Darts Knowledge
The history of darts is shaped by exceptional players, great rivalries and world championships. Here you will find an overview of PDC world champions since 1994, historic BDO world champions and some of the best-known names in international darts.
PDC and former BDO world titles belong to separate competitions and are therefore listed separately.
The Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) has organised its World Darts Championship since 1994. The following overview lists the respective champions by year. As of: 2026 World Championship.
| Year | World Champion |
|---|---|
| 1994 | Dennis Priestley |
| 1995–2002 | Phil Taylor (1995–2002) |
| 2003 | John Part |
| 2004–2006 | Phil Taylor (2004–2006) |
| 2007 | Raymond van Barneveld |
| 2008 | John Part |
| 2009–2010 | Phil Taylor (2009–2010) |
| 2011–2012 | Adrian Lewis (2011–2012) |
| 2013 | Phil Taylor |
| 2014 | Michael van Gerwen |
| 2015–2016 | Gary Anderson (2015–2016) |
| 2017 | Michael van Gerwen |
| 2018 | Rob Cross |
| 2019 | Michael van Gerwen |
| 2020 | Peter Wright |
| 2021 | Gerwyn Price |
| 2022 | Peter Wright |
| 2023 | Michael Smith |
| 2024 | Luke Humphries |
| 2025–2026 | Luke Littler (2025–2026) |
The years refer to the calendar year in which the final took place. The PDC World Darts Championship is held across the turn of the year.
The British Darts Organisation (BDO) held its own World Championship from 1978 to 2020. The 2020 BDO World Championship was the final edition. These titles are part of darts history but do not count towards the PDC World Championship.
| World Champion | Years |
|---|---|
| Leighton Rees | 1978 |
| John Lowe | 1979, 1987, 1993 |
| Eric Bristow | 1980, 1981, 1984, 1985, 1986 |
| Jocky Wilson | 1982, 1989 |
| Keith Deller | 1983 |
| Bob Anderson | 1988 |
| Phil Taylor | 1990, 1992 |
| Dennis Priestley | 1991 |
| John Part | 1994 |
| Richie Burnett | 1995 |
| Steve Beaton | 1996 |
| Les Wallace | 1997 |
| Raymond van Barneveld | 1998, 1999, 2003, 2005 |
| Ted Hankey | 2000, 2009 |
| John Walton | 2001 |
| Tony David | 2002 |
| Andy Fordham | 2004 |
| Jelle Klaasen | 2006 |
| Martin Adams | 2007, 2010, 2011 |
| Mark Webster | 2008 |
| Christian Kist | 2012 |
| Scott Waites | 2013, 2016 |
| Stephen Bunting | 2014 |
| Scott Mitchell | 2015 |
| Glen Durrant | 2017, 2018, 2019 |
| Wayne Warren | 2020 |
The BDO Women's World Championship was held from 2001 to 2020. Multiple title winners include Trina Gulliver, Anastasia Dobromyslova, Lisa Ashton and Mikuru Suzuki.
| World Champion | Years |
|---|---|
| Trina Gulliver | 2001–2007, 2010, 2011, 2016 |
| Anastasia Dobromyslova | 2008, 2012, 2013 |
| Francis Hoenselaar | 2009 |
| Lisa Ashton | 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018 |
| Mikuru Suzuki | 2019, 2020 |
Besides the world champions, many other players have helped shape international darts. The following selection is not intended as a ranking.
Many dart players use darts that have been individually tailored to their preferences. Player darts are based on models used by well-known professionals, but can differ significantly in terms of weight, grip and shape. What matters most is finding the features that suit your own throwing style.
If you would like to learn more about the basics, you can find further information in our Dart Buying Guide and in our article about dart weight.
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