The full results and round-ups from the 2018 PDC World Darts Championship, which was won by Rob Cross.
The memorable 2018 William Hill PDC World Darts Championship has come to a conclusion, with debutant Rob Cross lifting the Sid Waddell Trophy after he crushed the retiring Phil Taylor in the final at Alexandra Palace in London.
Here you can look back on how the World Championship unfolded with the full daily results, highlights, results and reviews while we have the prize money breakdown, format, plus lots of historical facts, records and statistics.
ROUND-BY-ROUND RESULTS (draw bracket order)
Scroll down for daily schedule, results & highlights
Seedings in brackets
Latest Sky Bet odds
Final (New Year's Day)
🏆Rob Cross - World Darts Champion!🎯
— Sporting Life (@SportingLife) January 1, 2018
☹️Fails to qualify for 2016 BDO world champs
📺🍺Watches 2017 PDC world champs in pub
🎯2017 1st year as a pro
🥇Wins 4 events
🌎Debut world champs
👊Knocks out MVG in epic SF
🏆Ends Phil Taylor's career in the final
😲Wow#Lovethedarts pic.twitter.com/vEmUESIsTh
⚡️The Power goes out but his legend will forever live on...
— Sporting Life (@SportingLife) January 1, 2018
🏆 World Champion x 16
🏆 World Matchplay x 16
🏆 World Grand Prix x 11
🏆 Grand Slam x 6
🏆 Premier League x 6
🏆 UK Open x 5
🏆 Overall TV titles 100+
Phil Taylor - thanks for the memories 👏🎯 pic.twitter.com/J3KBHXz0z7
Semi-Finals
CLICK HERE FOR SEMI-FINAL REVIEW
Quarter-Finals
CLICK HERE FOR QUARTER-FINAL REVIEW
Third Round
Second Round
First Round
(P) denotes Preliminary Round
Thursday December 14
Evening Session (7pm)
First Round (Best of 5 sets)
TV Coverage: Sky Sports Main Event/Darts
🎯 MVG 3-1 Kist
— Sporting Life (@SportingLife) December 14, 2017
👊 Average: 106
🙌 180s: 4
👌 100+ checkouts: 141, 138, 114
And Kist also averaged over 100 👏#LoveTheDarts pic.twitter.com/NBm9gcSne3
Friday December 15
Evening Session (7pm)
First Round (Best of 5)/Prelim (Best of 3)
TV Coverage: Sky Sports Darts
Dimitri Van den Bergh - what a talent 🎯⭐️
— Sporting Life (@SportingLife) December 15, 2017
Average 104.17👌
180s 5👍
Beats Bunting 3-1 👏#LoveTheDartspic.twitter.com/FPqUesdRT2
Saturday December 16
Afternoon Session (12.30pm)
First Round (Best of 5)/Prelim (Best of 3)
TV Coverage: Sky Sports Darts
Evening Session (7pm)
First Round (Best of 5)/Prelim (Best of 3)
TV Coverage: Sky Sports Darts/Main Event
🚂Gary Anderson posted an average of 131.93 in the second set of his win last night 😮
— Sporting Life (@SportingLife) December 17, 2017
🎯 He wants his title back...pic.twitter.com/YvTWEwRlZA
CLICK HERE FOR DAY THREE REVIEW
Sunday December 17
Afternoon Session (12.30pm)
First Round (Best of 5)/Prelim (Best of 3)
TV Coverage: Sky Sports Darts
Performance of the day, Jamie Lewis 👏
— Sporting Life (@SportingLife) December 17, 2017
Maybe his potential will be realised at last?#LoveTheDarts
pic.twitter.com/GnzRWgDKp4
Evening Session (7pm)
First Round (Best of 5)/Prelim (Best of 3)
TV Coverage: Sky Sports Darts/Main Event
It's a night of shocks at #spoty and the darts as Chizzy follows James Wade out of the World Championship 😲
— Sporting Life (@SportingLife) December 17, 2017
Well done Vincent van der Voort 👏pic.twitter.com/W7w8HYDGQu
CLICK HERE FOR DAY FOUR REVIEW
Monday December 18
Evening Session (7pm)
First Round (Best of 5)/Prelim (Best of 3)
TV Coverage: Sky Sports Darts
👏Paul Lim
— Sporting Life (@SportingLife) December 18, 2017
🎯1982 - World Champ debut
💪 2017 - Two wins in one night aged 63#LoveTheDarts pic.twitter.com/1VY4ZuUGBW
Tuesday December 19
Evening Session (7pm)
First Round (Best of 5)/Prelim (Best of 3)
TV Coverage: Sky Sports Darts
🎯 You probably hadn't heard of Kevin Munch before tonight 🤷♂️
— Sporting Life (@SportingLife) December 19, 2017
But he's just knocked two-time world champion Adrian Lewis out in the first round 😲
In the words of Wayne Mardle "the world has gone mad" #LoveTheDarts pic.twitter.com/1qXmXGyWeE
Wednesday December 20
Evening Session (7pm)
First Round (Best of 5)/Prelim (Best of 3)
TV Coverage: Sky Sports Darts
🎯After 56 missed darts at doubles between them in the match, Simon Whitlock finally produces a bit of quality to end the agony...#LoveTheDarts pic.twitter.com/uLrKmD2atT
— Sporting Life (@SportingLife) December 20, 2017
CLICK HERE FOR DAY SEVEN REVIEW
Thursday December 21
Evening Session (7pm)
First Round (Best of 5 sets)
TV Coverage: Sky Sports Darts
👊 Kim Huybrechts was the 12th seed to be knocked out on Thursday night 🎯
— Sporting Life (@SportingLife) December 22, 2017
More shocks in the second round? #LoveTheDarts pic.twitter.com/j6o5ua4AaG
Friday December 22
Afternoon Session (12.30pm)
Second Round (Best of 7 sets)
TV Coverage: Sky Sports Darts
Evening Session (7pm)
Second Round (Best of 7 sets)
TV Coverage: Sky Sports Darts
🎯1990 - Paul Lim hits historic 9-darter
— Sporting Life (@SportingLife) December 23, 2017
😲2017 - Paul Lim misses double 12 for another perfect leg!#LoveTheDarts
pic.twitter.com/V2lFHLyNBd
Saturday December 23
Afternoon Session (1pm)
Second Round (Best of 7 sets)
TV Coverage: Sky Sports Darts
⚡️On tonight's evidence the Power has switched back on#LoveTheDarts
— Sporting Life (@SportingLife) December 23, 2017
pic.twitter.com/72lm1NRvGz
Evening Session (7pm)
Second Round (Best of 7 sets)
TV Coverage: Sky Sports Darts
Wednesday December 27
Afternoon Session (12.30pm)
Second Round (Best of 7 sets)
TV Coverage: Sky Sports Darts
Evening Session (7pm)
TV Coverage: Sky Sports Darts
Second Round (Best of 7 sets)
Third Round (Best of 7 sets)
👊Jamie Lewis knocks out Peter Wright with a shock 4-1 victory!
— Sporting Life (@SportingLife) December 27, 2017
🔥Average - 107.67
🎯180s - 13
👏100+ checkouts - 3 (including the cracker below!)#lovethedarts
pic.twitter.com/wnpve1XbBi
Thursday December 28
Afternoon Session (12.30pm)
Third Round (Best of 7 sets)
TV Coverage: Sky Sports Darts
Evening Session (7pm)
Third Round (Best of 7 sets)
TV Coverage: Sky Sports Darts
⚡️Phil Taylor cruises into the quarter-finals and he's only dropped 15 legs so far!#LoveTheDartspic.twitter.com/GOrmzeBycW
— Sporting Life (@SportingLife) December 28, 2017
Friday December 29
Afternoon Session (12.30pm)
Quarter-Finals (Best of 9 sets)
TV Coverage: Sky Sports Darts
🎯Rob Cross survives after a gripping deciding set against a man with just as bright a future as his own!#Lovethedarts pic.twitter.com/ojGDsiIiAo
— Sporting Life (@SportingLife) December 29, 2017
Evening Session (7pm)
Quarter-Finals (Best of 9 sets)
TV Coverage: Sky Sports Darts
👏MVG averaged 103 after such a slow start and plays Rob Cross in the semi-finals
— Sporting Life (@SportingLife) December 29, 2017
🤔Can he he stopped?#LoveTheDarts pic.twitter.com/ZYuZQkmlj1
Saturday December 30
Evening Session (7.30pm)
Semi-Finals (Best of 11 sets)
TV Coverage: Sky Sports Darts
🎯This will go down as one of the closest "drubbings" you'll ever see.
— Sporting Life (@SportingLife) December 30, 2017
⚡️Phil Taylor wins 6-1 but all but one of his sets were won on deciding legs.
Harsh on Jamie Lewis but you can't miss nine set darts and expect to get away with it#LoveTheDartspic.twitter.com/hdz7FNZHR7
👏The moment Rob Cross won a match that will live long in the memory#lovethedarts
— Sporting Life (@SportingLife) December 31, 2017
pic.twitter.com/Hwyquu38U4
CLICK HERE FOR SEMI-FINAL REVIEW
Monday January 1
Evening Session (8pm)
Final (Best of 13 sets)
TV Coverage: Sky Sports Darts
🏆Your new world darts champion!#LoveTheDarts pic.twitter.com/kWwguZPTqo
— Sporting Life (@SportingLife) January 1, 2018
Sky Bet have Price Boosted every player's odds ahead of the 2018 PDC World Darts Championship, including hot favourite Michael van Gerwen.
The world number one is 4/5 from 4/6 to lift the trophy for a second year in a row - and third time overall - while Gary Anderson is 7/1 (from 6/1) to regain the title having lost the final to MVG last January.
Phil Taylor is appearing in his last ever tournament before his retirement and you can back him at 12/1 (from 8/1) for a fairytale 15th PDC world title.
Peter Wright is the same price as Taylor and next in the running is rising star Rob Cross at 14/1 from 10/1.
Other big names include Daryl Gurney (40/1 from 33/1), Mensur Suljovic (50/1 from 40/1), Adrian Lewis (50/1 from 40/1) and Raymond van Barneveld (66/1 from 50/1).
Every throw of every session will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Darts. As well as live coverage of every dart thrown there are highlights of great games of years gone by, memorable rivalries and our legends profiles.
Yes, there are. Click here to head to the PDC's official ticket information page for full details
All sets are the best of five legs.
A tie-break would be in operation in all matches other than the Preliminary Round. Any match which goes to a deciding set must be won by two clear legs. If the score in the final set reaches 5-5, a sudden-death leg will be played.
The 72-man field, which includes 16 players taking part in a preliminary round, comprises of:
The World Darts Championship is the highlight of the PDC calendar and takes place over Christmas and New Year at the Alexandra Palace in London.
Since it was first held at the Circus Tavern in 1994 following the much-publicised breakaway from the British Darts Organisation, only seven different players have lifted the world title thanks largely to darts legend Phil Taylor winning it no fewer than 14 times during his astonishing career. He also won the BDO version twice before the split to make it 16 times in total.
Dennis Priestley beat Phil Taylor 6-1 in the first final before The Power's era of dominance began with eight straight world championships before Canada's John Part famously defeated him 7-6 in a classic in 2003 - much to the bookmakers' relief!
Three more crowns followed for perennial odds-on favourite Taylor before Raymond van Barneveld triumphed 7-6 in another unforgettable final, while John Part's victory over Kirk Shepherd in 2008 was the first time the Stoke thrower failed to reach the final in the tournament's history.
It was also the year the event switched to the Alexandra Palace. A resurgent Taylor claimed back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010 before Adrian 'Jackpot' Lewis emerged on the world stage by beating Gary Anderson in the 2011 final before repeating the trick against Andy Hamilton 12 months later.
The Power reassured the doubters he could still win world titles by clinching his 14th crown against Michael van Gerwen, who bounced back to lift the trophy in 2014 with victory over Peter Wright. Mighty Mike was the hot bookies favourite to win again a year later but didn't even make the final as Gary Anderson held his nerve to sink Taylor 7-6 for his first world championship title before repeating the trick in 2016 when defeating Lewis.
Van Gerwen regained his status as world champion at the start of 2017 when defeating the Flying Scotsman.
A popular market to bet on is whether there will be a nine-dart finish although the world championship had to wait until Raymond van Barneveld's effort in 2009 for its first. There have been eight since then, although four of those have been in vain during defeats, while Taylor has interestingly never hit one in this tournament.
Final scores in sets
PDC World Darts Countdown! 🎯🏆
— Sporting Life (@SportingLife) November 27, 2017
Barney hits the tournament's first ever nine-darter in 2009... pic.twitter.com/S24jyF1olw
Throwback to Raymond van Barneveld hitting his second PDC World Championship nine-darter 👏🎯#lovethedarts pic.twitter.com/EEzXky5m3p
— Sporting Life (@SportingLife) November 27, 2017
Adrian Lewis at his best! 🎯🎉#lovethedarts #ninedartermemories pic.twitter.com/rbj57Ca6lz
— Sporting Life (@SportingLife) November 29, 2017
Best ever celebration for a nine-dart finish? 🙌🎯#lovethedarts#worlddartscountdown pic.twitter.com/PEBgjs8vhS
— Sporting Life (@SportingLife) November 29, 2017
Our PDC World Darts Championship countdown continues with MVG going agonising close to back-to-back nine-darters in 2013 🎯#lovethedarts pic.twitter.com/d6QjHSbnCk
— Sporting Life (@SportingLife) December 1, 2017
Now this was a popular nine-darter!#worlddartscountdown#lovethedarts pic.twitter.com/wB8sLp3NTR
— Sporting Life (@SportingLife) December 2, 2017
Kyle Anderson joined the Ally Pally nine-dart club back in 2014 👌🎯#lovethedarts #worlddartscountdown pic.twitter.com/yvq4ur7VhY
— Sporting Life (@SportingLife) December 3, 2017
Adrian Lewis became the second man - alongside Barney - to hit two World Championship nine-darters back in 2015 🎄🎅🎯#worlddartscountdown#lovethedarts pic.twitter.com/zjJOk5oKd1
— Sporting Life (@SportingLife) December 4, 2017
Gary Anderson's World Championship nine-darter in one of the most dominant performances ever seen 🎯😮#lovethedarts #worlddartscountdown pic.twitter.com/KvahOjBYQp
— Sporting Life (@SportingLife) December 7, 2017
Top 10 highest three-dart averages
There's been over 100 three-dart match averages of 100 or more since the PDC World Championship began while averages of over 105 are becoming more common than ever. Here, are the highest 10 three-dart averages achieved by a player in a single match:
Five highest losing averages
Players with the most 100+ averages