The PDC (Professional Darts Corporation) World Darts Championship has long been the biggest, best, richest and most prestigious tournament in the game of darts. Founded in 1994, the tournament provides one of the best atmospheres in any sport and sees all of the best darts players come to Alexandra Palace (or Ally Pally, as it is known to just about everyone) and battle it out to be crowned the world champion.
For many this tournament is now part of the Christmas festivities, running as it does from mid-December through to the start of the New Year. The 2024 champion will be crowned on the 3rd of January and will bag a cheque for a very tidy £500,000. It’s a decent way to see in the New Year but of course as well as the money on offer – £2.5m in total – this championship is all about the glory of being crowned the best darts player on the planet.
Winning the PDC once is enough to write a player’s name into the darting history books. However, our focus here is on the best of the best, the legends of the game with multiple world championships to their name. And of course we will answer the question of the title – who has won the most PDC World Darts Championships?
The Power Powers to Unbeatable 14 PDC Titles
There is no point in building suspense or beating around the bush: the person to have claimed the most PDC world titles is, of course, Phil “The Power” Taylor. Stoke’s finest dominated darts for so long that he has set records that may never be broken. Records are there to be bettered and, perhaps one day, all of Taylor’s will be but it seems unlikely to be any time soon.
The man who walks on to The Power by Snap! has a total of 16 world championships to his name, including the 14 PDC titles mentioned and a further two from his early years in the BDO. Those BDO wins came in 1990 and 1992 before he went on to absolutely dominate the sport and virtually monopolise the PDC world crown. His 14 titles are summarised below:
| Title Number | Year | Beat | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 2013 | Michael van Gerwen | 7-4 |
| 13 | 2010 | Simon Whitlock | 7-3 |
| 12 | 2009 | Raymond van Barneveld | 7-1 |
| 11 | 2006 | Peter Manley | 7-0 |
| 10 | 2005 | Mark Dudbridge | 7-4 |
| 9 | 2004 | Keith Painter | 7-6 |
| 8 | 2002 | Peter Manley | 7-0 |
| 7 | 2001 | John Part | 7-0 |
| 6 | 2000 | Dennis Priestley | 7-3 |
| 5 | 1999 | Peter Manley | 6-2 |
| 4 | 1998 | Dennis Priestley | 6-0 |
| 3 | 1997 | Dennis Priestley | 6-3 |
| 2 | 1996 | Dennis Priestley | 6-4 |
| 1 | 1995 | Rod Harrington | 6-2 |
As you can see, for a period of around 10 years on either side of the millennium he was virtually unbeatable. He won eight championships in a row and 11 out of 12, a record that could have been even better given he lost in the finals in 1994, 2003 and 2007. In all he reached the last two 14 years running and in total appeared in a staggering 19 finals in the sport’s biggest tournament.
That demonstrates his longevity and he actually played at the PDC World Darts Championship a whopping 25 times. No other finalist has played in the tournament more than 19 times, whilst (excluding the 2024 tournament), Dutch ace Van Gerwen has the next most appearances in the final with six. What’s more, as if winning the game’s biggest event 14 times wasn’t sufficient to illustrate how dominant he was, several of his finals were highly one-sided affairs. There have been four whitewashes, or wins “to nil” in the final and all of them were recorded by The Power. Those wins came against world-class players, including one of the sport’s legendary figures, Dennis Priestley.
Taylor has a decent claim to be the UK’s best sportsperson of all time. He won a record 85 major events, is the only darts player to ever make the top two in BBC Sports Personality of the Year, and is a true legend, who set new standards and changed the game.
MVG a Distant Second But Sure to Close the Gap
Mighty Mike, AKA, Michael van Gerwen, or MVG, was seen as the player who would take over from Taylor and whilst he is second in terms of world championships, there is a slight feeling that his career hasn’t quite hit the heights some thought it might. Even so, he won the PDC crown in 2014, 2017 and 2019 and will feel he can add at least a couple more before he retires.
He lost out in the final in 2013, to The Power, again in 2020 against Peter Wright, and most recently in 2023 to Michael Smith. Only Taylor has appeared in the final on more occasions and the Dutch ace has a decent claim to being the second-greatest darts player of all time. Many would disagree but if he can add another two or three World Championships to his tally, which certainly seems possible, MVG’s claims would be easier to justify.
Four Other Stars Boast Two Titles Apiece
The following players have all won the PDC World Darts Championship on two occasions.
- Gary Anderson
- Adrian Lewis
- Peter Wright
- John Part
Part is the only one not still active, so he won’t be adding to his tally. Part is a Canadian who would surely have won more titles had the best part of his career not come at the same time as Taylor’s. He managed to get the better of The Power in the final in 2006, winning 7-6, and also lost to the same man in 2001… an embarrassing 7-0 hammering. Part won his third and final crown in 2008.
The other three players will all feel they have at least a chance of moving to three PDC victories, although Anderson is 53, the same age as Wright. Lewis is a spring chicken at just 38 but his last world title came back in 2012 and his last final appearance in 2013. The years and finals of all three can be seen below, as well as their nationalities.
Players with Two World Titles
| Player | Won Title | Lost Final | Total Finals | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gary Anderson | 2015, 2016 | 2011, 2017, 2021 | 5 | Scottish |
| Adrian Lewis | 2011, 2012 | 2016 | 3 | English |
| John Part | 2003, 2008 | 2001 | 3 | Canadian |
| Peter Wright | 2020, 2022 | 2014 | 3 | Scottish |
Honourable Mention for Dennis Priestley
Dennis “The Menace” Priestley only has one PDC crown to his name, winning the inaugural tournament back in 1994 and yet he is a true legend of the sport. That is because, in addition to the 1991 BDO world title, he also lost the PDC final four times. No player, aside from Taylor, has lost that many finals and it was The Power who beat him on each occasion, including three years in a row from 1996 to 1998 (plus 2000 for good measure!).