Darts star qualifies for the World Championship for the first time and he'll be everyone's new cult hero

US darts star Fred Krueger will play at his first-ever World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace this December - and there will be few more popular players when he gets there.

Krueger was the top-ranked American player on the CDC Pro Tour, earning his spot alongside the highest-ranked Canadian player Brayden Hall.

But Krueger's story in particular is absolutely fascinating and will no doubt have the Ally Pally faithful behind him when he takes to the oche for his first round match in London.

How Fred Krueger sealed PDC World Championship spot

According to the darts statistics website Darts Orakel, Krueger's first recorded competitive match was in February 2026, when he took part in Q-School for the CDC - North America's premier darts tour.

He won three matches to secure his spot on the tour, and averaged 84.23 in a thumping 5-1 win over Conner Olsen in the final.

Once he competed on the Pro Tour, Krueger would record victories over notable American stars such as Alex Spellman, Leonard Gates and former PDC tour card holder Danny Lauby.

He has also defeated Adam Sevada, who won the North American Championship to secure his spot at Ally Pally, and plays in WDF events.

And his most notable appearance came at this year's PDC US Darts Masters, where he lost 6-1 in legs to World Championship runner-up Gian van Veen in the first round of the competition.

But Krueger's career actually goes back much further than this year. In 2007, he took part in the PDC-organised US Open in Connecticut. Krueger lost in the first round 3-1 in sets to Mark Dudbridge, who reached the world final in 2005 before losing to Phil Taylor.

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Fred Krueger has one of the best nicknames in darts - and his career path is even better

Given his (almost) namesake, Freddy, from the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, it is probably unsurprising that Krueger's nickname is none other than 'Nightmare'.

And as per the WDF's website, he walks out to Metallica's 'Enter Sandman'.

Krueger, who is based out of Providence, Rhode Island, spent time away from darts before deciding to resume his career, and told the CDC after qualifying for the US Darts Masters that he had been convinced to play competitively again by his son.

He said: "To tell you the truth, I was cleaning out my basement and my son had seen a crate full of trophies I had. He didn't really know much about darts. He said, 'Dad, you used to play darts?' I told him a little bit about it and he said, 'Dad, you take me to hockey every weekend. I'd like you to play darts again'. So I put the dartboard up and I started practicing, and I achieved what I wanted to do for my son.

"I'm so proud of myself, and him, and he's my biggest inspiration.

"For me, I want to hear the crowd roar again, and I'm going to perform and make it happen. I'd like to get going again and make him proud, and he's going to follow in my footsteps."

When asked what it would be like to play at Alexandra Palace, he replied: "That would be great. I'd love to go over the pond and make it happen too!"

Krueger will indeed be travelling to the UK in December for what will surely be an extremely popular appearance - and hopefully for him, more than one.