Luke Humphries and Luke Littler are the two favourites for this year’s competition (Image: Getty)
The two most in-form darts players in the world have weighed in on one major change that could be heading to the World Darts Championship in the future.
and have pretty much swept all that’s been put in front of them this year, with the duo sharing the Worlds, Matchplay, Grand Slam and titles, among several other accolades.
But ahead of this year’s return to the Alexandra Palace, the topic of a format change for the has been on everyone’s lips.
The player pool expanding from 96 to 128 next year has already been given the green light, with talk of a venue change also dominating headlines.
It’s been 16 years since the World Championship moved from Circus Tavern to Ally Pally, but there are fears the sport has outgrown the 2,500-capacity arena.
Speaking to about the rumoured changes, Humphries said: “Darts fans can’t buy tickets now, it’s so elite and we have to adapt to that.
“Obviously we need more sessions, more darts, and more tickets for the fans to get hold of.
“Maybe one day they may even have to move it to a bigger venue. That’s the way it is going.
“But that’s good for the sport because the bigger crowds, better atmosphere, people watching it on the TV and they go ‘wow’.”
One of the main reasons darts has seen such a heavy increase in popularity is the rise of Littler, whose impact has been felt right across the sport.
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Michael van Gerwen has also suggested a move away from Ally Pally could be a good idea (Image: Getty)
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And when quizzed on the potential switch, he said: “It wouldn’t really affect me too much directly.
“But it would certainly be better for the sport if the numbers do go up next year.
“More players should mean more prize money really and that can only be a good thing.”
A brutally honest answer from Littler, who has already pocketed upwards of £1million in prize money since he turned professional.
But he’s not alone in wanting to see the sport go supersize, with three-time champion of the world Michael van Gerwen adding to those sentiments.
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The Dutchman said: “It’s great, more people and more players at this tournament.
“The bigger the tournament is getting, the bigger that darts is getting and I think everything is very positive right now.
“It’s brilliant that the PDC are even talking about it to be honest. But I’m looking forward to it all, the important thing for me is to perform regardless of the number of players.”
The World Championship gets underway on December 15th at Alexandra Palace.