2026 PDC World Darts Championship Quarter-Finals Tips
We’re at the business end of the PDC World Darts Championship and there has been no shortage of drama so far.
Some huge names have fallen – some at very early stages – and we have no Gerwyn Price, no Michael van Gerwen and no Stephen Bunting in the last eight.
Luke Littler is here of course, as is number two seed Luke Humphries, while there are a couple of surprises in Justin Hood and Krzysztof Ratajski.
There are four tremendous clashes lined up and a few close first-to-five-sets games in store.
We’ve looked at all the quarter-final ties and picked out three of the best value bets. Let’s take a look…
Ryan Searle vs Jonny Clayton
Tip – Searle to win, over 7.5 sets & Clayton most 180s @ 5/1
These two have met twice already in majors this year, winning one each, so this one should be a fascinating match-up.
Ryan Searle is the only player remaining in the World Championship yet to drop a set and his wins over Martin Schindler and James Hurrell were particularly impressive.
He lost only four legs in the fourth round match and, while the 180s were scarce from Heavy Metal, his 20 140s and 50% checkout success ensured a strong match average of over 100.
Jonny Clayton has had a slightly less trouble-free run, despite his second-round bye after Dom Taylor’s suspension.
A 4-2 win in the last round over PDC World Championship debutant Andreas Harrysson looked stronger, but he was troubled in spells and was previously pushed all the way by world number 44 Niels Zonneveld in a 4-3 win too.
These are uncharted waters for Searle – he has never been as far as the quarter-finals at Ally Pally nor reached the last eight in a major since the 2023 World Matchplay.
Playing as he is now, though, it is hard to look past him.
In a year that brought only a couple of Players Championship wins in terms of success, he is saving his best performances for the biggest stage.
It will be tight. Their clash at the World Masters went the distance and this one could too.
The Ferret has massively outscored his opponent in 180s throughout the year, hitting 466 to Searle’s 327, but some silly counting mistakes have crept in at Ally Pally.
He can’t afford that to happen again on New Year’s Day against an in-form opponent who has been excellent on the doubles thus far to the tune of 52.4% success.
Clayton will have BetMGM Premier League hopes now that he is the provisional world number four – but his journey in the Worlds could end here.
Odds of 5/1 for Searle to win, over 7.5 sets and Clayton to hit the most 180s looks a solid proposition in the quarter-final opener.
Add our Searle vs Clayton Bet Builder to your betslip here
Gary Anderson vs Justin Hood
Tip – Anderson to average over 98.5 @ 5/6
Gary Anderson is looking like the Gary Anderson who won back-to-back World Championships in 2015 and 2016.
The heavyweight clash with fellow former champion Michael van Gerwen saw the Flying Scotsman bring out close to his best.
An average of over 99, 11 maximums and 32 100+ visits saw him triumph 4-1 over the Dutchman and make his first quarter-final at Ally Pally since 2021.
He faces Justin Hood here following Happy Feet’s extraordinary performance in victory over Josh Rock. His 100% record on his first 11 doubles saw him beat the world number 11 4-0 in the last 16, in what has been a memorable debut campaign for him.
He can make things difficult for Anderson – they’ve only met once before and Hood beat him in the Players Championship depsite the Scotsman averaging north of 104
Before the demolition of Rock, Hood had already dumped out Danny Noppert in a pulsating clash. The Scot will have to be on his game and ensure his scoring is consistent to reduce his opponents’ opportunities at double.
He’s averaged over 99 in three of his four games so far – and is over 100 for the tournament – so while 5/6 for him to average over 98.5 is slightly above his 2025 average of 97.72, he looks in a fine rhythm on that Ally Pally stage.
A decade after his last triumph, can the legendary Scot go all the way once more?
Add Anderson over 98.5 average to your betslip here
Luke Humphries vs Gian van Veen
Tip – Humphries to win & both players over 11.5 180s @ 4/1
This one could be a classic.
Former world champion Luke Humphries brushed aside Kevin Doets despite losing the first set to set up a clash with European champion and World Youth champion Gian van Veen.
It makes it all the more interesting that the Giant has won all four of their meetings in 2025 – including at three majors – though playing Cool Hand at the Worlds is a different proposition entirely.
The world number two threw eight maximums and 15 140s against Doets, averaged over 103 and checked out a 118 for good measure.
That is a world-class level and yet Humphries is playing like he can still get better.
Having lost the first set against Doets, he dropped just two more legs and clinched the last two sets 3-0.
Van Veen was professional against debutant Charlie Manby, hitting nine 180s and checking out over a ton twice, but did drop eight legs in the 4-1 win.
The pair are separated by just 10 maximums in 2025 – Van Veen has 584 to Humphries’ 574 – and we’re heading to that market for the Bet Builder.
They hit 17 between them in the last round and, if Humphries in particular can convert some of the 140s, then the over 11.5 for each player benchmark could well be hit across a best-of-nine-sets tussle.
As for the match itself, the former BetMGM Premier League Darts champion will just have too much.
He may be on a losing run against the Dutchman but Humphries has said himself just how determined he is to win the Worlds for a second time.
It’s 4/1 for Humphries to win and both players to hit over 11.5 180s.
That stands out as our pick in what could be a breathtaking watch on New Year’s Day.
Add our Humphries vs Van Veen Bet Builder to your betslip here
Watch out for the big fish…
The Humphries versus Van Veen match is part of the evening session and, as part of BetMGM’s specials for the occasion 7/4 for a 170 checkout in the session could be very well priced.
Luke Littler faces Krzysztof Ratajski in the same session and the Polish Eagle, plus both Humphries and Van Veen, have hit the big fish so far in the tournament – but interestingly not Littler.
That can’t last forever, especially given the world number one’s penchant for leaving 170, and who would bet against either of the other three landing the biggest of all checkouts once more?
Odds correct at time of publication but subject to change
