<p>The biggest darts tournament in the world is set to take centre stage in the United Kingdom this December, with the return of the 2026 PDC World Darts Championship.</p> <p>The action will begin on December 15 and run until the New Year, with the final scheduled for January 4 (AEDT). Matches will be held at Alexandra Palace, located on the outskirts of North London, and the host venue since 2008.</p> <p>Will Luke Littler retain the title he won last year? It’s a very different looking tournament this year, which could provide a few upsets along the way!</p> <h2>2026 PDC World Darts Championship: Betting Preview</h2> <p>The 2026 PDC World Darts Championship will feature 128 players, up from the 96 who participated in last year’s edition. The top 32 players in the Order of Merit will be seeded in the first round, rather than receiving a bye and playing in the second round as they have in the past.</p> <p>All matches will follow a traditional darts format, with matches played in set format. It will be contested as a best-of series, with the number of sets required to win steadily increasing the further the tournament progresses. For example, the first round will be a best-of-five series (first to three), whereas the final will be a best-of-13 series (first to seven sets).</p> <p>Littler aims to become the first player to successfully defend his title since Gary Anderson in 2016. Littler became the youngest champion at 17 years and 347 days old when he defeated Michael van Gerwen 7-3 in the final.</p> <h2>2026 PDC World Darts Championship: Betting Predictions</h2> <p>Sportsbet offers a wide range of <a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/betting/darts/outrights">betting markets</a> for the upcoming 2026 PDC World Darts Championship, with competitive odds available across each of them.</p> <p>When making our 2026 PDC World Darts Championship betting predictions, we’ve looked at the <a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/betting/darts/pdc-world-championship/pdc-world-championship-2026-8828944">outright winner market</a> to look for potential value…</p> <p><strong>Littler</strong> is the current<strong> huge favourite to win</strong> the competition. He is the defending champion and had an exceptional 2025, winning several titles across the year. It’s important to remember that he reached the 2024 final, where he finished as runner-up, before returning the following year to win. <strong>We predict he will win </strong>this year.</p> <p><strong>Luke Humphries</strong> can offer value as a pick, even if backed as an <strong>each-way bet</strong>. He is the former world number 1 and has won several major titles himself. He defeated Littler in 2024 to win the competition.</p> <p>Elsewhere, <strong>Josh Rock</strong> could be worth a shot as an <strong>each-way bet</strong>, in our opinion, as the Northern Irish player is a young star enjoying a positive 2025. He won the PDC World Cup of Darts this year, while he reached the semi-finals of the World Matchplay, the UK Open, and the World Series Finals.</p>