Overview
- Defending champion and world No. 1 Luke Littler opens his title defence against Darius Labanauskas on Thursday, 11 December, as the field expands to a record 128 players.
- The prize fund rises to a record £5 million with £1 million to the winner, plus a £60,000 bonus for any nine-dart finish.
- Format changes bring the top 32 seeds into the first round, with matches played in sets and increasing in length through to a best-of-13-sets final on 3 January.
- The schedule features daily afternoon and evening sessions, a Christmas break from 24–26 December, semi-finals on 2 January and the final on 3 January.
- Five women qualify for the first time, including Beau Greaves, as the PDC confirms Alexandra Palace will host through at least 2031 with a move to the larger Great Hall to boost capacity.