Darts icon Michael van Gerwen has called on the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) to address the stark £600,000 prize money disparity between the World Championship winner and runner-up. The Dutch star, who fell short in the last two Alexandra Palace finals, praised the sport’s financial boom but warned that the gap—set to see the 2026 champion earn £1 million while the runner-up takes £400,000—could unfairly hinge on a single dart.
Last month, PDC president Barry Hearn announced a 25% prize fund increase to £25 million across the circuit. Luke Littler, the reigning champion who pocketed £500,000 in January, will chase darts’ first seven-figure prize at Ally Pally. However, Van Gerwen, a three-time world champion, argued the runner-up’s prize should be at least half the winner’s, citing fairness. “You don’t see this in other sports,” he said. “A single dart can decide it, and that’s too harsh.”
He referenced Joe Cullen’s costly miss in the 2022 Premier League play-off final, where a wired double 16 cost him £150,000 against Van Gerwen. With the 2026 final potentially dwarfing that loss, Van Gerwen believes the prize structure distorts the PDC’s ranking system, which tracks earnings over two years. “The PDC has done brilliantly, but this gap skews things,” he added.
Comparatively, Wimbledon’s singles champions earn £2.7 million, with runners-up receiving £1.4 million—over half. In snooker, the World Championship offers £500,000 to the winner and £200,000 to the runner-up, mirroring darts’ ratio. Van Gerwen, who plans to skip the World Series’ Australian leg but will compete at Madison Square Garden, remains proud of darts’ growth. “There’s always room to moan, but we’re in a great place,” he said.
