World Darts Championship 2025 prize money: How much does the winner get?

01/02/2025 11:11 AM

The 2025 World Darts Championship is reaching its climax, with a lot of money set to be handed out to the winner at Alexandra Palace.

Thursday night’s semi-finals see Michael van Gerwen take on Chris Dobey and Luke Littler face Stephen Bunting.

The bookmakers expect MVG and the Nuke to come through and create a blockbuster final between the three-time champion and last year’s runner-up who is trying to go one better and become the youngest ever winner at just 17 years old.

Dobey and Bunting will have other ideas and intend to land the top prize, but all four players have already guaranteed themselves a very profitable few days in north London.

How much prize money will the World Darts Championship winner get?

The champion, crowned on 3 January, will not only lift the huge Sid Waddell Trophy, but also claim £500,000 for their efforts in becoming world champion.

The runner-up will have to settle for £200,000, just as Littler did when he was beaten by Luke Humphries in the final a year ago.

The losing semi-finalists will be gutted to miss out on the showpiece, but will be comforted by winning £100,000 for their runs to the last four.

A run to the quarter-finals at Alexandra Palace earns players £50,000, while falling at the last16 stage – as defending champion Humphries did – is worth £35,000.

Reaching the last 32 earns a player £25,000 while the last 64 is worth £15,000.

First round losers at Alexandra Palace pick up £7,500, which is not bad for players such as Matt Campbell and Jim Long who won just one leg in their opening round defeats.

There is extra cash on the line for players at the World Darts Championship this year, with tournament sponsors Paddy Power offering £60,000 for anyone who lands a 9-darter.

Two players have hit the perfect leg so far during the tournament and pocketed the bonus, with Christian Kist and Damon Heta both managing it, although both lost the match in which they managed perfection.

Not only does the player win big for a 9-darter, but whenever one lands, Paddy Power are donating £60,000 to Prostate Cancer UK and £60,000 to a lucky person in the crowd at Alexandra Palace.

How has World Darts Championship prize money grown?

After the split in darts, the first PDC World Darts Championship was won in 1994 by Dennis Priestley who claimed a £16,000 top prize for beating Phil Taylor at the iconic Circus Tavern.

The top prize actually dropped the following year to just £12,000, won by Taylor, and fluctuated in years to come, but eventually grew to £100,000 in 2006.

There have been substantial leaps since then, jumping to £200,000 in 2010, £300,000 in 2016 and growing to the current figure of £500,000 in 2019.

Before the PDC (formerly WDC) came into existence, the BDO World Championship crowned the undisputed world champion, starting in 1978 when Leighton Rees won £3,000 for his triumph.

The 1993 BDO World Championship, the last before the split, saw John Lowe win £30,000 thanks to beating Alan Warriner in the final at Lakeside.