PDC World Darts Championship 2026: Day seven predictions, betting tips, acca, order of play and TV time for Wednesday December 17
The 2026 Paddy Power World Darts Championship continues at Alexandra Palace on Wednesday so check out Chris Hammer’s match-by-match predictions, best bets and a suggested acca.
Evening Session (1900 GMT)
- TV Coverage: Sky Sports
- Format: First round, best of five sets
Matt Campbell (8/13) v Adam Sevada (5/4)
- Three-dart average (2025): 91.05 – 89.69
- 180s per leg (2025): 0.17 – 0.24
Matt Campbell is preparing for his seventh successive World Championship and needs it to be quite a good one if he’s to retain his PDC Tour Card.
The Canadian is provisionally just outside the world’s top 64 after a difficult season on the circuit although his high point was winning the North American Championship with a 6-3 victory over Jim Long, who knocked out Adam Sevada in round one.
Sevada earned his maiden Ally Pally spot by being the top ranked American on the CDC Pro Tour thanks to winning five of the 16 titles and his seasonal average of almost 90 suggests he can make life difficult for Campbell if he can keep any nerves at bay.
Scoreline Verdict: 2-3
Raymond van Barneveld (2/5) v Stefan Bellmont (15/8)
- Three-dart average (2025): 91.50 – 86.82
- 180s per leg (2025): 0.21 – 0.17
SELECTION: 1pt Stefan Bellmont to win at 2/1 (bet365, Unibet)
It’s not been a vintage season for Raymond van Barneveld by any means and could be a vulnerable favourite against Stefan Bellmont.
The Dutchman, who was knocked out at his first hurdle 12 months ago, has only won two matches across five major tournaments this season – at the UK Open and World Series Finals – while his results on the Pro Tour and European Tour haven’t been great either.
Stefan Bellmont won the Challenge Tour Order of Merit and used that honour to gain some valuable experience at the Grand Slam of Darts, where he did pick up a group stage victory over James Wade.
The Swiss player was whitewashed on his Ally Pally debut by Jermaine Wattimena last year but he’s certainly progressed since then and could embroil Barney into a real scrap.
Scoreline Verdict: 2-3
James Wade (1/18) v Ryusei Azemoto (8/1)
- Three-dart average (2025): 94.78 – 83.40
- 180s per leg (2025): 0.23 – 0.13
SELECTION: 1pt James Wade to win 3-0 at 11/8 (Unibet)
James Wade has spent over half his life playing in major darts tournaments as he begins his 24th consecutive World Championship appearance and 22nd in the PDC version.
The Machine’s longevity in the upper echelons of the sport is quite incredible and still at the relatively youngish age of 42, nobody can say he’s running out of time to finally reach an Ally Pally final.
Wade is also in the wide open second quarter of the draw and opens up against what should be a routine victory over Ryusei Azemoto, who earned his spot by finishing fourth on the PDC’s Asian Tour.
His seasonal average of 83 – and several performances when he’s in the high 60s and 70s – suggests he will need Wade to be completely off his game to stand a chance of picking up a set, let alone a win.
Scoreline Verdict: 3-0
Martin Schindler (1/4) v Stephen Burton (11/4)
- Three-dart average (2025): 94.17 – 89.85
- 180s per leg (2025): 0.28 – 0.15
Martin Schindler’s past couple of seasons have followed a similar pattern – impressive on the Pro Tour and European Tour but disappointing on the major stages.
The German, who added two more titles to his collection in 2025, suffered early exits in all seven of the premier events he competed in while he hasn’t gone as far as a quarter-final at this level since 2023.
He always seems to struggle to bring his A game to these kind of occasions although he should still have too much quality for Stephen Burton, who has never won a set at the Ally Pally in his two previous appearances here in 2019 and 2025.
Burton is fighting to hold onto his Tour Card so will feel added pressure and I’d expect Schindler to make the most of that.
Scoreline Verdict: 3-1
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