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Since 1994 the PDC, after it had split off two years before from the then darts organization BDO, organizes its own Darts World Championship. The reason for this at that time was that a darts association wanted to be founded where professionals could earn their living from the prize money they won. However, this was not possible at the BDO due to several factors. The sponsorship money was too low, the urge of the British Darts Organization to professionalize was too small. This was counteracted by a merger of some world class players, including the later darts world champion Phil Taylor, with the founding of the PDC at that time.
In January 1994 the first final of a World Darts Championship organized by the PDC took place. Only two years before the PDC was founded at all. The idea was to finally establish a certain professionalism in the sport in order to bring darts back on a serious track. A lot has happened since then. Today we know that the founders of the PDC at that time did a lot of things right, because the BDO decided not completely surprisingly this year to cut the prize money of the own World Championship enormously. The sponsors jumped off and the BDO is even close to collapse. The growth of the PDC on the other hand continues to flourish so that the prize money in darts is rising rapidly.
As an absolute world-class player, it is no longer unusual to generate more than a million euros after a few years in the top 10 of the world rankings. However, hard work is the duty to achieve such a goal. In this article we would like to take a look at the world champions the PDC has produced so far.
So far exactly 9 players managed to win the world title at the Professional Darts Corporation. A relatively small number when you consider that the PDC has already hosted 27 World Championships. But this small number is not by chance, because it also shows how difficult it is to prevail against the world's best players to secure the title of a World Championship.
| The World Cup finals at a glance | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Winner | Result | Opponents |
| 1994 | Dennis Priestley | 6:1 | Phil Taylor |
| 1995 | Phil Taylor | 6:2 | Rod Harrington |
| 1996 | Phil Taylor | 6:4 | Dennis Priestley |
| 1997 | Phil Taylor | 6:3 | Dennis Priestley |
| 1998 | Phil Taylor | 6:0 | Dennis Priestley |
| 1999 | Phil Taylor | 6:2 | Peter Manley |
| 2000 | Phil Taylor | 7:3 | Dennis Priestley |
| 2001 | Phil Taylor | 7:0 | John Part |
| 2002 | Phil Taylor | 7:0 | Peter Manley |
| 2003 | John Part | 7:6 | Phil Taylor |
| 2004 | Phil Taylor | 7:6 | Kevin Painter |
| 2005 | Phil Taylor | 7:4 | Mark Dudbridge |
| 2006 | Phil Taylor | 7:0 | Peter Manley |
| 2007 | Raymond van Barneveld | 7:6 | Phil Taylor |
| 2008 | John Part | 7:2 | Kirk Shepherd |
| 2009 | Phil Taylor | 7:1 | Raymond van Barneveld |
| 2010 | Phil Taylor | 7:3 | Simon Whitlock |
| 2011 | Adrian Lewis | 7:5 | Gary Anderson |
| 2012 | Adrian Lewis | 7:3 | Andy Hamilton |
| 2013 | Phil Taylor | 7:4 | Michael van Gerwen |
| 2014 | Michael van Gerwen | 7:4 | Peter Wright |
| 2015 | Gary Anderson | 7:6 | Phil Taylor |
| 2016 | Gary Anderson | 7:5 | Adrian Lewis |
| 2017 | Michael van Gerwen | 7:3 | Gary Anderson |
| 2018 | Rob Cross | 7:2 | Phil Taylor |
| 2019 | Michael van Gerwen | 7:3 | Michael Smith |
| 2020 | Peter Wright | 7:3 | Michael van Gerwen |
To date, only four nations in 27 world championships have been able to celebrate a world champion. England, Scotland, the Netherlands and Canada have had this privilege so far. While England has celebrated 18 world championship titles, the Netherlands has won four. Scotland is in third place with three world championship titles. John Part has managed the feat of winning two World Championship titles for his home country Canada.
So in total 9 players from the mentioned four nations managed to win a World Championship title at the PDC World Darts Championship. We would like to briefly discuss the most legendary World Championship moments of these nine World Darts Champions.
The great Phil Taylor has won more than half of all world championships to date. Taylor was allowed to celebrate and cheer the PDC altogether 14 times - last in 2013. Till today Taylor is considered as the player who made the sport of darts what it is today. After Taylor lost the very first World Championship against Dennis Priestley, the Englishman managed to win the title eight times in a row. The long era of Phil Taylor came to a real end only after the year 2013. In the last five World Championship participations Taylor didn't manage to win the title.
Michael van Gerwen is already the eternal number two in his young years, because with three World Championship titles MvG won so far more than any other darts player in the PDC - except Phil Taylor. In 2014, 2017 and 2019 the Dutchman lifted the World Championship trophy. It's also very likely that van Gerwen will go on to win more World Championship titles and thus defend at least second place in the PDC World Championship wins list forever. The Dutchman created a very special moment in the 2013 World Championship semi-finals when he threw 17 (!) perfect darts in a row against James Wade and just missed two 9-darters in a row.
Third place is shared by three players who have each won two world titles. There are several special features about each player. One of the most striking, however, is the special feature of John Part. Of all four nations, he is the only one who could win the World Championship for Canada - and that twice. Adrian Lewis and Gary Anderson, on the other hand, are united by something very special. Both managed the feat of winning the two World Championship titles in a row. They are considered back-to-back world champions, so to speak. A feat, which for example Michael van Gerwen is still denied.
Four players at least could win a World Championship title in the association of the PDC. Dennis Priestley for example won the very first PDC World Darts Championship ever. In 1994 he beat Phil Taylor more than clear with 6:1 in sets. For a long time it should remain the last defeat of a Phil Taylor in the World Championship. Raymond van Barneveld on the other hand won perhaps the best World Championship match ever when he defeated Phil Taylor in sudden death of the final 7:6 in sets. Rob Cross wrote his own history as he managed to win his first World Championship - a feat which has never been achieved by any other player.
That leaves Peter Wright. What can we say about this: As reigning World Champion Peter Wright is by definition the best darts player on the planet - and rightly so after a 7:3 win over Michael van Gerwen in the final. The revenge for the lost final of the World Championship in 2014 succeeded the Scot who secured his place in the history books with the World Championship win.
