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The PDC has unveiled a significant alteration to the Paddy Power PDC World Darts Championship. The 2026 tournament will feature an unprecedented 128-player field vying for the Sid Waddell Trophy, meaning seeds will have to compete in an additional round due to the expanded field.

This year, all competitors will join the tournament at the first round stage, with 32 seeded players and those ranked 33-64 randomly drawn on the left side of the draw against the remaining 64 qualifiers. The format mirrors that of Wimbledon, where all players enter at the same stage. Luke Littler and co will now need to play seven games in total to win the title.

"The expansion of the tournament will provide players from the PDC's global affiliate tours and secondary tours with further opportunities to compete on the sport's biggest stage," read a statement released on Tuesday. "This will include a minimum of four women in the 128-player field."

The top 40 players from the PDC Order of Merit following November's Players Championship Finals will automatically qualify, including reigning champion Luke Littler.

The top 40 non-qualified players from the ProTour Order of Merit will also participate in the tournament, with the remaining 48 spots allocated to international qualifiers.

The international qualifiers will then secure their places in the following order: PDC World Youth Champion, PDC Development Tour Winner, PDC Development Tour Runner-Up, PDC Development Tour Third Place.

PDC Challenge Tour Winner, PDC Challenge Tour Runner-Up, PDC Challenge Tour Third Place, PDC Women's World Matchplay Winner, PDC Women's Series Winner, PDC Women's Series Runner-Up, PDC Women's Series Third Place.

Steel Darts Japan Tour Winner, PDC China Championship Winner IDC Indian Qualifier, PDC Asian Championship Winner, PDC Asian Championship Runner-Up, PDC Asian Tour Winner , PDC Asian Tour Runner-Up, PDC Asian Tour Third Place, PDC Asian Tour Fourth Place, PDC Asian Tour Fifth Place.

PDCE Netherlands and Belgium Qualifier, PDCE Mediterranean Qualifier, PDCE South-East Europe Qualifier, PDCE Czechia Qualifier, PDO Polish Qualifier, PDCE DACH Super League Winner, Hungarian Super League Winner, PDC UKandIRE Tour Card Holder and Associate Member Qualifier.

PDC North American Championship Winner, CDC Continental Cup Winner, CDC Cross-Border Challenge Winner, CDC Top Ranked American, CDC Top Ranked Canadian, CDLC Qualifier, PDC Nordic and Baltic Championship Winner, PDCNB ProTour Winner, PDCNB ProTour Runner-Up.

ANZ Premier League Winner, ADA Australian Tour Winner, DPA ProTour Winner, DPNZ ProTour Winner, African Darts Group Qualifier, PDC Tour Card Holder Qualifier 1, PDC Tour Card Holder Qualifier 2, PDC Tour Card Holder Qualifier 3, PDC Tour Card Holder Qualifier 4 and one place TBC.