Besides world title, World Number One spot also at stake in Smith-Van Gerwen World Darts Championship final

On Tuesday night, Michael Smith and Michael van Gerwen face each other in the final of the 2023 World Darts Championship. Besides the world title and its £500,000 cheque, the World Number One spot is also at stake.

Smith started the world championship as number four on the ranking list, while Van Gerwen was third. However, on the virtual PDC Order of Merit, both players have already climbed up one spot.

However, a simple calculation shows that the winner of the World Championship final will go over current number one Peter Wright anyway. Gerwyn Price, who started the World Darts Championship as number one, falls back to World Number Four.

A world title for Smith would mark the first time 'Bully Boy' has led the Order of Merit. Van Gerwen led the PDC Order of Merit consecutively from January 2014 to January 2021, so he could take back the number one spot after two years.