Almost all the biggest steel-tip darts events happen in Europe, and the PDC World Championship at Alexandra Palace is the sport's centre stage. Here are 12 European players worth knowing, from legends to current stars, with the matches actually worth watching.
Phil Taylor: "The Power"
16 World Championships, 16 World Matchplay titles, 11 World Grand Prix, 6 Premier Leagues: over 80 televised titles in total. Won 8 straight World Championships from 1995 to 2002, a level of dominance nobody's matched since. His farewell match was the 2018 World Championship final.
Raymond van Barneveld: "Barney"
Five world titles overall (4 BDO: 1998, 1999, 2003, 2005; 1 PDC: 2007), one of only three players ever to hold both BDO and PDC world crowns. Lost to a 16-year-old Luke Littler in the 2024 World Championship, Round 2: Littler's childhood idol knocked out by the man himself, a genuine changing-of-the-guard moment.
Michael van Gerwen: "Mighty Mike"
3× World Champion (2014, 2017, 2019), a record 7 Premier League titles. Holds the all-time highest televised three-dart average, 123.40, set against Michael Smith at the 2016 Premier League in Aberdeen. The most dominant player of 2014–2019, still a top contender.
Gary Anderson: "The Flying Scotsman"
Back-to-back World Champion (2015, 2016), only the third player ever to successfully defend the title. Completed the PDC "Triple Crown" (World Championship + World Matchplay + Premier League) in 2018, when only Taylor and MVG had done it before him. Fast, fluid throwing action, huge scoring power.
Peter Wright: "Snakebite"
2× World Champion (2020, 2022). The mohawk and face paint are the gimmick, but the game underneath is genuinely elite. Beat favourite MVG 7–3 in the 2020 final for his maiden title at age 49, a proper underdog story. Won again in 2022 beating Michael Smith, setting a new World Championship record of 24×180s in that final.
Rob Cross: "Voltage"
A former electrician who only turned pro in 2016. Won the 2018 World Championship on his debut appearance, beating 16-time champion Phil Taylor 7–2 in Taylor's own farewell match: one player's ending is the other's beginning, in the same match. Also won the 2019 World Matchplay.
Gerwyn Price: "The Iceman"
A former professional rugby player (union and league) who switched codes. Wales's first World Champion (2021, beat Gary Anderson 7–3 in the final). Confrontational on stage, but ice-cold under pressure with the doubles. In the 2021/22 quarter-final against Michael Smith, the defending champion hit a televised nine-dart finish mid-match, and still lost 4–5.
Michael Smith: "Bully Boy"
2023 World Champion, after losing his first eight major finals, three of them on missed match darts. His 2023 final against MVG is remembered for the nine-dart leg, widely called the greatest leg of darts ever played: MVG himself missed a double for his own nine-darter in the same leg. Smith won the match 7–4.
Fallon Sherrock: "Queen of the Palace"
The first woman ever to win a match at the PDC World Championship, and the first to win two in the same year: beat Ted Evetts, then world no. 11 Mensur Suljovic, at the 2019/20 World Championship. A genuine global media moment that opened the door for women in the PDC, including today's PDC Women's Series.
Luke Humphries: "Cool Hand"
2024 World Champion (beat a 16-year-old Littler 7–4 in the final; his 103.67 average is the highest ever recorded in a match of 45+ legs). Won the 2025 Premier League (beat Littler in the final), becoming only the fourth player ever to complete the PDC Triple Crown, after Taylor, Anderson and MVG. Named for his composure under pressure, the opposite temperament to a showman like Price.
Luke Littler: "The Nuke"
Reached the 2024 World Championship final on his debut at just 16 (lost to Humphries), came back a year later and beat MVG 7–3 in the 2025 final to become the youngest-ever PDC World Champion at 17. Massive scoring power with a temperament far beyond his age: the single biggest reason darts has crossed over to a new, younger audience worldwide.
Jonny Clayton: "The Ferret"
A late bloomer who didn't break through until his mid-40s, and the relentless, high-tempo style earned the nickname. Won the 2021 Premier League on his debut appearance in the event. Two-time World Cup of Darts champion with Wales (2020, 2023), including a 2020 final where he and Gerwyn Price whitewashed England (Michael Smith / Rob Cross) 3–0. A grinder-made-good story that's a nice contrast to Littler's teen-phenom one.
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