendar for dates.

Blackpool's room choice matters as much as the tournament name. Read the floor tables, balcony seating and standing admission guides before choosing.

The Winter Gardens hub then helps put the station, meal and accommodation around that choice. The separate Women's World Matchplay takes place on the final Sunday.

Legs, sets and the Grand Prix’s double start

A leg is a race from 501 to exactly zero, ending on a double. A legs match counts each race directly towards the match result.

A sets match groups those races into smaller contests, then counts the sets. You'll see both numbers on the score graphic during a championship match.

Think of a set as a fresh contest within the match. Someone can lose one badly, then start the next level in legs.

That's why a sets match can feel different from one long running tally. Watch the set score first, then the current leg score, and the picture becomes much easier to follow.

The World Grand Prix adds another twist: you must hit a double before scoring in each leg, as well as finishing on one.

Missing that opening target can leave a player stuck while the opponent gets away.

It's a good event for anyone who enjoys the tension around doubles, rather than just the biggest scoring visits.

Don't use the format alone to guess when you'll leave. A close match takes longer, and later rounds often increase the distance.

Look at the actual session and build in the exit walk. Our first-night guide explains how matches, walk-ons and breaks fit together from your place in the crowd.

What makes the other tournaments different?

The Premier League is an invitation event, rather than an open route through a qualifying draw.

Its selected players tour together, making it a handy way to see leading names near home. Finals Night has its own programme and admission.

The UK Open brings its television weekend to Minehead. The Grand Slam is the Wolverhampton event on the autumn calendar.

Don't confuse either with Players Championship Finals, which also visits Minehead but draws its field from the Players Championship season.

Their fields and programmes differ.

The World Cup is the national-team competition.

The European Tour is a series of weekends across the continent; the European Championship is its season-ending championship.

World Masters and World Series events add still more names to the schedule. Use the official event page when choosing one of those trips.

We currently have full visitor coverage for the World Championship and World Matchplay, plus Blackpool seating guides.

The other tournaments are listed here to help you understand the sport, with no separate visitor guide attached.

Prize money and the Order of Merit

The main PDC Order of Merit ranks players by prize money from ranking events over a rolling two-year period. It isn't a points table awarding the same amount for every win.

A deeper run in a bigger-paying tournament can move somebody much further than several wins elsewhere.

You'll hear commentators say a player is defending money. That means an older result is leaving the ranking window.

They need fresh earnings to replace it, even if they haven't suddenly started playing worse.

Not every television trophy adds money to that main table. Invitational earnings, including Premier League prize money, don't count there.

There are also separate lists for specific circuits.

For example, Players Championship rankings decide that circuit's Finals qualifiers; European Tour rankings decide the European Championship field.

Read the heading before comparing positions.

For a concrete example of scale, the 2025/26 World Championship offered a £5 million total fund and £1 million to its winner.

For the exact cutoff and qualifying places, follow the PDC ranking rules and the event announcement rather than an undated social-media table.

Where Lakeside and the WDF fit

Lakeside belongs in the story even if you've started with Ally Pally on television. The Surrey venue has staged world championship darts since 1986.

It became closely linked with the BDO era and names such as Eric Bristow, John Lowe and Raymond van Barneveld. Those older titles remain part of the players' histories.

The professional split created separate championship paths. The players' association explains that history in its history of darts.

Today the PDC and WDF championships are separate bookings, with separate qualification systems.

Look for the organiser's name as well as the words World Championship when choosing a ticket or reading a result.

The WDF World Championship has been held at Lakeside since 2022.

Its published qualification document sets out men's, women's and youth competitions, with routes through rankings and other qualifying events.

That's a different structure from choosing players by the PDC Order of Merit. Don't carry a PDC admission rule or priority-sale assumption across to a Lakeside visit.

If the history sparks an interest in playing, start with a board and a safe practice space at home.

Turn the calendar into a trip

Choose your event, then narrow it to a session and seating category. After that, price the journey and room together.

Our stag and hen guide helps with a shared booking, while the under-18 guide keeps the family's admission questions in one place.

Once the plan fits, sort tickets through the appointed seller and keep the confirmation handy.

Start with London or Blackpool's detailed pages, then let the rest of the calendar give you ideas for what to watch next.

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