Looking Forward to the PDC World Darts Championship 2019?

Posted: 01.08.18 in Darts Performance Centre Blog category

Who will win this year's Championship?

The prestigious PDC World Darts Championship has been running since its inaugural year of 1994 and has since become one of the most important dates on the darts calendar. With the largest prize fund of any darts competition hanging in the balance, players bring their best game to this event and promise a spectacular show for those watching. The 2019 Championship kicks off in December of this year and things are already hotting up for those players preparing to compete. 

Photo by Greg Neate - Players in action on the Championship stage 

What is the PDC World Darts Championship?

The competition was originally founded in 1994 by a group of world-renowned darts players who wanted to break away from the British Darts Organisation to strike out on their own terms. Although the PDC Championship was relatively small at first, it has gone from strength to strength over its 24-year lifespan and is currently one of the biggest darts competitions in the world.

Plans were announced earlier this year to expand the event even further, incorporating a whopping 96 competitors, a record-breaking £2.5 million prize fund and an additional six sessions-worth of matches. Organised by the Professional Darts Corporation and held at the beautiful Alexandra Palace in London, the Championship is the Big One on the international darts scene. 

Photo by Sven Mandel - Current champion, Rob Cross 

Who will be competing in the 2018/19 event?

The Championship has been dominated for most of its existence by darts legend Phil Taylor. With an unbelievable 14 wins to his name, he is recognised by many as the greatest darts player of all time. However, Taylor decided to retire from the sport this year after taking part in the 2018 PDC Championship where he finished runner-up to winner Rob Cross. With such a void left in the competition by the exit of this master competitor, it remains to be seen who will step up to take his crown.

Previous World Championship winner Gary Anderson went up against Mensur 'The Gentle' Suljovic recently in a much-anticipated match to decide who would become this year's World Matchplay champion. Anderson emerged victorious after a thrilling tournament and both players have already qualified via the Order of Merit for the Championship later this year. It will be interesting to see whether either of these two experienced players are up to filling Taylor's shoes.

Young up-and-coming talent competing in this year's Championship includes New Zealander Tahuna Irwin and German Max Hopp. Irwin narrowly missed out on the World Championship last year. However, he has recently secured his spot in the 2019 competition by emerging victorious from this match against Craig Ross in the DartPlayers New Zealand Qualifier.

Winter may seem a long way off at the moment, but for many darts players December 2018 will come around quickly. In some competitors' minds, the PDC World Darts Championship is the ultimate title and one not to be taken lightly. Tickets are already on sale and anticipation is mounting about who will be the next champion.