Preview PDC World Darts Championship Thursday afternoon: De Decker meets historic opponent, Rydz and Joyce also make an appearance

A packed day again today at the World Darts Championship. After only an evening session was scheduled on Wednesday, there are two sessions again on Thursday. The afternoon session features several intriguing names to watch.

The afternoon gets underway with a clash between Callan Rydz and Patrik Kovacs. Thibault Tricole then faces Motomu Sakai. The third match pits Ryan Joyce against Owen Bates, before Mike De Decker and David Munyua wrap up the afternoon at Ally Pally.

Four years ago, Callan Rydz reached the quarterfinals of the World Darts Championship, but despite a Pro Tour title in 2023, “The Riot” could not make a definitive breakthrough. Last year Rydz produced another strong run to the last eight in London, yet again the Englishman failed to build on that result. The Newcastle thrower missed out on the World Matchplay, World Grand Prix, and European Championship and failed to impress at the other majors. On the floor he managed only one semifinal, and on the Euro Tour he won just one match across six events.

What does favor Rydz is that he has never lost a first-round match at the World Championship, and against Patrik Kovacs he has a good chance to extend that streak. Kovacs makes his Alexandra Palace debut this year after competing at the WDF Worlds at Lakeside in the past two seasons. The Hungarian failed to make an impact there and exited in the first round both times. The 29-year-old from Ózd earned his World Championship spot by winning the Hungarian Super League. Kovacs is not the first Hungarian at Alexandra Palace. His compatriot Nándor Bezzeg preceded him in the 2009 edition.

For the third year running, Thibault Tricole features at the World Championship. As last year, he qualified via the Pro Tour ranking, ensuring the Frenchman has another year of access to the Pro Tour circuit in 2026. Still, Tricole would not call it a great year on the floor, as he suffered first-round exits at 19 of the 34 floor events. His highlights were two quarterfinals, while he also reached the final day at a Euro Tour event once. At his previous two World Championships, Tricole cleared the first round each time but then lost tamely in the second round to Rob Cross (3-0) and Luke Humphries (3-0) respectively.

The draw handed Tricole a tie with Motomu Sakai. The 28-year-old Japanese secured a World Championship berth for the first time in his career via the PDC Asian Tour this season. Sakai excelled there by winning four events. Those victories helped him finish second on the PDC Asian Tour Order of Merit. Throughout the season, Sakai regularly posted averages above 90, and it remains to be seen whether he can reproduce that level on his debut under the big-stage lights.

There are not many first-round ties between two PDC Tour Card holders at the World Championship, but this all-English clash is one of them. Ryan Joyce is seeded 24 for the North London showpiece this year. Last year, Joyce came closest to beating eventual world champion Luke Littler. He faced “The Nuke” in the fourth round and forced a deciding leg. After a thriller, Joyce still lost 4-3. The 40-year-old followed up with a solid year, reaching his first-ever Euro Tour final. On that circuit he also added a quarterfinal and a semifinal. At the European Championship, Joyce reached the quarterfinals as well.

Owen Bates initially qualified for the World Championship via the Development Tour, but at the last moment also clinched qualification through the Pro Tour. After two seasons on the Pro Tour, Bates sits only 81st in the world rankings. Even so, the Englishman is guaranteed to be on the main tour again next season, having secured a Tour Card for the next two years via the Development Tour.

This will be the third official meeting between the two Englishmen. They met on the Players Championship circuit in both 2023 and 2024. Joyce won both encounters 6-5.

Mike De Decker is the fourth Belgian to kick off his World Championship campaign. “The Real Deal” is making his sixth successive World Championship appearance. He has yet to enjoy major success at this tournament, with a second round as his best result. De Decker stunned in 2024 with a highly unexpected World Grand Prix title, but otherwise his standout results have been scarce. He did feature on the World Series, where De Decker reached a fine final at the Australian Darts Masters. De Decker will need strong results at this World Championship and in early 2026 to avoid a steep drop when he has to defend his World Grand Prix prize money at the end of 2026.

A second round should at least be within reach for De Decker, who faces David Munyua, one of the weaker players at this World Championship. His appearance is historic, as Munyua is the first player from Kenya to take a shot at the world title. Munyua booked his ticket by winning the African Qualifier. The Kenyan is capable of averaging above eighty, but under normal circumstances he will fall well short against De Decker if the Belgian hits his usual level.