40 men and 16 women will compete for the world title at the Lakeside in January. Also in the mix are Leighton Bennett and Nathan Girvan, who will contest the BDO World Youth Darts Championship final. The two defending World Championship champions, Glen Durrant and Lisa Ashton, are the second seeds in their respective fields. At the top of the men's field is Mark McGeeney, with Durrant and Jim Williams as second and third seeds. A qualifier last year, Michael Unterbuchner will go into the Lakeside championships as sixth seed, looking to better his semi-final showing. The highest-ranked debutant is Dave Parletti, who is the 11th seed. As Winmau World Master, Adam Smith-Neale earns a place in the field. He will enter in the preliminary round, alongside the likes of Paul Hogan and Andy Hamilton. Another familiar face is Wes Newton, to have his Lakeside spot confirmed. Lorraine Winstanley is the top seed in the women's draw, ahead of Ashton. Anastasia Dobromyslova, whose spot at the PDC World Championship the month before has been confirmed, is fourth seed behind Lakeside veteran Deta Hedman. 10-time world champion Trina Gulliver is back for her 19th appearance. A finalist two years ago, Corinne Hammond will be unseeded for this year's event. Roz Bulmer and Laura Turner will both make their debut at the Lakeside. So too will Mikuru Suzuki and Karolina Podgorska, who provide Japanese and Polish representation in the women's tournament for the first time.
Seeded players
1 – Mark McGeeney (Eng)
2 – Glen Durrant (Eng)
3 – Jim Williams (Wal)
4 – Wesley Harms (Ned)
5 – Michael Unterbuchner (Ger)
6 – Scott Mitchell (Eng)
7 – Gary Robson (Eng)
8 – Richard Veenstra (Ned)
9 – Scott Waites (Eng)
10 – Chris Landman (Ned)
11 – Dave Parletti (Eng)
12 – Wayne Warren (Wal)
13 – Willem Mandigers (Ned)
14 – Daniel Day (Eng)
15 – Ross Montgomery (Sco)
16 – Martin Phillips (Wal)
First round qualifiers
17 – Kyle McKinstry (Nir)
18 – Scott Baker (Eng)
19 – Derk Telnekes (Ned)
20 – Tony O’Shea (Eng)
21 – Conan Whitehead (Eng)
22 – Dean Reynolds (Wal)
23 – Jeffrey van Egdom (Bel)
24 – Mark Layton (Wal)
Preliminary Round Qualifiers
25 – Wouter Vaes (Ned)
26 – Justin Thompson (Aus)
27 – Wesley Newton (Eng)
28 – Adam Smith-Neale (Eng) (Winmau World Masters champion)
29 – Andy Hamilton (BDO Qualifier)
30 – Nigel Heydon (BDO Qualifier)
31 – Ryan Hogarth (BDO Qualifier)
32 – Krzysztof Kciuk (BDO Qualifier)
33 – Mal Cuming (Aus) (Australian Qualifier)
34 – Brian Løkken (Den) (Baltic/Scandinavian Qualifier)
35 – Paul Hogan (Eng) (British Isles Regional Rankings Qualifier)
36 – David Cameron (Can) (Canadian Qualifier)
37 – Oliver Ferenc (Eastern European Qualifier)
38 – Mark McGrath (Nzl) (New Zealand Qualifier)
39 – Jim Widmayer (USA) (USA Qualifier)
40 – Roger Janssen (Bel) (Western European Qualifier)
Seeded players
1 – Lorraine Winstanley (Eng)
2 – Lisa Ashton (Eng)
3 – Deta Hedman (Eng)
4 – Anastasia Dobromyslova (Rus)
5 – Aileen de Graaf (Ned)
6 – Fallon Sherrock (Eng)
7 – Sharon Prins (Ned)
8 – Trina Gulliver MBE (Eng)
First Round Qualifiers
9 – Corrine Hammond (Aus)
10 – Maria O’Brien (Eng)
11 – Casey Gallagher (Eng)
12 – Roz Bulmer (Eng)
13 – Paula Jacklin (Eng)
14 – Laura Turner (Eng)
15 – Karolina Podgorska (Pol) (BDO Qualifier)
16 – Mikuru Suzuki (Jpn) (BDO Qualifier)
Leighton Bennett v Nathan Girvan