"I was happy just to be an a***hole" - Scott Williams returns to the Ally Pally confident after stunning semifinal run last year

Scott Williams begins the 2025 PDC World Darts Championship on Thursday, December 19th. 'Shaggy' will take on Germany's Niko Springer in the opening round at the Alexandra Palace. If he wins, a duel with former world champion Rob Cross will follow in the second round.

Williams of course, caused a sensation at last year's World Darts Championship by reaching the semifinals as an unseeded player. He defeated the likes of Danny Noppert, Martin Schindler, Damon Heta and Michael van Gerwen along the way before eventually falling in the semifinals after a 6-0 defeat to eventual world champion Luke Humphries. The 34-year-old Englishman is therefore looking forward to returning to Alexandra Palace.

"Last year was so good and obviously, Luke Littler was the big story, but anyone else, I was the big guy. I'm okay with not being the big guy for a change," he tells Online Darts with a smile. "I do like to be in the limelight, I like to do stuff to make myself known, but what he did for the sport, he's just different. He's elevated it."

Despite his brilliance at last year's worlds Williams is currently ranked only 37th in the PDC Order of Merit. "The floor form has actually been okay average wise. I actually won more games this year, than I did last year on the floor, I played more Euro Tours, the problem is everyone around me in the same situation, they were just that little bit better," he assesses. "You had obviously, Mike de Decker who won his first major, you had Richie Edhouse who won his first major, you've got Martin Lukeman who got to his first final. So there's so many different players around my area that means I'm just not stepping up which I should be doing."

Williams also looks back at his semifinal disappointment against Humphries at the previous World Championship. "I gave him too much respect. I like him too much. But every other game I was happy just to be an arsehole," he remembers. "That's exactly it. But yeah, I have to be ruthless."