PDC line up crucial talks over World Darts Championship and Ally Pally's future

Professional Darts Corporation chief Matthew Porter is eager to work with Alexandra Palace on expanding the sport of darts. It comes as discussions emerge about potentially moving the World Championship from its legendary venue.

The Worlds has called the north London location home since 2008, after moving on from the cherished Circus Tavern in Essex. The switch to Ally Pally occurred following a boom in darts audiences, as the sport's requirements exceeded the 800 to 900 capacity Circus Tavern.

At the time, then PDC chairman Barry Hearn said: "The Circus Tavern has become something of a Mecca for darts supporters, but we have to move to the Alexandra Palace if we are to continue growing," whilst sporting icon Phil Taylor said: "It will be sad to leave, but it shows now where the game is going."

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Despite Alexandra Palace becoming virtually inseparable from darts over the last 17 years, there are worries that the World Championships might require relocation once more to enable further sporting expansion.

Discussing the tournament ahead of the 2026 World Championship, Porter has revealed his enthusiasm for exploring how Alexandra Palace can support continued growth, reports the Express.

According to City AM, he said: "It's the pinnacle of our calendar, and we've got a responsibility to grow the sport and grow the event as much as we can. But we're very keen on engaging with Ally Pally about how we can make that happen in the future."

He added: "It was probably a pipe dream 15 years ago, but now we're selling out venues. It's a global sport, and it will continue to grow with the investment that we're ready to put into it.

"It's all about identifying new markets, continuing to expand the sport, grow the game and keep ensuring that people understand that modern darts is perhaps not necessarily the sport that they thought it was from 30 or so years ago.

"Breaking down barriers and changing perceptions is what we've been really good at over the last couple of decades, and that's why darts is in the place that it is now. So we'll keep on doing that."

While the forthcoming 2026 World Championship will take place at Alexandra Palace's West Hall between December 11 and January 3, supporters have concerns regarding how many more years the 3,200-capacity venue has remaining with the tournament.

Luke Littler has attracted numerous fresh spectators to the sport recently through his extraordinary ascent to the pinnacle of darts as a teenager. The 18-year-old enters the next instalment of the competition hoping to retain the crown he claimed earlier this year following a 7-3 triumph over Michael van Gerwen, in superb form as he managed an average of 102.73 at the board.

And whilst 'the Nuke' hasn't publicly revealed his position on the World Championship moving elsewhere, fellow players have been remarkably outspoken about their affection for its iconic venue. Luke Humphries, currently topping the PDC Order of Merit, expressed his desire last December for the Worlds to remain in England.

He said: "I could see it going other places, but I wouldn't want it to - I really like it here. Of course that's not my decision, it's up to the PDC, and at the end of the day it's all about supply and demand.

"There's about 90,000 tickets, but you've got over a million people wanting a ticket and you can't provide people what they want so it's kind of a Catch 22. For me, the World Championship has to stay in England because it's a Christmas thing."

In November, Hearn also said: "For the world championship this year, 90,000 tickets sold out in 15 minutes. I asked my people in head office, 'Tell me, how many could I have sold?'

"They said, 'Somewhere over 300,000.' Now that puts a different emphasis on it. Same as when we moved from the Circus Tavern all those years ago, now I'm looking at Alexandra Palace.

"And I'm saying, 'Well, it only holds 3,500. I have to grow all the time. If you ever get complacent, you go backwards.' So, next year we will go from 96 to 128 players. We will add four more days, which is eight sessions, which is another 25,000 tickets.

"Sooner or later, I should be looking and saying: 'Do you know, like with snooker, I need a bigger venue.' I mean, I can sell out any arena in the world. But can I do it for 30 or 40 sessions? That's the key issue because the atmosphere makes it a great night."