The PDC announced record prize money for players this year, but Gerwyn Price has taken umbrage with the World Darts Championship returns that the stars will be in line for next month
Gerwyn Price says the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) have to restructure its record-breaking prize money. The Iceman has raised complaints regarding the payment plan for this year’s World Darts Championship, despite the pool of money increasing to a landmark £5million.
The Welshman has claimed that the payment structure for the prize, won at the famous Alexandra Palace in London, has gone backwards. Price won the World’s in 2021 after beating Gary Anderson to net £500,000, this year the winner of the tournament will pocket an eye-watering £1million.
But the 40-year-old says there should be a restructure as players are battling harder on the oche for less money.
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He said: “I said it when I got interviewed yesterday, you get less for winning seven games than you do last year. But you do, you know if you win seven games this year, you win £400,000, last year you would’ve got £500,000, you’ve got to win that extra game for another £600,000.
“I know it’s a bigger prize at the end, in a way, they’ve gone backwards but if you win another one, it’s a big prize at the end. I think they need to restructure the payouts and every other tournament as well.”
The field at the World’s has increased to 128, from 96, for the 2026 edition, with Luke Littler defending his crown.
The 18-year-old became the newest world number one after ending Luke Humphries’ reign at the Order of Merit summit in the PDC Rankings, when he booked his place in the Grand Slam of Darts final with a win over Danny Noppert last week.
This year’s runner-up will receive £400,000, while each semi-finalist will receive £200,000, with each total doubling from the previous tournament.
The quarter-finalists will have to land £100,000, up from £50,000, with the last-16 losers netting £60,000. Before the last 32, 64 and 128 defeated players will receive £35,000, £25,000 and £15,000, respectively.
In March, it was revealed that World Darts Championships, which kick off next month, as well as prize money across the corporations calendar rising from £7million to £25million across their tournaments.
PDC Chief Executive Matt Porter felt that the increase showed their commitment to growing the earning potential for players within their system.
He said: “The £1million prize for the World Champion reflects darts’ standing as one of the most exciting and in-demand sports in the world and the historic total will rightly attract headlines as the biggest prize ever paid out in the sport.
“However, the increased prize funds announced today demonstrate our commitment to growing earning potential for players at all levels within the PDC system.
“Expanding the player fields for the World Darts Championship and Grand Slam of Darts will provide more opportunities than ever before for players around the world to feature in televised PDC events.
“The incredible growth of the PDC in recent years has seen darts elevated to levels never seen before both in terms of playing opportunities and global interest and this is a huge moment for all players with the ambition to make it to the very pinnacle of the sport.”
