PDC set for crunch talks over Ally Pally as World Darts Championship speculation continues

Professional Darts Corporation chief Matthew Porter is keen to engage with Alexandra Palace on how they can continue to grow the sport of darts, amid talks of the World Championship relocating from its iconic home. The Worlds has been held at the north London venue since 2008, when it moved on from the beloved Circus Tavern in Essex.

The relocation to Ally Pally came about as a result of a surge in darts viewership, as the sport's demands outgrew the 800 to 900 capacity Circus Tavern. At the time, then PDC chairman Barry Hearn said: "The Circus Tavern has become something of a Mecca for darts supporters, but we have to move to the Alexandra Palace if we are to continue growing," while legend of the sport Phil Taylor added: "It will be sad to leave, but it shows now where the game is going."

And while Alexandra Palace has become almost synonymous with darts over the past 17 years, there are concerns that the World Championships may need to be rehomed once again to allow the sport to grow further.

Speaking about the tournament in the build-up to the 2026 World Championship, Porter has explained that he's eager to see how Alexandra Palace can help accommodate growth.

As per City AM, he said: "It's the pinnacle of our calendar, and we've got a responsibility to grow the sport and grow the event as much as we can. But we're very keen on engaging with Ally Pally about how we can make that happen in the future."

He added: "It was probably a pipe dream 15 years ago, but now we're selling out venues. It's a global sport, and it will continue to grow with the investment that we're ready to put into it.

"It's all about identifying new markets, continuing to expand the sport, grow the game and keep ensuring that people understand that modern darts is perhaps not necessarily the sport that they thought it was from 30 or so years ago. Breaking down barriers and changing perceptions is what we've been really good at over the last couple of decades, and that's why darts is in the place that it is now. So we'll keep on doing that."

While the upcoming 2026 World Championship will be held at Alexandra Palace's West Hall between December 11 and January 3, fans have reservations with regard to how many years the 3,200-capacity venue has left with the tournament.

Luke Littler has drawn a number of new eyes on the sport as of late through his monumental rise to the top of the sport as a teenager.

The 18-year-old heads into the next edition of the tournament with hopes of defending the title he won earlier this year courtesy of a 7-3 win over Michael van Gerwen, in fine form as he averaged 102.73 at the oche. And while 'the Nuke' hasn't publicly commented on his stance on the World Championship relocating, other players have been incredibly vocal of their admiration of its legendary home.

Luke Humphries, who sits first in the PDC Order of Merit at present, for example, explained last December that he wouldn't want the Worlds to move on. He said: "I could see it going other places, but I wouldn't want it to - I really like it here.

"Of course that's not my decision, it's up to the PDC, and at the end of the day it's all about supply and demand. There's about 90,000 tickets, but you've got over a million people wanting a ticket and you can't provide people what they want so it's kind of a Catch 22. For me, the World Championship has to stay in England because it's a Christmas thing."

In the November, Hearn also said: "For the world championship this year, 90,000 tickets sold out in 15 minutes. I asked my people in head office, 'Tell me, how many could I have sold?'

"They said, 'Somewhere over 300,000.' Now that puts a different emphasis on it. Same as when we moved from the Circus Tavern all those years ago, now I'm looking at Alexandra Palace.

"And I'm saying, 'Well, it only holds 3,500. I have to grow all the time. If you ever get complacent, you go backwards.' So, next year we will go from 96 to 128 players. We will add four more days, which is eight sessions, which is another 25,000 tickets.

"Sooner or later, I should be looking and saying: 'Do you know, like with snooker, I need a bigger venue.' I mean, I can sell out any arena in the world. But can I do it for 30 or 40 sessions? That's the key issue because the atmosphere makes it a great night."