You might well have come to expect the phrase ‘Triple Crown’ to be a reference to horse racing more than any other sport. After all, there is a well-known Triple Crown that horses can win to have to their name. You might not be quite as familiar with the expression being associated with darts, however.
It is an unofficial title that is similar in nature to the Grand Slam in golf, insomuch as a player can win it by winning the major competitions of the sport. The obvious question to ask is what are those major competitions? Also, which darts players have got a Triple Crown to their name?
The Three Main Events
In darts, there are three events that are put on by the Professional Darts Corporation, better known as the PDC, that come together to be known as the Triple Crown of darts. The first of these is the PDC World Darts Championship, which was hosted for the first time in 1994.
It begins in December and ends in January, meaning that it is the last event of one year and the first event of the following one all at the same time. When it launched, it was known as the WDC World Darts Championship, on account of the fact that it was organised by the World Darts Council, but they rebranded to become the PDC in 1997.
The next event is the World Matchplay, which was also introduced for the first time back in 1994. Played in a legs format, it took place at the Winter Gardens until 2019, briefly had a stint at Marshall Arena before returning to the Blackpool location from 2021 onwards. In 2005, Premier League Darts was introduced, taking place weekly between February and May each year. It started off as a reasonably small event, taking place fortnightly in smaller venues across the United Kingdom, but has grown in importance since, even whilst seeing the field limited to eight players.
Who Has Won the Triple Crown?
The first player to win any event hosted by the Professional Darts Corporation was Dennis Priestley, who won the World Championship in 1994, the year of its inception. It was the only major darts event that he won across his career. That was followed by Larry Butler’s success in the World Matchplay, who also never won another Triple Crown event in the sport. In 2005, when the Premier League Darts tournament was held for the first time, Phil Taylor won it. Because he had already won both the World Championship and the World Matchplay, it made him the first career Triple Crown winner.
Since then, other players have also gone on to win all three events, although perhaps not as many as you might imagine. Phil Taylor is far and away the most prolific winner of the Triple Crown, with a strong argument to be made that his 36 career Triple Crown event wins will never be matched. Here is a look at the people who have won it, as well as how many of each discipline the Triple Crown winners have managed:
| Player | World Championships | World Matchplays | Premier Leagues | Total Triple Crown Event Wins |
| Phil Taylor | 14 | 16 | 6 | 36 |
| Michael van Gerwen | 3 | 3 | 7 | 13 |
| Gary Anderson | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| Luke Humphries | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Luke Littler | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
There are other players who have come close to picking up a career Triple Crown but just fallen short. Peter Wright, for example, has two World Championships and a World Matchplay to his name, but hasn’t won the Premier League Darts tournament.
Similarly, Rob Cross has one World Championship and one World Matchplay but didn’t win the Premier League Darts, whilst Raymond van Barneveld has a World Championship and a Premier League Darts title but not a World Matchplay. Finally, James Wade has won two of the events in question, but not the World Championship.
Could Luke Littler Match Phil Taylor’s Record?
Phil Taylor might not have been a particularly nice man, but he is considered to be one of the best darts players ever to play the sport. He didn’t even take up darts seriously until he was in his mid-20s, going on to absolutely dominate darts across three different decades. By the time his career came to a close, he had won 214 professional tournaments and 16 World Championships, which remains a record.
Such was his prowess, the BBC named him one of the top ten greatest ever British sportsmen of the previous 35 years when the organisation conducted a poll in 2015.
@deano1.80Luke littler lifts the trophy at winter gardens. world match play champion Luke the nuke♬ original sound – Vinyl,Darts & Guinness
In the July of 2025, Luke Littler became just the fifth person to win all three events that make up the Triple Crown of darts when he defeated James Wade in the World Matchplay event. Having already won a World Championship and a Premier League Darts crown, it meant that he can be added to an exclusive list.
Reportedly naming Phil Taylor as an idol, he achieved it all by the time he was an 18-year-old. Given his young age, the obvious question that many in the world of darts will be asking in the months and years to come is whether or not he will be able to surpass Taylor’s incredible achievements.
