World Grand Prix
The PDC's only televised major played to double-in-double-out rules. Every leg must be started on a double as well as finished on one. The resulting tournament is the single most tactical major on the calendar.
What "double-in" means
In every other PDC major, a leg starts from 501 with a "straight start" - the player can throw any scoring dart to begin. At the Grand Prix, the player must hit a double before any scoring counts. A first visit of T20-T20-T20 would score zero. A visit of D20-T20-T20 scores 160, but only because the double started the leg.
The rule reshuffles the match entirely. Strong doublers like Taylor and Van Gerwen typically do well; big scorers who rely on early 180s can struggle. Legs regularly last seven or eight visits instead of four, and averages are lower across the board.
- Field
- 32 players, top 16 Order of Merit plus top 16 ProTour Order of Merit not already qualified.
- Round format
- Round 1: best of 5 sets. QF: best of 9 sets. SF: best of 11 sets. Final: best of 11 sets. Each set is first-to-3 legs.
- Doubles
- Outer bull counts as a "double 25" for the purposes of starting or finishing.
Recent champions
| Year | Champion | Runner-up | Final score (sets) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Luke Littler | Luke Humphries | 6-3 |
| 2024 | Mike De Decker | Luke Humphries | 6-4 |
| 2023 | Luke Humphries | Gerwyn Price | 6-3 |
| 2022 | Michael van Gerwen | Nathan Aspinall | 6-2 |
| 2021 | Jonny Clayton | José de Sousa | 6-4 |
| 2020 | Gerwyn Price | Dirk van Duijvenbode | 5-2 |
| 2019 | Michael van Gerwen | Dave Chisnall | 5-2 |
| 2018 | Michael van Gerwen | Michael Smith | 5-2 |
| 2017 | Daryl Gurney | Simon Whitlock | 5-4 |
| 2016 | Michael van Gerwen | James Wade | 5-2 |
Phil Taylor holds the all-time record with 11 Grand Prix titles (2002-2014). Van Gerwen and Humphries have built the next-tier cabinets.
Why it matters
The Grand Prix is the one major every season where the format itself reshuffles the contenders. It tests a more complete skill-set than the legs-only Matchplay or the straight-start World Championship. For that reason, serial Grand Prix winners (Taylor, Van Gerwen, Humphries) tend to be remembered as the sport's most complete players rather than its biggest scorers.