PDC vs WDF/BDO: The 1993 Split, Major Tournaments and How Their Ranking Systems Work

The PDC, WDF and BDO are connected by darts history, but they are not interchangeable names. The Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) runs a major professional tournament circuit, while the World Darts Federation (WDF) is an international governing and sanctioning body working through member associations. The British Darts Organisation (BDO) was a historically important darts organisation that promoted tournaments and helped shape the sport before ceasing to operate in the same form.

The central divide began in 1993, when leading players broke away from the BDO structure and formed the World Darts Council. That organisation later became the PDC. The result was two separate competitive pathways, with different tournaments, ranking inputs and qualification routes. The WDF’s later role, and the end of the BDO, add another layer to the story.

What are the PDC, WDF and BDO?

The PDC is best understood as a professional darts circuit and tournament promoter. It stages its own calendar, including televised events and ranking competitions, and sets the entry, qualification and seeding rules for those events. Its players’ positions are primarily organised through PDC rankings rather than through the WDF system.

The WDF is a worldwide federation for darts organisations. It sanctions competitions, recognises member associations and maintains an international competition and ranking structure. A WDF ranking is therefore a record of results in WDF-sanctioned competition; it is not a second version of the PDC Order of Merit.

The BDO was a British organisation founded in 1973 and, for many years, one of the sport’s most visible tournament authorities. It promoted the World Professional Darts Championship and other major events. The BDO and WDF worked within the same wider darts landscape, but the WDF was not simply the BDO under another name. The BDO later collapsed financially and stopped operating as the same active organisation, while the WDF developed its own modern tournament structure.

The 1993 darts split: a short timeline

Before 1993: the BDO era

During the 1970s and 1980s, the BDO was the main organisation associated with televised professional darts in Britain. Its World Professional Darts Championship became the sport’s defining event, while the WDF provided an international federation framework involving national bodies.

1993: players form the World Darts Council

In 1993, a group of prominent players objected to the way professional darts was being managed and presented, particularly the limited television opportunities and the players’ influence over the sport’s direction. They announced that they would compete outside the BDO’s main television arrangement and formed the World Darts Council (WDC).

This was not a simple disagreement between two identical governing bodies. The dispute involved players, event promotion, television exposure and control of the professional circuit. The BDO continued to run its events, while the WDC began building a separate calendar and commercial structure.

1997 onwards: the WDC becomes the PDC

The WDC was later renamed the Professional Darts Corporation. It developed its own championships, ranking events and qualification system, eventually becoming the leading professional circuit in terms of its tournament scale and media reach. The BDO remained historically significant and continued to stage its own world championship and other events for many years.

2020s: the WDF-era structure

The BDO’s final World Professional Darts Championship was held in 2020. After the organisation’s subsequent financial collapse and liquidation, it no longer operated as the active circuit it had once been. The WDF then established its own World Championship and tournament framework. That transition explains why historical references to a “BDO world champion” and current references to a “WDF world champion” should not be treated as descriptions of the same event.

Major tournaments: PDC compared with WDF and BDO

The PDC’s flagship events include the PDC World Darts Championship, the Premier League, the World Matchplay, the UK Open, the Grand Slam of Darts and the Players Championship Finals. They do not all work in exactly the same way: some contribute to the main money ranking, while others use separate qualification or invitation arrangements. The PDC World Championship is the principal title in its circuit, while the other events provide different tests of consistency, ranking position and qualification.

For readers comparing the circuits, a guide to major darts tournaments can help put each event into its wider sporting context. The important point is that a PDC title belongs to the PDC calendar and does not automatically determine a player’s position in WDF competition.

Historically, the BDO’s most important tournament was the BDO World Professional Darts Championship, often referred to simply as the Lakeside World Championship during its long association with that venue. The World Masters and the BDO World Trophy were also significant events at different points in the organisation’s history. Their status was historical BDO status, not current WDF status.

The modern WDF calendar includes the WDF World Championship and other WDF-sanctioned events organised through its tournament categories and member associations. Events can differ in ranking value and competitive level. Consequently, it is more accurate to describe them as part of the WDF structure than to call them continuing BDO tournaments.

How the PDC Order of Merit works

The PDC Order of Merit is broadly a money-based ranking. It totals ranking prize money earned in eligible PDC events over a rolling two-year period. When older results pass outside that period, they no longer count, and new results can change a player’s position.

This system has several practical effects. A player’s ranking can influence direct entry into major events, qualification routes and seeding. The exact rules vary by tournament, so the Order of Merit is not simply a universal entry list. Some competitions use qualifying events, tour rankings or separate criteria alongside the main table.

The key distinction is that PDC ranking position follows eligible PDC prize money. A player cannot add a WDF points total to the PDC Order of Merit, and a strong position in one system does not automatically create an equivalent position in the other.

How the WDF ranking system works

The WDF uses a points-based ranking system rather than the PDC’s prize-money model. Players earn points from eligible WDF-sanctioned tournaments, with the value affected by the event’s category and the stage reached. Higher-level events carry greater ranking importance than lower-category competitions.

WDF rankings are maintained over a defined rolling ranking period, generally based on results from the preceding 12 months under the current framework. As results age out, a player may gain or lose ground even before playing a new event. The current WDF regulations and tournament calendar determine which events count, their category and the points available.

These standings can be used for WDF event qualification, invitations, seedings and the allocation of places through the relevant tournament rules. They are designed around WDF-sanctioned competition, so they should not be read as a worldwide ranking that combines every professional darts result.

What the historical BDO rankings did differently

Historical BDO rankings should be treated as a separate system, not as an earlier name for the current WDF table. The BDO used its own tournament structures and ranking arrangements, which changed over time and could depend on eligible events, results and prize-money or points-based calculations.

That is why older articles may describe a BDO ranking, a BDO invitation table or a qualification route without matching the terminology used by the WDF today. When looking at a historical season, the relevant BDO regulations and event calendar matter. Applying current WDF rules retrospectively can produce a misleading comparison.

The main differences at a glance

The difference is therefore structural as well as competitive. The circuits have separate calendars, qualification systems, ranking inputs and historical identities. Players may move between pathways, but results do not transfer automatically. Equipment choices and technique remain personal matters; readers comparing setups can explore choosing darts separately from organisational questions.

Frequently asked questions

Can PDC and WDF players compete in the same events?

Sometimes, but only where the event rules allow it. A player’s membership or ranking in one organisation does not by itself guarantee entry to an event run by the other.

Do PDC and WDF rankings carry across?

No. The PDC Order of Merit and WDF ranking are separate systems with different inputs and purposes. Results need to be eligible under the rules of the organisation running the competition.

Does the BDO still operate in the same form?

No. The BDO’s historical role is important, but it no longer operates as the same active organisation and circuit. Current WDF events should not automatically be labelled BDO events.

Which organisation should readers consult for current rules?

For a PDC event, consult the current PDC regulations and event information. For a WDF event, use the current WDF regulations, ranking table and tournament calendar. Historical BDO questions require archived rules and event records. Competition rules also explain sporting details such as checkouts; a separate darts checkouts guide can help with that part of the game.

Conclusion

A useful mental model is simple: the PDC organises a professional tournament circuit and primarily ranks its players by eligible prize money, while the WDF sanctions international darts competition and ranks players through a points-based system. The BDO was a major historical organisation whose split with leading players in 1993 led to the WDC and, eventually, the PDC. Keeping those roles and dates separate makes the tournament names, qualification routes and ranking tables much easier to understand.