When does the WDF World Championship start in 2025, where is it played and how to get tickets?
FAQSunday, 30 November 2025 at 21:06
The pinnacle of the WDF calendar is right around the corner. The 2025 WDF World Championship is soon set to commence, with many stars set to battle for the privilege of being called 'World Champion.' But where is Lakeside Country Club, and when does the 2025 WDF World Championship start?
The Men's Open event last year saw Shane McGuirk ruled supreme last year, defeating a 70-year-old Paul Lim in the final. In the Women's, Beau Greaves became a three-time world champion, defending her crown for the third consecutive year after defeating Scot Sophie McKinlay.
Here is all the info you need to know about the WDF World Championship.
1. Where is WDF World Championship hosted?
2. When does the WDF World Championship start?
3. How to qualify for WDF World Championship?
4. How to get to WDF World Championship?
5. How to get tickets for WDF World Championship?
6. How much prize money is up for grabs?
7. Which players have won the WDF World Championship?
8. What is the format for the WDF World Championship?
1. Where is WDF World Championship hosted?
2. When does the WDF World Championship start?
3. How to qualify for WDF World Championship?
4. How to get to WDF World Championship?
5. How to get tickets for WDF World Championship?
6. How much prize money is up for grabs?
7. Which players have won the WDF World Championship?
8. What is the format for the WDF World Championship?
1. Where is WDF World Championship hosted?
The historic event will be once again competed at the Lakeside Country Club located in Frimley Green, Surrey, England. The event has been held at the iconic Lakeside venue for the three years as the WDF.
Throughout the year it holds restaurants, bars and live entertainment including concerts, comedy, tribute shows and private entertainment. At the end of the year, it is turned into a darts haven. Some of the best players have taken the Lakeside stage over the years, with it being the host from 1986 when it was promoted by the BDO. Aside from 2020, where it was hosted at the O2 in London, Lakeside has become synonymous with the event.
Shane McGuirk was winner in 2024. He returns this year.
2. When does the WDF World Championship start?
The eagerly anticipated event is set to kick off on Friday, 28th November and climax on Sunday, 7th December 2025. The men's and women's first-round ties will be played from 28th-30th November, with the top seeds entering the fray in the second round on 30th November-3rd December for the men, and 1st-4th December for women.
The Youth quarter-finals will kick off on the 4th December with all the last-eight ties from the men being hosted on the 5th December. The semi-finals will subsequently follow in the 6th for all four tournaments, with the finals being played on the culminating day of the event, 7th December. It also acts as the first of two World Championships with the PDC version taking place the week later. Albeit players cannot qualify for both with a ruling in place to stop them and they need to pick between them.
3. How to qualify for WDF World Championship?
Throughout the year, numerous WDF tournaments have been held, Players have not only been competing for the title but for crucial ranking points which places them in the WDF World Rankings. Events are classed in difficulty, with Platinum and Gold events the most prestigious. The top 16 automatically qualifies and are seeded for the event.
If you come out on top on a coveted Platinum or Gold tournament, you would have also booked yourself a place at Lakeside. There are also 14 qualifiers from the regional tables. There are seven of these, with the top two earning a ticket for the prestigious event. You then go back to the WDF World rankings. The next highest ranked players make it into the event until 44 players are on the shortlist. The final four lock horns in a qualifiers event.
A similar process goes for the women's tournament. The top eight in the rankings qualify, along with any winners of Platinum or Gold events throughout the calendar year. 14 regional qualifiers are included with the next highest players in the rankings used until 22 players have a spot. There is then space for just two qualifiers to make up the 24 players to take to the oche.
For the Youth event, eight players will feature in the open's event while four will feature in the girls tournament. Players must be aged 18 or under on 31st December 2024 to be elegibe the upcoming World Championship. Open-qualification criteria is split in two groups of four. The four highest ranked players in the WDF World Championship who are the required age are in with the other four qualifying through the Open WDF World Championships Play Off. It is the same criteria for the girls event but two players qualify from the rankings while another two get in through the Girls WDF World Championships Play Off.
4. How to get to WDF World Championship?
Lakeside Country Club is located on Wharf Road, Frimley Green, Surrey. By car, exit the M3 at junction four before going down the A331 towards Frimley Green. Turn onto Wharf Road, which should be obvious to find with the location clearly sign posted when the darts is in town. Parking is free but limited spaces on offer.
If travelling by train, Frimley station is the closest to the location. You can either walk it in around 15/20. Other local train stations are Farnborough and Ash Vale, which are slightly further away. You can take the bus for part of the way and walk the rest or hop in a taxi from the station. The number two bus goes to the Country Club from Camberley and Frimley.
5. How to get tickets for WDF World Championship?
Tickets for the event have been on sale from the dedicated Eventbrite page. Aside from the afternoon session on Saturday, 6th December, tickets are still available for anyone interested in going. Starting prices range from roughly £27 to £38, with some session more expensive than others. From the 5th December, when the quarter-finals start, tickets start from £43.69, and for the final it will be from £54.49.
Beau Greaves clenches her fist during the PDC Women's World Matchplay
6. How much prize money is up for grabs?
There will be a prize pool of £146,000 for the men's event. The men's champion will take home £50,000 with the runner-up clinching £16,000. Semi-finalists earn £8,000, double the number of quarter-finalists who are rewarded with £4,000. A ast-16 appearance will yield you £2,00, last-32 £1,250 and for making it to the last-48 you are guaranteed £750.
The women's prize pool is at £63,000. The champion will earn £25,000 with the defeated finalist pocketing £8,000. Semi-finalists accumulate £4,000 while quarter-finalists claim £2,000. A last-16 appearance will see you collect £1,000 while a last-24 spot gets you £750.
The youth champion will clinch £3,000 with the other finalist walking away with £1,500. The pair of semi-finalists gain £1,000 as the quarter-finalists take £500. The girls champion earns £1,500, runner-up gets £1,000 and the semi-finalists clinch £500.
WDF World Championship Open Prize Money
| Position | Prize Money |
| Winner | £50,000 |
| Runner-Up | £16,000 |
| Semi-Finalists | £8,000 |
| Quarter-Finalists | £4,000 |
| Last 16 | £2,000 |
| Last 32 | £1,250 |
| Last 48 | £750 |
WDF World Championship Ladies Prize Money
| Position | Prize Money |
| Winner | £25,000 |
| Runner-Up | £8,000 |
| Semi-Finalists | £4,000 |
| Quarter-Finalists | £2,000 |
| Last 16 | £1,000 |
| Last 24 | £750 |
Youth Prize Money
| Position | Prize Money |
| Winner | £3,000 |
| Runner-Up | £1,500 |
| Semi-Finalists | £1,000 |
| Quarter-Finalists | £500 |
Girls Prize Money
| Position | Prize Money |
| Winner | £1,500 |
| Runner-Up | £1,000 |
| Semi-Finalists | £500 |
7. Which players have won the WDF World Championship?
The WDF World Championship first commenced in 2022, with Neil Duff coming out on top 6-5 in a tense final against Frenchman Thibaut Tricole. It was a more convincing victory the next year, with Andy Baetens winning 6-1 against Dutchman Chirs Landman. Lat year's event saw another Irishman take glory, but this time residing from the Republic of Ireland. McGuirk conquered the field in Lakeside a year ago after defeating Lim 6-3.
Men's Winners WDF World Championship
| Year | Champion | Av. | Score | Runner-Up | Av. |
| 2022 | Neil Duff | 87.73 | 6–5 | Thibault Tricole | 86.95 |
| 2023 | Andy Baetens | 93.69 | 6–1 | Chris Landman | 86.47 |
| 2024 | Shane McGuirk | 90.31 | 6–3 | Paul Lim | 83.76 |
While there have been three winners in the men's side, the women's event has been dominated by one name: Greaves. She burst onto the scene in 2022 after taking down Kirsty Hutchinson 4-0. She followed that up a year later with a 4-1 triumph over Aileen de Graaf ahead of defending her title once more in another 4-1 win, this time against McKinlay. A new winner will be added to the women's trophy this year.
Women's WDF World Championship Winners
| Year | Champion | Av. | Score | Runner-Up | Av. |
| 2022 | Beau Greaves | 92.05 | 4–0 | Kirsty Hutchinson | 72.53 |
| 2023 | Beau Greaves (2) | 84.64 | 4–1 | Aileen de Graaf | 77.69 |
| 2024 | Beau Greaves (3) | 83.92 | 4–1 | Sophie McKinlay | 73.81 |
The first two years of the youth tournament was dominated by a duo of young Dutchman. Bradley Roes defeated Charlie Large 3-1 in the 2022 event while his fellow countryman Bradley van der Velden overcame Adam Dee 3-0 to have his name etched onto the trophy. Archie Self is the reigning champion, beating out Jenson Walker 3-2 in a closely contested final.
Boys WDF World Championship Winners
| Year | Champion | Av. | Score | Runner-Up | Av. |
| 2022 | Bradly Roes | 71.34 | 3–1 | Charlie Large | 71.56 |
| 2023 | Bradley van der Velden | 69.93 | 3–0 | Adam Dee | 66.68 |
| 2024 | Archie Self | 81.34 | 3–2 | Jenson Walker | 84.76 |
In the girls competition, all the finals have been whitewash victories. Eleanor Cairns edged out German Wibke Riemann 2-0 ahead of Aurora Fochesato brought glory to Italy in a 2-0 win against Krisztina Turai. In 2024, Paige Pauling impressed to become world champion, heaping more misery onto the shoulders of McKinlay.
Girls Winners - WDF World Championship
| Year | Champion | Av. | Score | Runner-Up | Av. |
| 2022 | Eleanor Cairns | 52.45 | 2–0 | Wibke Riemann | 52.22 |
| 2023 | Aurora Fochesato | 59.43 | 2–0 | Krisztina Turai | 51.07 |
| 2024 | Paige Pauling | 73.88 | 2–0 | Sophie McKinlay | 71.92 |
8. What is the format for the WDF World Championship?
The WDF World Championship is played in set format, with three legs equalling one set. There has been a change in the format from last year's event for both the men's and women's tournaments. The men will play the first-round, second-round and last-16 in a best-of-five format. It extends from each round onwards. The quarter-final goes up to best-of-seven, semi-final best-of-nine and final best-of-11.
The women's format is slightly shorter. The first-round and last-16 are best-of-three. The quarter-finals has gone up from a best-of-three to now being best-of five, the same as the semi-final. The final will then be played in a best-of-seven format.
There have also been extensions in the youth and girls format. The youth quarter-final is best-of-three sets, semi-finals moves up to best-of-five and final is best-of-seve. Last year it was best-of-three throughout. The girls semi-final is best-of-three ahead of a best-of-five set final.
| Round | Best of (legs) |
| First Round | Best of 5 sets |
| Second Round | Best of 5 sets |
| Third Round | Best of 5 sets |
| Quarter-Finals | Best of 7 sets |
| Semi-Finals | Best of 9 sets |
| Final | Best of 11 sets |
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- Sophie v Paige warranted a final and deserved a longer format, despite the completely shambolic start to the match regarding the scoring which I think unnerved both players, it was an excellent game. Both are outstanding players with great futures in darts. It was a shame such talented players had to meet so early and that Paige is out, she is brilliant and blitzed Sophie in that first set. Fantastic comeback from Sophie, so calm and nonchalant, survived a real scare but hope she becomes World Champion.richieburnettrocks04-12-2025
- I'll play,I can average about 40!rick6701-12-2025
- I'll play,I can average about 40!rick6701-12-2025
- Oh fudge off. Who the hell decided Mardull was preferred choice. Just look as its idiotic face. What a talentless waste of space What a travesty when you compare what ITV had. He comes across as a jokey person but it's a class A piece of sheet, miserable as hell and completely full of himself. I don't know anyone who can say anything positive about this goof. Hopefully he'll meet Chris Mason in a dark alley. It really is paving over paradise.richieburnettrocks26-11-2025
- Needs to get the dart tip up when he pulls the dart back and his game will come back.BandB25-11-2025
- Absolutely disgraceful, really I've said many times that ITV coverage is superior to SKY and SKY know that. Jacqui was absolutely fantastic and extremely knowledgeable. Emma from SKY is more interested in what to wear than learning about darts. Chris Mason is absolutely the best and greatest commentator on TV, even better than Alex Jacques on F1 and Alex is absolutely brilliant. It is criminal that Chris and Alan will probably never be on TV again, what an amazing waste of talent. Poor Ned, who is just as excellent and knowledgeable on darts as the Tour de France has lost both gigs this year. The whole ITV team from presentation, commentary, production the whole team will definitely be missed and I have enjoyed every minute of their coverage. Thank you so much. John Part is the ONLY decent and knowledgeable person on SKY. I liked Glenn Durrant the player but he is awkward and dreadful on commentary all the rest are utterly useless.richieburnettrocks24-11-2025
- Gurney is off form and will completely crack and have a meltdown as the crowd will be relentless, although I think Beau will beat him anyway. I also think Fallon will beat the Helium voiced Chisnall. Poor Gemma has a toughie Peter Wright is also completely off the boil but will probably squeeze past Lisa. Ian White v Mervyn King is an old school classic.richieburnettrocks24-11-2025
- I thought itv coverage was great,shame to see it goingrick6724-11-2025
- Put the balls back in and have another go!rick6724-11-2025
- Hate the idea. Darts is loud and exciting without this gimmick format. Golf needs it because it's otherwise boring. Sorry but same applies for royale rumble style knock out.BandB19-11-2025
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