Max Hopp will appear at the World Darts Championship for the tenth time, setting a new German benchmark. No German has stood at the PDC World Championship oche more often. The former German PDC trailblazer spoke at length to BILD about the historic milestone and the long road back, telling the newspaper: "It means the world to me. Already last year I mapped out the dream of playing my tenth Worlds at 30. To actually make it happen now is almost beyond words."
The timing could hardly be better for Hopp. In August, the former German Darts Open champion celebrated his 30th birthday, and a few months later comes the next milestone on the sport's biggest stage. Hopp has already played nine times at Alexandra Palace – his tenth start sets a new German record. "No German has played ten World Championships. I'm not saying this to big myself up, it's simply a fact. And it's a fact I'm incredibly proud of," Hopp told BILD. The "Maximiser" also spoke out on Instagram, sharing his delight at another trip to London with his followers. "This World Championship appearance means a lot to me!" wrote Hopp, adding that competing under the German flag for the tenth time is "another important milestone" for him. The 30-year-old did not focus solely on himself, pointing out that seven other German players have currently qualified for the World Championship. He is "proud" and "can't wait for the new Ally Pally," he wrote.
That Hopp has already secured his tenth World Championship start is the payoff for a consistently strong season. This is clearest in the Pro Tour ranking in the current qualification race for Alexandra Palace, where the "Maximiser" sits a strong 11th. With 40 World Championship tickets allocated via this list, Hopp can lock in his trip to London. His Players Championship record also underlines the consistency he is bringing to the oche in 2026: from 26 events he reached at least the second round 19 times, with only seven tournaments ending after his opening match. In total, Hopp has already banked £52,750 in prize money this year. "I'm playing one of the strongest seasons I've ever played," said Hopp.
After losing his Tour Card at the end of 2022, Hopp endured difficult years away from the main PDC stage. Attempts to fight back via the Challenge Tour did not bring the hoped-for results – even in the "second tier" of the PDC system, the former German top player initially struggled to make a sustained impact. All the more remarkable, then, was the comeback he produced at Q-School 2025: to many people's surprise, Hopp regained his Tour Card and returned to the PDC professional ranks. Since then, the "Maximiser" has emphatically shown his return is far more than a brief flicker. "First and foremost I'm damn proud of myself for freeing my mind. The outside criticism had affected me too negatively. I decided that, above all, I want to deliver good performances again. That's the foundation for everything that follows. It's what you're measured by," Hopp explained. His comeback was also a personal mission: "I wanted to prove to myself that it's worth fighting, sticking at it, and believing in yourself."
For all the joy over a historic tenth appearance, Hopp also links his Ally Pally return to a clear sporting target. In his previous nine World Championships, he has never gone beyond the third round, and at the last Worlds his campaign ended after his second match. Hopp now wants to attack that personal best on his anniversary appearance. "I'm going into the winter in a really positive frame of mind and I just want to go full throttle at the Worlds. No matter how the draw falls, I want to be on it from the start and give everything," Hopp announced. The now ten-time Worlds participant knows plenty has to click to deliver his best Ally Pally result. "It's a long tournament and I hope that, on this anniversary, I finally get beyond the third round."
