‘A different event’ – Inside 2027 PDC World Darts Championship changes as Ally Pally set to double capacity in stunning makeover

PDC chief Matt Porter has given talkSPORT a fascinating insight into the revamped Ally Pally for the 2027 Darts World Championship.

The 2026 instalment of darts’ hallmark PDC World Championship event has been a huge success once again, with radical changes made including the introduction of an expanded player field of 128.

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Ally Pally has been home to the prestigious tournament since 2008 after its departure from the Circus Tavern, in what has been a roaring success.

Thousands of fans now see a climb of the Alexandra Palace hill as somewhat of a darting pilgrimage, flocking out for the whole couple of weeks in their fancy dress ready to see some tungsten magic.

But given the growth of the sport since the emergence of teenage sensation Luke Littler, organisers began to believe it was outgrowing the iconic venue.

There were several logistical issues in moving the event to the larger hall, and many feared the event could see its long-term future away from the Palace.

Interest was even mooted from Saudi Arabia in a contentious move of the tournament to the Middle East moving forward.

But it was announced that competitors for the Sid Waddell Trophy will continue to climb up the steps and on to the Ally Pally stage for the foreseeable future.

There was also confirmation the event would see radical changes made with the darting drama being moved into the main hall, where the current fan zone lies.

The ambitious decision will now see the capacity for each evening of action bumped up to 180,000 across the tournament, an increase of 70,000 on the current total.

And it will see in excess of 5,000 fans come out in their numbers, a huge sign of the remarkable expansion that is being undertaken.

In a fascinating interview with talkSPORT, Porter explained just how different things will look come the end of 2026 for the start of play again.

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He explained: “Yeah I mean it will be a completely different event.

“The only thing that is changing really is the players’ practice room and the players lounge.

“Everything else will move, it will have the same look and feel and same style of arena.

“But it will be much bigger and the whole configuration of the tournament will be vastly different.

“This room where we are sat now will be the cloakroom, it will all change.”

Fan capacity and tickets at Ally Pally in 2027

It will of course represent the largest crowds in darting history to witness the feast of oche excellence from 2027 onwards.

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The deal has been inked until 2031, but it is unclear if the capacity could increase further.

However, Porter has confirmed that it will now be increased by 2000 per evening to 5200, giving more opportunities than ever for fans to attend.

He continued to talkSPORT: “When we started here, it was initially like 1600 and we had doubled from the 800 at Circus Tavern.

“We are now at 3200 and we will now go to 5200 in the Great Hall when we move.

“You never want to know what the ceiling will be, it is always a number that can be broken.

“So our next level is 5200 and we will see if and what comes after that, but it is an exciting time.”