The “Ally Pally” is inextricably linked to the PDC Darts World Championship – and will probably remain so for a long time. But the World Championship took place before the move to the London hall. SPORT1 presents all the venues in the history of the World Championship.
Nowadays, the Darts World Championship is automatically associated with Alexandra Palace in London. The “Ally Pally” has long become a cult venue for the sport, to which darts fans from all over the world flock in December (Darts World Championship 2026 from December 11 LIVE on SPORT1 on TV, stream and on YouTube). But the World Championship did not always take place in the west wing of the London building complex.
And in view of the spectator volume of only 3000 people, a change of venue is always in the spotlight. After all, you could sell far more tickets – in the Premier League, the darts stars sometimes play in front of more than 10,000 fans. However, tradition is very important in darts, as a look at history shows.
The Ally Pally has achieved cult status in darts
PDC Darts World Championship: Circus Tavern (1994-2007)
Before the Darts World Championship was held in the Ally Pally for the first time in 2007, it took place for 13 years in the venerable Circus Tavern, located in the English town of Purfleet in Essex and offering space for 1100 spectators, since the founding of the PDC in 1994.
The last World Championship title in the Circus Tavern went to Raymond van Barnefeld, who defeated darts icon Phil Taylor in the final. After moving to the Ally Pally, the historic venue continues to be used for darts events. From 2022 to 2025, the World Seniors Darts Championship, among others, took place there.
BDO Era: Start in Nottingham – End in London
The first World Darts Championship ever was held in 1978 by the British Darts Organization (BDO), which was later overtaken by the PDC. The very first edition of the tournament took place in Nottingham, at the Heart of Midlands Club. But after just one year, the organizers moved to Stoke-on-Trent, where the tournament took place from 1979 to 1985 at the Jollees Cabaret Club.
The BDO then moved to Frimley Green, a small community in southwest London, where the tournament, which later became increasingly unimportant alongside the PDC World Championship, was held until 2019 at the Lakeside Country Club. The last edition took place in 2020 at the O2 Arena in London, before the association finally collapsed (ALL WORLD CHAMPIONS AT A GLANCE).
The WDF is now playing the “Lakeside World Championship” again.
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