World Professional Darts Championship

The World Professional Darts Championship was one of the most important tournaments in the darts calendar. Originally held as an annual event between 1978 and 1993, players then broke off into two separate organisations after a controversial split in the game. Each organisation, the British Darts Organisation (BDO) and the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) since organised their own World Championship in January. As a result, there no longer was an unified world champion in the sport for nearly three decades. This ended when the BDO ceased to exist in 2020, leaving the PDC as to sole organisation crowning a world professional darts champion.
The BDO have organised their version dating back to 1978, when it was held at the Heart of the Midlands nightclub, Nottingham. The following year it moved to the Jollees Cabaret Club, Stoke, where it stayed until 1985. From then until 2019 it was held at the Lakeside Leisure Complex at Frimley Green, Surrey. In 2020 the tournament was held at The O2 Arena in London. The BDO went into liquidation in 2020, with the World Darts Federation indicating later that year that they would be looking at creating their own version of the World Championship.
The PDC version started in 1994 after "the split", with a field of players containing all active previous World Champions from the BDO. It was originally staged at Purfleet's Circus Tavern, Essex, before moving to Alexandra Palace, London, for the 2008 World Championship.
Men's winners.
British Darts Organisation (current sponsors: Lakeside)
Professional Darts Corporation (current sponsors: William Hill)
By player.
The following sortable table lists all winners of both versions of the World Championship (correct as of 4 January 2021).
Women's winners.
British Darts Organisation (current sponsors: Lakeside)
Professional Darts Corporation (current sponsors: Unicorn)
By player.
The following sortable table lists all winners of both versions of the World Championship (correct as of 11 January 2020).
Youth winners.
British Darts Organisation (current sponsors: Lakeside)
Professional Darts Corporation (current sponsors: Unicorn)