Once again, there’s real drama in the air at Alexandra Palace as the 2025/26 PDC World Darts Championship reaches its semi-final stage.
On Saturday 3rd January, the sport’s biggest final will see the last two contenders join on stage for one final time looking to secure not only the trophy but also a potential £1m payday. For the runner-up, £400,000 should soften the blow a little as the tournament dishes out the most prize money it has in its entire history.
Luke Littler, Ryan Searle, Gian van Veen and Gary Anderson will all be hoping that they’ll be walking away as the winner. We’ll discuss all four players, and their chances, later in this preview.
As always, Ally Pally has served up some monumental moments – shock results, nine darters and continuous high-scoring throughout the tournament. However, we’re not done just yet, and we have two massive semi-finals awaiting us this evening.
Whether you’re watching from home or you’re fortunate to make the trip to North London, it’s going to be a special night at the Palace.
Tournament recap
As always, the World Championship has been full of storylines.
Paul Lim became the oldest winner on the Ally Pally stage at 71, beating Jeffrey de Graaf 3-1. Nitin Kumar stunned world number 46 Richard Veenstra, while 30-year-old Kenyan David Munyua achieved the impossible by defeating Mike De Decker. No other sport can produce these moments, which is what makes the World Championship so special.
The upsets kept on coming in the knockouts, as Michael van Gerwen, Josh Rock, Luke Humphries and Nathan Aspinall all fell short in their bid for success.
Luke Humphries, widely tipped as a leading challenger, was swept aside 5-1 by Gian van Veen in the last eight. This was a statement performance from the Dutch player, who averaged over 105 and showed elite composure on the big stage.
This is a tournament in which anyone can beat anyone – especially if the crowd gets behind the underdog.
However, it’s no surprise to see that defending champion Luke Littler, the current world number 1, has been a standout throughout. Littler has dominated many of his ties – including a 5-0 quarter-final hammering of Poland’s Krzysztof Ratajski, in which he averaged just over 100 and threw 10 180s in the process.
The crowd got to him in the previous round against Rob Cross, but the 18-year-old let his scoring and finishing do the talking as he progressed to yet another semi-final.
The other quarter-final saw veteran Gary Anderson, now 55, go from strength to strength to beat the impressive Justin Hood. Hood had previously knocked out the well-fancied Josh Rock comfortably, but
“The Flying Scotsman” continued to show why he can still produce the goods on the biggest stage of all.
For darts fans up and down the country, this tournament is far from over. Luke Littler may well be the favourite to win back-to-back trophies, but there are three other players who are more than capable of giving him a run for his money. Let’s dive into those individuals and matches.
Semi-finalists breakdown
First up, it’s Luke “The Nuke” Littler against Ryan “Heavy Metal” Searle – a truly mouth-watering tie featuring two big hitters on the board.
Littler is the defending champion and world number 1, and so it’s no surprise to see that the pre-tournament favourite is expected to reach the final.
The 18-year-old has consistently impressed in each of his matches to date, producing big averages and heavy scoring with his rapid pace. Even when the crowd was against him in his match against Rob Cross, Littler channelled his anger into producing moments of magic – and then came out fighting to beat Ratajski 5-0. That’s the sign of a champion, and he’s firmly on track to make it to the final.
However, fan favourite Ryan Searle will have something to say about that. The world number 20 has been tipped for a few years now to make it to the final, and this is his best opportunity for quite some time.
Impressively, Searle has only lost two sets in his five victories – both coming against Jonny Clayton in the quarter-finals.
“Heavy Metal” has averaged 100 twice to date at the tournament, and he may need to produce that figure once again if he is to cause what would be classed as an upset on Friday evening.
However, with world-class finishing in his back pocket, it would be foolish to rule out Searle from doing just that. He’s been flawless to date and his confidence will be sky high heading into this clash.
Recent history doesn’t favour Searle though. Littler has faced him five times since 2024, winning each and every clash, often by wide margins. The closest that Searle got was back in 2024 when he narrowly lost 8-7.
The second semi-final is a blockbuster.
Dutchman and world number 10 Gian van Veen is ready to lock horns with Gary Anderson, the world number 14 who is no stranger to this stage of the tournament. But let’s start with the player who is almost half of Anderson’s age.
Gian van Veen, though ranked highly, has emerged as one of the tournament’s surprise packages. He was expected to reach the knockouts, but he showed that he was capable of much more with his crushing 5-1 defeat against Luke Humphries, a previous major champion and a player who was expected to reach the final at the very least.
The Dutchman averaged a whopping 105.41 and threw 11 180s, stunning the Ally Pally crowd. The 23-year-old is able to manage the stage and be calm around the board, and he will certainly not be afraid of Anderson and his presence on Friday night.
He’s been consistently hitting heavy scores and doubles throughout the tournament, and if he brings that same level of performance into the semi-final, then he’s capable of beating anyone. At just 23, Van Veen represents the new breed of elite darting talent.
Before we get carried away though, it’s important to note just how good Gary Anderson has been. A seasoned legend of the game, the two-time world champion Anderson has shown his resilience with impressive performances from start to finish, reminding fans why he’s still an elite player.
The Flying Scotsman’s standout performance came against Michael van Gerwen in the last 16, averaging almost a ton while firing in 11 180s to beat the former champion 4-1 on the night. That was as classy as it gets at this level.
His semi-final vs Van Veen pits his experience against a newcomer within the game who is looking to make a name for himself. While Anderson’s demeanour suggests that he won’t be fazed by the occasion, age and pressure moments could be key factors in deciding who reaches the final.
Looking at the head-to-heads between these players, Anderson has won four of the five meetings since 2023, though Van Veen won the most recent match 7-4. Is the tide finally turning?
Expert predictions
Although Searle has only dropped two sets at the Palace, he now faces the in-form favourite and it’s difficult to see “Heavy Metal” running riot against Littler.
Priced as short as 1/10 with Tonybet, Littler is almost expected to make the final – and it’s hard to argue with that. His scoring and high checkouts have been as exceptional as ever, and it’s best to back Littler on the handicap line for those looking for more value.
Littler’s averages have been far better than Searle’s, and so it makes much more sense to back Littler -3.5 in the first semi-final with Tonybet. The bet will be a winner if Searle fails to get more than two sets against the reigning champion.
Bet Littler -3.5 handicap vs Searle here.
The other semi-final is more difficult to call.
While Gian van Veen dominated against Luke Humphries in the quarter-final, there has been something special about Anderson this time around. He’s been there and done it, and nerves will certainly not be part of his game – which will be a huge advantage on the night.
His overall timing in matches has been nothing short of world class, and having beaten Van Veen in four of his five attempts, he’s priced at 6/4 with Tonybet to reach the final.
This looks to be generous considering his performances to date, and with the crowd firmly behind him, the Flying Scotsman can cause a mini shock and book his spot in the final.
That would set up a potential final between Luke Littler and Gary Anderson, in which Littler would be favourite to defend his title. Anderson has stated that he struggles against younger players in longer formats these days, and it would perhaps make sense to back Littler to come out on top by a few sets once more.
Bet on Gary Anderson to reach the final at 6/4 here.
The venue: Alexandra Palace
There’s quite simply no other venue in the world more fitting for the darts than Alexandra Palace.
Known as “Ally Pally”, this historic London landmark has been the home of the PDC World Darts Championship for a number of years, and it’s what makes the event even more special.
Its West Hall – a cavernous space filled with echoing cheers as thousands enter in fancy dress – makes the finals an unforgettable experience.
For Irish supporters tuning in from home, Ally Pally’s atmosphere translates just as well on TV, with the crowd fully immersing themselves in the experience and getting involved with the iconic walk-ons.
The in-person experience is not to be missed, but for those who can’t be there, you can tune into the semi-finals via Sky Sports and soak up the atmosphere from the comfort of your own home.
Keep up to date with Tonybet
For darts fans looking to stay on top of odds, match markets and live betting insights, be sure to check out Tonybet as we provide hundreds of markets both before the matches and also in-play.
Whether you’re backing Littler to keep hold of his crown or you fancy Anderson to roll back the years, Tonybet provides you with those betting opportunities.
We’ve given our best bets for the two semi-finals, as we’ve also indicated how the final could play out. Now you have the chance to place your bets with Tonybet before the action at Ally Pally gets underway once more.
