A man in a batman costume, a woman dressed as a banana and eight Germans in minions outfits step onto a tube. Destination: Alexandra Palace.
The World Darts Championship is probably like no other sporting fixture, and this, the 2026 edition, has probably surpassed the dreams of its organisers, the PDC. A new-look 128 strong field has arguably seen some dip in quality but certainly seen a raise in drama and new storylines.
There is probably no other event where fans buy in year-in-year out to the madness that the organisers have fostered. Sold out signs appear all around, tickets are in scarce supply.
Thursday saw Japan’s Motomu Sakai steal the hearts of the crowd with his jovial walk-on, before thumping below par French number one Thibault Tricole, by three sets to zip. Later in the sold-out afternoon session, he was usurped by an even more unlikely hero. David Munyua made history, becoming the first Kenyan to play and indeed win at the competition.
Dumping out 18th seed, Mike De Decker, the 30-year-old has a very apt nickname: Why Not? Indeed, why not? His victory surely welcomed by the PDC hierarchy who want to make this a truly global tour. This will help grow the tour outside of its traditionally strong base of Europe.
On Friday afternoon, Dom Taylor was thrown out of the competition having tested positive for a banned substance, having defeated Oskar Luksasiak in round one earlier this month. The story is possibly only in its infancy. Then, what about Cameron Menzies? His implosion following defeat earlier this week again provided darts with another viral moment and talking point.
The darts has had plenty of story lines before the second round has even commenced.
The growth of the sport in recent years is being attributed to Luke Littler. The Littler effect some call it. The reigning world champion has probably catapulted arrows into a new space following his incredible rise since becoming old enough to join the PDC. However, it can be fairly argued that darts was already heading that way, and that ‘the Nuke’ simply helped it explode far quicker than anybody could’ve ever imagined.
The doubling of the winner’s cheque from £500,000 to a mouthwatering £1m has certainly raised the stakes this year. It means that this competition continues to dwarf the prizemoney from the other majors available earlier in the year.
Observing from the side of the stage, there was a certain electricity, raucous energy which ramped up even further when The Cranberries reverberated around the arena to greet William O’Connor at the start of the evening session.
While the broadcaster, Sky Sports, are on their ad-break the PDC dancers whip the crowd up into even more delirium and continue to add to the chaotic yet enjoyable atmosphere.
Ray Parlour’s appearance on screen delighted those in attendance before the inevitable negative chanting against Spurs commenced. There is an energy to arena unlike any other sporting event I have seen. Everybody is there to thoroughly enjoy their 3-4 hours under the Ally Pally roof.
On the oche this Friday, Tyrone’s Mickey Mansell turned in a disappointing display and suffered a 3-2 reverse to crowd favourite Leonard Gates. Battle lines are drawn in sport but few are drawn from the walk-on, when Gates’ dancing bought him some love from the crowd before eventually prevailing in the final set.
Josh Rock, an Antrim native and World Cup winner in 2025 with Northern Ireland, eased into the next round, defeating Gemma Hayter 3-1. There are few sports in the world where both genders compete, and while the ladies have struggled thus far, their time at the top table is only in its infancy.
Meanwhile in the evening session, O’Connor, from Cappamore in Limerick, set up a round two clash with three-time champion, Michael Van Gerwen. The Magpie has been a steady pro for a decade and a half, and while he has never threatened the upper echelons, he has had a creditable career on tour, and been consistently the Republic of Ireland’s number one.
His superb 3-0 triumph over the unranked Polish Krzysztof Kciuk saw O’Connor register seven 180’s and the highest average in the tournament to date, with 102.36 more than enough. Starting with a 167 checkout in the opening leg, the 39-year-old rarely looked back and eased to victory in front of an increasingly boisterous London crowd.
