The darts commentator and former Players Championship winner makes his pick to triumph at Alexandra Palace and picks out a potential first-round shock.
Former darts player Paul Nicholson has made his predictions for the 2026 PDC World Darts Championship, which begins on 11 December.
Luke Littler is the favourite in the darts betting to triumph for the second consecutive year at Alexandra Palace, with Luke Humphries – who beat Littler in 2024 but crashed out in the fourth round last year – the second-favourite.
In our interview, ‘The Asset’ picks his winner, predicts the finalists and selects a lively outsider and a potential shocking first round exit ahead of the tournament.
Paul, who is your pick to win the PDC World Championship and why?
I think a lot of people are going to have the same opinion. They’re going to go for Luke Littler because of his record in 2025. It’s not just because of the way he’s playing, it’s because of how he’s peaking for every event. Maybe people thought, is he going to be able to defend the Grand Slam? He went and did it, and he played arguably better than the previous year. They said he was weak at the double start, he wins the World Grand Prix. He’s figuring things out really, really quickly. And he’s already referenced the fact that nobody has defended this title since 2016 when Gary Anderson did, and 10 years later, Littler has made it his mission to do it again. It’s going to be hard, but I don’t think anybody’s going to stop him.
Do you see a Luke v Luke final, or can someone surpass Humphries on the bottom half of the draw?
Let’s face it. The half of the draw that Humphries has got is more difficult than the one that Littler has, because he’s got more hurdles to go over based on form, numbers, likelihood. Gian van Veen has been Humphries bogeyman this year. So even if he comes through a section of the draw that includes the likes of Mike De Decker and other people like that, every single hurdle for him is going to be really, really difficult, whereas Littler’s is just way easier. There are fewer people in Littler’s half who will topple him, whereas in Humphries section, it’s experience, it’s form, it’s major winners of 2025. It just feels like Humphries is going to have to go to the well more than two or three times. But a lot of people have spoken too, including my own opinions, we still believe that Humphries will make 3 January to set up a Luke versus Luke final.
Could we see a surprise package who can get through to the latter stages of the PDC World Darts Championship?
I think so. I think everybody is looking at this tournament like four different tournaments. Who’s going to win quarter one? Who’s going to win quarter two, three, and four? Littler is in section one. You’ve got Humphries in section three. Then section four is its own little beast. But you look at quarter two and you think, if that was a tournament on its own of 32 players, you’d want to watch that, and you wouldn’t confidently say you know who’s going to win it, which makes it probably the best quarter to watch out for.
Now, Steven Bunting is not taking this personally from anyone. He just understands that he hasn’t been very good in his last couple of tournaments, results-wise. And for that reason, the number four seed is not being fancied by anyone. Everyone’s trying to be a genius in trying to find that one person who’s going to make 2 January for the semi-finals and have the best run of their career. I haven’t heard anybody tip Steven Bunting yet, which is really, really weird. But I’ve gone for Ryan Searle. I think he is someone who enjoys playing at Alexander Palace, especially when he can take his family with him. And I think it yearns inside him that he is capable of going on such a deep run. I’ve been banging the drum for him for a little while. I’m going to stick with it because I’m really stubborn.
Now looking at quarter four of the PDC World Darts Championship, who comes through that to make the semi-finals?
I mean, it’s really, really difficult because it’s Michael van Gerwen’s section. There have been more question marks on Michael van Gerwen this year than ever before. So when you’re talking about this section of the draw, there are a lot of people that think that Gary Anderson could come through it, and I wouldn’t be surprised whatsoever if he did that. But his Alexander Palace form over the last couple of years hasn’t been as glowing as previous years. So some people think that he might be not at his peak when it comes to this, and one final flourish might not be there. I wouldn’t put anything beyond Gary Anderson. But as far as that section is concerned, take your pick. MVG is going to have to potentially go through Peter Wright and Gary Anderson. And at the bottom of the draw you’ve got Josh Rock, who everybody thinks is going to have a deep run. His Alexander Palace record isn’t brilliant, but it doesn’t have to be. Luke Littler made the final two years ago when he hadn’t even played there before. So, in the best year of his career, where he’s playing the best darts, loads more finals on the tour, you have to think that Josh Rock is primed for something, and it could well be in the new year.
Finally, looking at this year’s tournament, who could be a shock early exit?
I think there are lots of possibilities. I mean, even if you take yourself out of the top 16 in the world, you look at someone like Luke Woodhouse, who’s had a great season. He’s been given Boris Krcmar, who is genuinely one of the best dart players ever to throw a dart. I know he’s doing it over multiple disciplines with soft-tip and steel-tip, but he’s still one of the best that’s ever done it. I think Luke Woodhouse has been given the most horrible draw, but I worry for Michael van Gerwen if he doesn’t get a good start. And I listen to everything he says at the minute, I know he’s talking a great game and he’s going to be really bullish, there’s nothing wrong with that, but everybody can talk a great game. They have to go up there and do it, and I really want Michael to do it, but I do fear that he’s going to have a few bad sets. And if they’re timed at the wrong times, he could go early. I suppose him going early wouldn’t be that much of a shock. I think he’s done really, really well in holding on to the world No. 3 spot over the course of the season.
But early exits, I think there are going to be plenty. I think there are going to be lots of them because I don’t think a lot of these top darts players will ready for some of the guys who are coming into the tournament and indeed the girls. So, section four has got all the women in it apart from Fallon Sherrock, I believe. But yeah, I just can’t wait to get this started because there are going to be plenty of ups and downs, and of the top 32 players, I think eight of them won’t survive the first round.
