WDF World Darts Championship
The WDF World Darts Championship is an annual world championship in the sport of darts organised by the World Darts Federation (WDF). Since 2024, the championship has run from late November to early December. The event has been held at the Lakeside Country Club in Frimley Green, Surrey, England, every year since the inaugural edition in 2022. Following the collapse of the British Darts Organisation (BDO) in 2020, which hosted the BDO World Darts Championship at Lakeside from 1986 to 2019 and held the tournament's final edition in 2020, the WDF World Championship was established as the successor. It is one of two World Championships in darts, along with the PDC World Darts Championship. Jimmy van Schie is the reigning WDF world champion, having defeated Mitchell Lawrie 6–3 in the 2025 final. Deta Hedman is the reigning women's world champion, Mitchell Lawrie is the reigning youth world champion, and Zehra Gemi is the reigning girls' world champion. Beau Greaves is the only player to win multiple WDF World Championships, winning the first three editions of the women's tournament.
| WDF World Darts Championship | |
|---|---|
| Tournament information | |
| Venue | Lakeside Country Club |
| Location | Frimley Green, Surrey, England |
| Established | 2022 |
| Organisation(s) | World Darts Federation (WDF) |
| Format | Sets |
| Prize fund | £221,000 (total) |
| Month(s) Played | November–December |
| Current champion(s) | |
 Jimmy van Schie (open)[a] Deta Hedman (women) Mitchell Lawrie (youth)[a] Zehra Gemi (girls) | |
The WDF World Darts Championship is an annual world championship in the sport of darts organised by the World Darts Federation (WDF). Since 2024, the championship has run from late November to early December. The event has been held at the Lakeside Country Club in Frimley Green, Surrey, England, every year since the inaugural edition in 2022.
Following the collapse of the British Darts Organisation (BDO) in 2020, which hosted the BDO World Darts Championship at Lakeside from 1986 to 2019 and held the tournament's final edition in 2020, the WDF World Championship was established as the successor.[2] It is one of two World Championships in darts, along with the PDC World Darts Championship.
Jimmy van Schie is the reigning WDF world champion, having defeated Mitchell Lawrie 6–3 in the 2025 final. Deta Hedman is the reigning women's world champion, Mitchell Lawrie is the reigning youth world champion, and Zehra Gemi is the reigning girls' world champion. Beau Greaves is the only player to win multiple WDF World Championships, winning the first three editions of the women's tournament.
History
[edit]The BDO World Darts Championship was a world championship in the sport of darts organised by the British Darts Organisation (BDO). The tournament was first held in 1978 and was the only form of the World Professional Darts Championship until the 1993 split in darts, when top players broke away from the BDO to set up the rival World Darts Council (WDC), now the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC), which began hosting its own World Championship.[3] The Lakeside Country Club in Frimley Green, Surrey, England, served as the host venue for the BDO tournament from 1986 to 2019, with the event being moved to the Indigo at The O2 for the 2020 event.[4] The 2020 event ended up being the last edition of the BDO World Championship, as the organisation went into liquidation in September 2020 following a series of financial issues relating to poor ticket sales and prize money.[5][6]
Following the collapse of the BDO, the World Darts Federation (WDF), a darts tournament organiser and governing body,[7][8] announced its intention to launch its own World Championship.[9] Returning to the Lakeside Country Club and initially scheduled to take place in January 2022, the inaugural edition of the WDF World Championship took place in April 2022 after being postponed due to concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.[10][11] The event saw the introduction of a separate girls' tournament, which joined the men's tournament, women's tournament and boys' tournament in the schedule.[12] The PDC granted permission for its new Tour Card holders to compete at the WDF World Championship if they qualified for the tournament before the event's postponement.[13] At the event, Richard Veenstra produced the highest three-dart average in Lakeside history (104.91) in his 3–0 third-round victory over Luke Littler, breaking an 18-year record held by Raymond van Barneveld.[14]
The WDF moved the World Championship to December for the 2023 edition, taking place right before the 2024 PDC World Championship. As a result, the PDC ruled against allowing players to compete in both events.[15] This rule prevented three-time women's world champion Beau Greaves from competing in the PDC World Championship, rejecting her place at the tournament in order to defend her world title at Lakeside in 2023 and 2024,[16] before she made a full switch to the PDC ahead of the 2026 PDC World Championship.[17] Since 2024, the WDF World Championship has run from late November to early December.[18]
Tournament finals
[edit]Open
[edit]
Neil Duff was the first WDF world champion, defeating Thibault Tricole in a deciding set in the 2022 final.[19] Andy Baetens won the tournament in 2023 by beating Chris Landman 6–1.[20] In 2024, 70-year-old Paul Lim, who hit the first world championship nine-dart finish at the 1990 BDO World Darts Championship, reached the final of the tournament, becoming the oldest player to reach a darts world championship final. He missed out on the title, losing 6–3 to Shane McGuirk.[21] In contrast, 15-year-old Mitchell Lawrie reached the final in 2025 to become the tournament's first teenage finalist. He lost to Jimmy van Schie by the same scoreline.[22] Duff, Baetens and McGuirk were the first senior world champions from Northern Ireland, Belgium and the Republic of Ireland respectively.[23][24][25]
| Year | Champion (average in final)[b] | Score | Runner-up (average in final) | Prize money | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Champion | Runner-up | ||||
| 2022[26] |  Neil Duff (87.73)
|
6 – 5 |  Thibault Tricole (86.95)
|
£200,000 | £50,000 | £25,000 |
| 2023[27] |  Andy Baetens (93.69)
|
6 – 1 | Chris Landman (86.47)
|
£170,000 | £20,000 | |
| 2024[28] |  Shane McGuirk (90.31)
|
6 – 3 |  Paul Lim (83.76)
|
£130,000 | £16,000 | |
| 2025[29] | Jimmy van Schie (93.21)
|
6 – 3 | Mitchell Lawrie (93.18)
|
£146,000 | ||
Women's
[edit]
At age 18, Beau Greaves won the 2022 women's final by defeating Kirsty Hutchinson 4–0, becoming the then-youngest player to win a senior world championship.[30] Greaves defended her title at the next two editions, beating Aileen de Graaf and Sophie McKinlay in the 2023 and 2024 finals.[31][32] McKinlay was the first player to compete in the final of the women's and girls' tournaments.[33] With Greaves absent from 2025 edition, Deta Hedman, the runner-up in three BDO World Championship finals, won her first world title with a 4–1 victory over Lerena Rietbergen. Hedman became the oldest darts world champion, aged 66.[34]
| Year | Champion (average in final) | Score | Runner-up (average in final) | Prize money | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Champion | Runner-up | ||||
| 2022[26] | Beau Greaves (92.05)
|
4 – 0 | Kirsty Hutchinson (72.53)
|
£87,500 | £25,000 | £12,500 |
| 2023[27] | Beau Greaves (84.64) (2)
|
4 – 1 | Aileen de Graaf (77.69)
|
£75,000 | £10,000 | |
| 2024[28] | Beau Greaves (83.92) (3)
|
4 – 1 | Sophie McKinlay (73.81)
|
£60,000 | £8,000 | |
| 2025[29] | Deta Hedman (72.01)
|
4 – 1 | Lerena Rietbergen (70.07)
|
£63,000 | ||
Youth
[edit]Bradly Roes defeated Charlie Large 3–1 in the first WDF boys' final in 2022, becoming the third Lakeside youth world champion from the Netherlands.[35] His compatriot Bradley van der Velden won the 2023 title by beating Adam Dee 3–0.[36] Archie Self became champion in 2023 with a 3–2 win over Jenson Walker in an all-English final.[37] Mitchell Lawrie was the first Scottish winner of the tournament, beating Florian Preis 4–2 in the 2025 final.[22]
| Year | Champion (average in final) | Score | Runner-up (average in final) | Prize money | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Champion | Runner-up | ||||
| 2022[26] | Bradly Roes (71.34)
|
3 – 1 | Charlie Large (71.56)
|
£9,500 | £5,000 | £2,500 |
| 2023[27] | Bradley van der Velden (69.93)
|
3 – 0 | Adam Dee (66.68)
|
£9,000 | £2,000 | |
| 2024[28] | Archie Self (81.34)
|
3 – 2 | Jenson Walker (84.76)
|
£7,500 | £3,000 | £1,500 |
| 2025[29] | Mitchell Lawrie (89.35)
|
4 – 2 |  Florian Preis (88.45)
|
£8,500 | ||
Girls
[edit]
Eleanor Cairns was the inaugural Lakeside girls' champion, defeating Wibke Riemann 2–0 in 2022.[38] Aurora Fochesato won the 2023 final 2–0 against Krisztina Turai to become Italy's first world champion.[39] Paige Pauling won the third edition by beating Sophie McKinlay 2–0,[40] while Zehra Gemi became the first Turkish world champion with a 3–0 win over Rebecca Allen in the 2025 final.[41]
| Year | Champion (average in final) | Score | Runner-up (average in final) | Prize money | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Champion | Runner-up | ||||
| 2022[26] | Eleanor Cairns (52.45)
|
2 – 0 | Wibke Riemann (52.22)
|
£3,000 | £2,000 | £1,000 |
| 2023[27] |  Aurora Fochesato (59.43)
|
2 – 0 |  Krisztina Turai (51.07)
| |||
| 2024[28] | Paige Pauling (73.88)
|
2 – 0 | Sophie McKinlay (71.92)
|
£3,500 | £1,500 | |
| 2025[29] | Zehra Gemi (77.07)
|
3 – 0 | Rebecca Allen (65.54)
| |||
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ a b The WDF's "men's" and "boys'" categories were renamed to "open" and "youth" in 2025.[1]
- ^ See three-dart average
References
[edit]- ^ "WDF eligibility criteria announcement". World Darts Federation. 28 July 2025. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
- ^ Simms, George (6 December 2025). "'It still feels like the glory days here': A day at the WDF World Championships". The Observer. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ Hepburn, David (14 December 2022). "BDO World Darts Championship: What happened to the Lakeside competition, will it return, what is the WDF?". The Scotsman. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
- ^ "BDO World Championships to leave Lakeside venue in 2020". BBC Sport. 2 August 2019. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
- ^ Carayol, Tumaini (12 January 2020). "BDO world darts championships failing to find their target". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ "Scott Mitchell says British Darts Organisation collapse was 'devastating for players'". BBC Sport. 8 January 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ McNeely, Scott (10 October 2012). Ultimate Book of Sports: The Essential Collection of Rules, Stats, and Trivia for Over 250 Sports. Chronicle Books, September 14, 2012. p. 343. ISBN 9781452110592. Retrieved 8 December 2025 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Nauright, John; Parrish, Charles (2012). Sports Around the World: History, Culture, and Practice. ABC-CLIO. p. 70. ISBN 9781598843002. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ "Development of World Rankings Criteria For 2021". World Darts Federation. 15 September 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ "WDF World Darts Championships: When is the event? How can I watch on TV? Who is playing? How do I buy tickets?". TNT Sports. 28 February 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
- ^ "WDF World Darts Championship postponed: 2022 Lakeside tournament pushed back to April". Sky Sports. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
- ^ "Lakeside WDF World Championships 2022 - Qualification Criteria". World Darts Federation. 25 July 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ Allen, Dave (30 January 2022). "PDC Statement: WDF World Championship". Professional Darts Corporation. Archived from the original on 30 January 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ Shaw, Jamie (6 April 2022). "Richard Veenstra sets new record Lakeside average at the WDF World Championship". Live Darts. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ "2023 WDF Lakeside World Championships - Player eligibility update". World Darts Federation. 13 September 2023. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ "Beau Greaves to miss World Darts Championship again to defend women's world title but wants Alexandra Palace reunion in future". Sky Sports. 23 July 2024. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ Keogh, Frank (17 October 2025). "Greaves to play at worlds and on pro tour". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ "2024 WDF Lakeside World Championships to begin on Friday November 29th". World Darts Federation. 7 December 2025. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
- ^ "Neil Duff: Northern Ireland man wins WDF World Championship title". BBC Sport. 10 April 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ "Andy 'The Beast' Baetens verscheurt zijn tegenstander in WK-finale darts in mythische Lakeside" [Andy 'The Beast' Baetens tears apart his opponent in the World Darts Championship final at mythical Lakeside]. Sporza. 10 December 2023. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ Lee, David (9 December 2024). "Oldest man in darts world championship final, Singapore's Paul Lim, 70, gets a silver". The Straits Times. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ a b Poole, Harry (7 December 2025). "'Future of darts' - Lawrie, 15, denied world title". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ "Darts results: Neil Duff wins Lakeside final to become first World Champion from Northern Ireland". Sporting Life. 13 April 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ "Brilliant Baetens beats Landman to become Belgium's first Darts World Champion". World Darts Federation. 10 December 2023. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ Glennon, Michael (8 December 2024). "'I can't believe it' - Monaghan's McGuirk wins Lakeside World Darts Championship". RTÉ Sport. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ a b c d "World Championships 2022". World Darts Federation. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ a b c d "World Championships 2023". World Darts Federation. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ a b c d "World Championships 2024". World Darts Federation. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ a b c d "World Championships 2025". World Darts Federation. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ "Beau Greaves is youngest-ever darts World Championship winner". BBC. 11 April 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ "Beau Greaves clinches second WDF World Championship title with win vs Aileen de Graaf at Lakeside". Sky Sports. 10 December 2023. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ "Beau Greaves wins WDF Women's World Darts Championship title for third year running as Paul Lim, 70, misses out in Men's final". Sky Sports. 8 December 2024. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ McFarlane, Stuart (12 December 2024). "Raploch darts star falls short in Lakeside final heartbreak after historic run". Daily Record. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ "Mitchell Lawrie, 15, described as 'future of darts' after 6-3 loss to Jimmy van Schie in WDF World Darts Championship final". Sky Sports. 7 December 2025. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ "Roes eases past Large to claim WDF Boys' World Championship". World Darts Federation. 10 April 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ "Van der Velden downs Dee to win 2023 WDF Boys World Championship". World Darts Federation. 10 December 2023. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ Haines, Oliver (31 December 2024). "Meet darts player Archie Self, Thatcham's WDF Boy's World Champion". Newbury Today. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ Bowman, Jamie (11 April 2022). "St Helens dartist Eleanor Cairns wins Girls World Championship at Lakeside". St Helens Star. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ "Fabulous Fochesato a Lakeside World Champion". Winmau. 11 December 2023. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ "Pauling defeats McKinlay to win 2024 WDF Girls' Lakeside World Championship". World Darts Federation. 8 December 2024. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ "Glory for Gemi in WDF Girls' World Championship". World Darts Federation. 7 December 2025. Retrieved 8 December 2025.