Fallon Sherrock Secures Seventh World Darts Championship Appearance as Five Women Prepare for Ally Pally
Fallon Sherrock is heading back to Alexandra Palace, and darts fans have another reason to look forward to the biggest tournament on the calendar. The English star has secured her seventh appearance at the PDC World Darts Championship, joining four other women in a line-up that reflects how much the sport has changed in recent years.
But this is not simply another qualification story for the woman famously known as the Queen of the Palace. Sherrock returns to the venue where she made history, carrying the memories of her extraordinary breakthrough and the challenge of proving she can once again compete with the world’s best on the biggest stage.
The 2026/27 championship will feature five women in its expanded 128-player field: Sherrock, Beau Greaves, Lisa Ashton, Gemma Hayter and Swedish newcomer Vicky Pruim. With the tournament scheduled to begin on December 11, the spotlight will soon turn to whether any of them can produce another memorable run at Ally Pally.
For Sherrock, the mission is clear. She has already shown the world what she can achieve there. Now comes the difficult part: turning another opportunity into a performance that gets people talking for the right reasons.
Sherrock Secures Her Place at Ally Pally
Sherrock confirmed her qualification through the PDC Women’s Series rankings after the final weekend of events in Wigan. Her place means she will return to the World Championship for the seventh time, extending her association with one of darts’ most famous venues.
The 32-year-old remains one of the most recognisable figures in women’s darts, largely because of what happened during the 2019/20 World Championship. She defeated Ted Evetts and Mensur Suljovic to become the first woman to win a match at the PDC’s flagship tournament.
Those victories changed the conversation around women’s participation in the sport. Sherrock demonstrated that a woman could handle the pressure, scoring demands and atmosphere of the World Championship while competing against established male professionals.
However, repeating that success has proved difficult. She has suffered first-round exits in each of her five subsequent appearances, meaning her return this December will offer another chance to end that frustrating run.
That is what makes this qualification particularly interesting. Sherrock no longer needs to prove that she belongs on the Ally Pally stage. The question is whether she can translate her experience into another significant result.
Five Women Set for a Bigger World Championship
Sherrock will not be carrying the hopes of women’s darts alone. Four other players have also secured places in the 2026/27 championship, creating another important opportunity for the women’s game to attract attention on its biggest platform.
Beau Greaves has already qualified through the professional circuit’s ProTour rankings, while Lisa Ashton, Sherrock and Gemma Hayter have secured their returns through the Women’s Series qualification structure. Sweden’s Vicky Pruim completes the group after finishing in a qualifying position on the Women’s Series rankings.
The five-player contingent is significant because the expanded championship has created more opportunities for competitors from different backgrounds and tours to reach the sport’s biggest event.
The PDC previously increased the field from 96 to 128 players, with a minimum of four women guaranteed places under its qualification structure. Greaves’ qualification through the men’s professional circuit opened the door for an additional place to be allocated through the women’s rankings.
It is an encouraging development, although simply having more women in the tournament is not the final goal. The real test will be how they perform against the strongest opposition and whether their appearances inspire more players to pursue professional darts.
Beau Greaves Is the Woman Everyone Must Watch
If there is one name that could generate enormous excitement at Ally Pally, it is Beau Greaves.
The 22-year-old has enjoyed a remarkable 2026 Women’s Series campaign, establishing herself as the dominant player on the circuit. She underlined that form by winning all four tournaments during the final weekend in Wigan, finishing the season with an enormous lead over her closest challengers.
Greaves has already demonstrated that she can compete with elite male players, and her qualification through the ProTour rankings makes her participation particularly intriguing.
Her presence also changes the conversation around Sherrock’s return. Sherrock remains the most recognisable female figure in the tournament because of her historic 2020 run, but Greaves has increasingly become the player attracting attention for her performances against the wider professional field.
That creates an interesting dynamic. Sherrock has the experience of navigating the unique pressure of Alexandra Palace, while Greaves arrives with outstanding recent results and growing expectations.
There is no guarantee that either player will enjoy a deep run. The draw, their opponents’ form and their ability to handle the occasion will all matter. Nevertheless, both have legitimate reasons to believe they can make an impression.
Lisa Ashton and Gemma Hayter Bring Their Own Stories
Lisa Ashton is another familiar face returning to the championship. A former women’s world number one, Ashton has spent years establishing herself as one of the leading competitors in the women’s game.
Her qualification adds valuable experience to the group. She knows what professional darts demands and has repeatedly demonstrated her ability to compete under pressure.
Gemma Hayter’s story is different but equally interesting. After stepping away from darts in 2016, she returned to the sport in 2024 and has worked her way back into contention.
Her progress has been particularly encouraging during 2026. Hayter won the WDF World Masters and claimed her first Women’s World Matchplay title before securing another World Championship opportunity.
She made her debut at the previous championship, losing to Josh Rock but taking a set in a performance that offered encouragement despite the defeat.
Hayter now has another chance to build on that experience. Rather than arriving as an unfamiliar name, she can approach the tournament knowing what the Ally Pally stage demands.
Pruim, meanwhile, will make her World Championship debut. The Swedish player faces a different challenge from the returning competitors, having to adjust to the occasion while competing against players who have spent years performing in front of large audiences.
The Challenge Waiting at Alexandra Palace
The World Championship is an unforgiving tournament. A player can arrive in excellent form and still be eliminated by an opponent who produces a brilliant performance on the day.
The expanded 128-player format makes the challenge particularly demanding. The leading seeds now enter in the opening round rather than receiving a bye into the second round, giving the competition a different rhythm and creating opportunities for difficult early matchups.
For the five women, the draw will be crucial. A favourable opening opponent could provide an opportunity to settle into the tournament, while an early meeting with one of the world’s leading players would immediately test their scoring, finishing and temperament.
Sherrock will understandably attract attention because of her history at the venue. However, her previous achievements cannot guarantee another victory. She will need to produce her best darts against opponents who will be equally determined to advance.
Greaves may be the most intriguing contender based on her current form, but the World Championship is a different environment from the Women’s Series. Performing consistently across a season is one challenge; delivering under the intense pressure of a televised knockout match is another.
That uncertainty is part of what makes the tournament so compelling.
Can Sherrock Make History Again?
Sherrock’s return offers an opportunity to revisit one of the most important stories in modern darts without assuming that the past will repeat itself.
Her victories over Evetts and Suljovic in 2020 remain defining moments. They brought unprecedented attention to women’s participation at the PDC World Championship and demonstrated what could happen when an opportunity was matched by outstanding performances.
Since then, the women’s game has continued to develop, with Greaves, Ashton, Hayter and other players building their own reputations. The expanded championship provides a bigger platform for that progress to be seen.
Sherrock will want to contribute more than a familiar name to the line-up. Ending her run of early exits would be a meaningful achievement, while another victory over a male opponent would inevitably attract major attention.
But the pressure should not rest on her shoulders alone. Five women are heading to Alexandra Palace, each with a different route into the competition and an opportunity to make her own mark.
Ultimately, Sherrock’s seventh appearance is another chapter in a career that has already helped change darts. Whether she can rediscover her winning touch, whether Greaves can turn her exceptional form into a major World Championship run, and whether one of the other qualifiers can produce a surprise are questions that will make December fascinating.
Who do you think has the best chance of making a deep run at Alexandra Palace: Fallon Sherrock, Beau Greaves or one of the other three women?