2026 Paddy Power World Darts Championship – Day Seven Preview 

Day six brought few surprises as Scott Williams, Danny Noppert and Gerwyn Price cruised through their first-round matches.

Alan Soutar reached the second round after his 3-2 win over Teemu Harju in the opening game of the day, as Chris Dobey rounded off the opening session with an underwhelming performance against Xiao Chen Zong, but still did enough to surpass the young Chinese player.

The final game of the day brought the only surprise as Niko Springer fell to a 3-1 defeat against Australian, Joe Comito. A huge win for The Waterboy who booked his place in the second round for the first time.

With only four games on day eight, what do we have in store?

Evening Session – 1910 GMT 

Matt Campbell v Adam Sevada  

The first of the four games on day eight sees a North American match up as Canada’s Matt Campbell faces Adam Sevada of the United States.

Winner of the North American Darts Championship, Campbell, is favourite going into the tie, and will play in his sixth consecutive World Darts Championship.

The Canadian will look to utilise his experience at the Ally Pally to score consistently and will hope to produce a performance similar to the one that saw him beat Luke Littler at the Players Championship in October.

His opponent, Adam Sevda, managed to reach the quarter-final stage of the competition Campbell went on to win but will play in the World Championship for the first time.

Raymond Van Barneveld v Stefan Bellmont

Next up, veteran Raymond Van Barneveld takes on Stefan Bellmont.

Now world number 35, Barney has had an average season, reaching the quarterfinals in just three tournaments. The former champion will be hoping to roll back the years and progress through the tournament, following a disappointing outing in last year’s competition which saw him crash out in the second round against Nick Kenny.

Steffan Bellmont will look to cause an early upset but will have a difficult task if Van Barneveld can find his range. Having average sub 90 in the 2025 season, the Swissinternational could struggle to keep up with the scoring capabilities of the Dutchman and must produce his best darts if he wants to challenge in this first round match.

James Wade v Ryusei Azemoto

Seventh seed, James Wade takes to the stage in the third game of the night as he plays RyuseiAzemoto.

Wade has performed on numerous occasions at the worlds, having reached the semi-finals four times. The Englishman will be hoping to progress even further this time round, coming off the back of a relatively good season.

Azemoto returns to the palace for a second time, having been pipped in a close affair with Wesley Plaisier at this stage last year.

Wade should provide too much quality for the Japanese man, but if there’s ever a place for a surprise, it’s the Alexandra Palace.

Martin Schindler v Stephen Burton 

The fourth and final match of the night brings Martin Schindler and Stephen Burton to the stage.

The German has conjured some impressive displays over the course of the season, working his way up to number 13 in the world. Winner of the PDC Austrian Darts Open in April, Schindler has averaged 94.93 this year and will look to produce some firepower against Burton.

The Wall is yet to showcase his full ability in the World Championship, having managed no better than the third round in the earlier two attempts, and will hope that his fortunes canchange this year.

Englishman, Stephen Burton, does not have much to show for his 2025 season but will look to turn it on when it matters the most. Sitting at world number 67, Burton has made two previous appearances in the capital, losing out in the first round in both.

What to expect? 

All of Wednesday’s games contain a big favourite, but as shown by Niko Springer on day six, the Worlds does not always go to plan. With no play until the evening, the Ally Pally crowd will be raring to go and desperate to see some close encounters.

Van Barneveld, Schindler and Wade will be looking to make a statement in their opening matches, whilst their underdog opponents will look to produce some Ally Pally magic and afflict shock defeats.

2026 Paddy Power World Darts Championship – Day Seven Preview 

Wednesday December 17 (1900 GMT)

Round One x4

Matt Campbell v Adam Sevada

Raymond van Barneveld v Stefan Bellmont

James Wade v Ryusei Azemoto

Martin Schindler v Stephen Burton

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