Darts WC travel package: Last dance at the Ally Pally?

There’s something urgent, even nostalgic, about planning a trip to the World Darts Championship. It feels like a "now or never" kind of moment. Will you be in London this December, soaking in the atmosphere of the Alexandra Palace — the beloved Ally Pally — with ticket in hand? Or will you wake up one day to find the legendary venue reduced to a dartboard-less relic? The PDC’s plans to move the World Championship have long been teased. When will they finally act? Likely before we see a German world champion crowned.

Every 10 to 12 minutes, a set is decided on the oche. But tickets move even faster. The 90,000 available across the 16-day tournament have sold out so quickly in recent years that even Luke Littler and Michael van Gerwen wouldn’t have finished a set before they were all gone.

For many of the afternoon and evening sessions at the 2026 World Championship, travel packages — including Ally Pally tickets and London hotel stays — are already available through our platform. But if you ask PDC chairman Barry Hearn, we’re not selling nearly enough. “Realistically, I could shift 6,000, 7,000, even 8,000 tickets per session — not just 3,500,” he recently claimed.

“Oh Barry, Barry”: The man behind darts’ biggest party

If you've ever spotted Barry Hearn strolling around the Alexandra Palace, you'd be forgiven for mistaking him for just another wide-eyed fan. He lights up when the first “One-hundred-and-eighteeeeee” is called and won’t shy away from chatting with three blokes in giant beer-glass costumes.

 But Hearn is, at heart, a shrewd operator. A 76-year-old Essex-born sports promoter with the charm (and hustle) of a wheeler-dealer, he’s long been the mastermind behind the sport’s exponential growth. More on that later...

Most of the obvious ways to grow the “greatest party on earth” (as Hearn calls it) have already been explored: the field has expanded from 72 to 96 and now 128 players, sessions have become shorter but more frequent, and diversity has grown, thanks to players like Fallon Sherrock.

Millennium Dome or middle east? Where the World Championship might land next

Internally, the most recent expansion - eight extra sessions and 25,000 more tickets for 2026 - wasn’t without controversy. Questions were raised about qualification, early-round competitiveness, and how this all fits with a new mega TV deal with Sky Sports — all while trying to stay inside the historic but cramped Ally Pally.

For now, relocation plans are back in the drawer, though Hearn and company have been suspiciously quiet on any long-term deal with the Palace. Could the World Championship eventually head across the Thames? The Millennium Dome (O2 Arena), just 20 miles away, already hosts the Premier League Darts Playoffs (next up: 29 May).

And among the players, 2021 world champ Gerwyn Price is leading the charge for a change of scenery. “I think it would be fair if the World Championship travelled the world,” said the Welshman — who has a famously complicated relationship with the Ally Pally crowd.

World Championship 2026: Uncertainties remain, but German trio on track 

There’s also Saudi Arabia. Barry Hearn made headlines with his public visit to the desert kingdom - hinting at a future Championship there. Not entirely surprising, given that his company already promotes big-money boxing bouts featuring the likes of Anthony Joshua. Those deals are handled by Eddie Hearn - Barry’s son and right-hand man. It’s only a matter of time before the younger Hearn takes the reins from the old-school fixer.

Ricardo Pietreczko vs. Nathan Aspinall in the desert? Hard to picture. As for Germany’s top throwers, we haven’t heard much about how they’d feel. What’s clear is that the Ally Pally era is still alive - and German fan groups will again have something to cheer for in 2026. Martin Schindler and “Pikachu” Pietreczko are both comfortably in the top 32 of the Order of Merit and on course for the World Championship.

The PDC has yet to confirm how the 36 additional World Championship spots will be allocated. If the qualification thresholds on both the Order of Merit and Pro Tour are relaxed slightly, even a struggling Gabriel Clemens (currently ranked #39) could benefit. And a strong second half of the season could earn others a spot too. Perhaps Niko Springer — the “Meenzer Bub” — will make a push? His 115 average at the UK Open (a German record at a major) and surprise win over Michael van Gerwen in Hildesheim certainly turned heads.