Preview Monday afternoon PDC World Darts Championship 2026: James Wade v Ricky Evans headlines as cult hero David Munyua returns

On Monday afternoon, the batlte for a place in the last 32 at the World Darts Championship continues. The afternoon session starts with a clash between Darren Beveridge and Madars Razma.

Nijman then faces Gabriel Clemens, before Doets goes up against David Munyua. The last match of the afternoon is between James Wade and Ricky Evans.
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One of the surprises of the first round was perhaps Darren Beveridge. Not so much because he beat the out-of-sorts Dimitri Van den Bergh, but because of the manner of it. The Scot won 3-0 in sets on his World Championship debut against the Belgian, posting a 91.62 average.

Madars Razma will be his opponent in the last 64. The Latvian triumphed in a patchy match on the opening night of the World Darts Championship, winning 3-1 in sets against Jamai van den Herik. For the “Latvian Razmatazz” it was the fourth year in a row he won his opening match at this tournament.

Although both men have been on tour for several years, this will be the first time Razma and Beveridge meet in an official match. The stakes are especially high for Beveridge, as “Ice Cold” needs a fourth-round berth to keep his Tour Card. Razma is currently ranked 46th in the world and can move past Mickey Mansell if he beats Beveridge.

Only three players registered a three-figure average in the first round, and Wessel Nijman was one of them. The Dutchman cruised to a 3-0 win in sets over Karel Sedlacek with a 100.91 average per visit. It was Nijman’s second victory on the World Championship stage, after he beat Cameron Carolissen last year. Nijman now has the chance to reach the last 32 at Alexandra Palace for the first time in his career.

Gabriel Clemens has more experience in that regard. “The German Giant” has made it past Christmas four times, with a superb semi-final run in 2023 as the clear highlight. Clemens is no longer at that level and comes in as the underdog against Nijman. The 42-year-old German eased through the first round with a 3-0 win in sets over a disappointing Alex Spellman.

Nijman and Clemens have already met four times in 2025. Clemens won the first two encounters convincingly by 6-2 and 6-1, before Nijman took the next two 6-5.

Nijman has already moved past Michael Smith and Dirk van Duijvenbode in the world rankings and is virtually up to 28th. The three players above him are already out, so Nijman can hope for further progress. Clemens currently sits 48th in the world. A win would help “The German Giant” shore up his top-50 position.

The fact that David Munyua is scheduled in this session is already a victory in itself. Hardly anyone expected the Kenyan to make a dent against Mike De Decker, but Munyua pulled off a huge upset by knocking out the Belgian 3-2 in sets. Munyua became the first player from Africa outside South Africa to win a match at the World Darts Championship. However, an 80.78 average is unlikely to be anywhere near enough to contend with Kevin Doets.

The Dutchman often produces his best on the World Championship stage. Last year that led to a place in the last 16, and now “Hawk Eye” will fancy his chances of making it through the Christmas break again in London. Doets produced a solid first-round display, defeating Matthew Dennant 3-1. He averaged 92.11 in that match.

This will be the first meeting between Munyua and Doets, who will still need to win a few more matches to continue climbing the world rankings. He is virtually up to 38th, three spots higher than before the World Darts Championship. The gap to 37th is sizable, and to bridge it Doets will need to reach at least the quarterfinals.

A superb billing to wrap up the afternoon, although it’s a pity Ricky Evans isn’t scheduled on the final day before the Christmas break. In the first round, “Rapid Ricky” wore a brilliant festive outfit and made his way to the stage to the tune of Merry Christmas Everyone by Shakin’ Stevens. The quick-fire Englishman impressed not only with his appearance but also with strong play in the opening round. Man Lok Leung looked a potential banana skin in round one, but the Hong Kong thrower was expertly dispatched 3-0 in sets.

James Wade, however, is a very different caliber of opponent. “The Machine” had lost his three previous World Championship matches, but snapped that negative run with a convincing 3-0 win over Ryusei Azemoto. The left-hander averaged 94.75 with a 37.5 percent checkout rate. Not spectacular, but enough for Wade to build on at this tournament.

Wade and Evans have played each other plenty of times before. The head-to-head isn’t very positive for Evans, as the former World Youth Championship finalist has beaten Wade only three times. “The Machine” has come out on top eight times. They met recently at the Grand Slam of Darts, where Wade won 5-2.

A win would serve Wade well in the world rankings, as the 11-time major champion is considered a contender for a Premier League spot. He currently sits seventh, with the margins in that area relatively small. Evans began the tournament ranked 40, but now sits a projected 43rd. Two years ago, Evans reached the last 32, a result he will be keen to defend.