PDC

The Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) runs the professional darts circuit on which the sport's leading players compete. It was formed in January 1992 as the World Darts Council by 16 players who broke away from the British Darts Organisation, and took its current name in 1997. The PDC stages the World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace, the Premier League and a calendar of televised ranking events, alongside a year-round ProTour for Tour Card holders. It is part of the Matchroom group, with Eddie Hearn as chairman and Matt Porter as chief executive, and more than £25 million in prize money is on offer across its circuit in 2026.

History

By 1989 the Embassy World Championship was the only major televised darts event in the UK. In January 1992, 16 professional players, including every former BDO world champion still active, formed the World Darts Council. After the 1993 Embassy World Championship, the WDC players withdrew from the Embassy event, and the BDO banned them from county darts.

The dispute was settled on 30 June 1997 by a Tomlin order, under which the WDC dropped its claim to be a world governing body and renamed itself the Professional Darts Corporation. The PDC's World Championship was staged at the Circus Tavern in Purfleet from 1994 and moved to Alexandra Palace for the 2008 edition. Sky has broadcast the PDC since 1993, and Barry Hearn's Matchroom Sport acquired a majority shareholding in 2001.

Leadership

Eddie Hearn became PDC chairman in April 2021, succeeding his father Barry Hearn, who had chaired the PDC since 2001 and is now its President. Matt Porter has been Chief Executive since January 2008. Eddie Hearn and Porter have both been directors of The Professional Darts Corporation Limited since 2009, according to Companies House.

The PDC is part of Matchroom, the Hearn family's sports business, in which Bruin Capital agreed to take a minority stake in May 2026.

How the tour works

PDC Tour Card. The professional circuit is built around 128 Tour Cards, each lasting two years. After each World Championship, the top 64 on the Order of Merit are offered cards for the following season; the rest are won at Q-School or through the secondary tours.

Q-School. Qualifying School is held each January at Arena MK in Milton Keynes and Wunderland Kalkar in Germany. It is open to players aged 16 and over, with a three-day First Stage followed by a four-day Final Stage at which the Tour Cards are won.

ProTour. Tour Card holders play the ProTour. It comprises 34 one-day Players Championships a year in the UK and Europe, and the European Tour, which ran to 15 events in nine countries in 2026 and visits France for the first time in 2027.

World Series of Darts. Invitational events around the world in which leading PDC players meet regional qualifiers, ending with the World Series of Darts Finals.

Development Tour, Challenge Tour and Women's Series. The Development Tour is for players aged 16 and over who are under 24 at the start of the season, and the Challenge Tour is for players who entered Q-School without winning a card; each awards Tour Cards to its top two. The Women's Series is open to female players aged 16 and over and decides the field for the Women's World Matchplay. Each tour staged 24 events in 2026, and each tour's leader qualifies for the Grand Slam of Darts and the World Championship.

The Order of Merit

The PDC Order of Merit, sponsored as the Werner Rankings Ladder, ranks players by the prize money they have won in PDC ranking events over a rolling two-year period, or since gaining a Tour Card if that is shorter. It decides qualification and seedings for the televised ranking events. Prize money from the Premier League, the World Series events and the World Cup of Darts does not count.

After the World Championship, the last event of each season, players in the top 64 are offered Tour Cards for the following year, while those outside it must win their cards back. Separate Players Championship rankings decide the 64-player field for the Players Championship Finals.

Where to watch in the UK

Sky Sports, under a deal running to 2030, shows the World Darts Championship, the Premier League, the World Matchplay, the Grand Slam of Darts, the World Grand Prix and the World Cup of Darts live.

ITV shows the World Masters, the UK Open, the European Championship, the Players Championship Finals and the World Series events and Finals free to air on ITV4 and ITVX, under a deal running to at least 2028.

PDCTV, the PDC's subscription streaming service, shows four boards from each Players Championship, the European Tour and the outer stages of the UK Open. UK viewers watch the main televised events on Sky Sports or ITV. talkSPORT 2 carries radio commentary of the World Championship.