After days of darting duels, tungsten skirmishes and reputations being quietly escorted to the exit, the once-towering 128-strong field at the 2026 PDC Paddy Power World Championship has been reduced to just eight survivors. Eight men. Eight stories. Eight cheques already inked for a guaranteed £100,000 before a dart is even thrown in the quarter-finals.
Four matches now stand between these players and immortality. Some combatants expected. Some eyebrow-raising. All utterly box office. Here is Darts World’s deep dive into each explosive encounter.
(1) Luke Littler v Krzysztof RatajskiIf
The reigning World Champion operates anywhere near his upper limits, this could be over in a blink. The format now stretches. Race to five. Longer runway. And that, quite frankly, suits The Nuke perfectly. Keeping pace with Littler’s scoring velocity for that length of time is like trying to sprint alongside a comet.
That said, the Polish Eagle does possess a puncher’s chance. A former quarter-finalist on this stage, Ratajski is nothing if not stubbornly efficient. Mid-90s averages. Solid doubling. Relentless rhythm. If Littler starts cold and fails to apply early pressure, this could become a scrap – and Krzysztof has enough bite to make it uncomfortable.
But realism must prevail. Littler will play well. Probably very well. And even at Ratajski’s absolute ceiling, it still feels like the teenager has too many gears. Generously, 5-2. Truthfully, I nearly wrote 5-1. A whitewash isn’t completely out of the question. But I would give the Pole at least a set based on pure grit and determination.
(2) Luke Humphries v Gian van Veen (10)
This is a nightmare to call. A glorious one – but a nightmare all the same. Humphries knows he carries the greater experience, the fuller trophy cabinet, the scars of battles already won. But he also knows that van Veen is one of the very few humans alive capable of matching him punch for punch on the scoring phase over an extended distance.
Both are World Youth Champions. Both graduated through the Development Tour. Humphries has climbed the mountain. Van Veen looks destined to do the same – and sooner rather than later. Possibly very soon indeed. If the Dutchman beats Cool Hand here, just as he did in the European Championship final earlier this year, it would not be a shock. Anyone who defeats Humphries on this stage, at this magnitude, is operating at world-class level. This feels like a classic for the archives already.
Prediction: As they are both Darts World columnist’s, we’ll sit on the fence and just say expect an explosive seven set a thriller. Diplomacy intact.
(14) Gary Anderson v Justin Hood
Almost a decade on from last lifting the Sid Waddell Trophy, The Flying Scotsman is sending a message loud enough to rattle the Palace rafters. He wants one more dance. One more crown. One final act of tungsten theatre to complete a remarkable hat-trick.
On form. On pedigree. On experience alone – Anderson has every chance. But standing in front of him is the fairytale nobody predicted. The last remaining debutant. Justin Hood.
And it’s been utterly breath-taking. First year on tour. One solitary floor quarter-final all season. Virtually zero big-stage exposure. And yet here he stands, having bulldozed through Danny Noppert and Josh Rock with fearless abandon. This isn’t luck. This is belief weaponised.
The numbers are fascinating as they are impressive. Both men have posted ton-plus averages twice in their four matches. Anderson has the scars. Hood has the freedom. And sometimes, pressure only travels one way. Everyone expects this to be where the dream ends. Anderson himself knows chances like this are no longer plentiful.
Prediction: I think this is where for Hood, the fairytale ends – but not quietly. 5-3 Anderson, likely to be decided by moments of impeccable and crucial timing. Not by any real difference in the power scoring stats.
(20) Ryan Searle v Jonny Clayton (5)
This one has a decent amount of distance written all over it. Clayton owns the glittering CV. Searle owns the form. And remarkably, Heavy Metal has not dropped a single set. Not one. That statistic usually belongs to one of the Luke’s – but here we are.
Searle’s path has been ruthless. Chris Landman dispatched. Then the evergreen Brendan Dolan. Then came the headline act – German number one Martin Schindler. To reach this stage, he calmly dismantled James Hurrell, a man who had just toppled Stephen Bunting.
Clayton’s journey? Far bumpier. Early nerves against Adam Lipscombe but rode a few early dangerous waves. Then his next opponent, Dom Taylor was withdrawn after returning a positive doping test which meant Jonny didn’t have to go back to the Palace until after Christmas.
After the festivities, a real war with Niels Zonneveld. And then another proper fright from Andreas Harrysson, despite the 4-2 scoreline maybe suggesting it was not as uncomfortable as it looks.
Prediction: Given one man is cruising and the other has been dragged through the trenches, the lean here is clear. Searle 5-3.
If you choose to turn these predictions into wagers and they explode spectacularly in your face, Darts World accepts absolutely no responsibility whatsoever. Fully exonerated. Legally. Spiritually. Emotionally. But if they land? We’ll happily accept a round of drinks.
—–Ends—–
Images: PDC
