Preview second quarter at 2025 PDC World Darts Championship: Luke Littler looking to improve from last year's fairy tale run

The clock is ticking, and the PDC World Darts Championship is fast approaching. The crown jewel of the darts season is less than two weeks away now, with the action kicking off on December 15th and running all the way until January 3rd. It’s set to be another festive period filled with brilliant matches, but who will get their hands on the trophy this year?

Over the next month a flood of darts fans will start making their way to the capital and to Alexandra Palace, the home of the World Darts Championship since 2008. This time last year, Luke Humphries confirmed his status as the world number 1, as he added his first world title to his collection, and Cool Hand will be one of the favourites again this year. But what about the new Grand Slam of Darts Champion, Luke Littler? At 17 years old, ‘the Nuke’ really is a phenomenon and it’s more of a question of when, not if, he wins his first world title.

But there’s far more than just the two Luke’s, and since the draw was made last week, we’ve began to look at who is in action in the full second round. The tournament follows a knockout format, beginning with a field of 96 of the world’s very best players. The tournament is split into preliminary and main rounds, and the top 32 players from the PDC Order of Merit are automatically seeded into the second round. They are joined by qualifiers from a range of regional events, who compete in the opening round, and matches increase in length as the tournament progresses, starting as best-of-5 sets and culminating in a best-of-13 sets final.

With a total prize pool of £2,500,000, there’s a lot at stake. The winner will go home with their pockets filled with half a million, while even a second-round exit guarantees £15,000. Now, let’s take a closer look at the second quarter of the 2025 PDC World Darts Championship.

The second quarter of the PDC World Darts Championship will see the introduction of one of the biggest names in British sport right now, Luke Littler. No matter how many times you’re told just how young he is, you still can’t get used to it. Last year, Littler burst on to the scene and in the space of a few weeks became a household name, and eventually finished as the runner up to Luke Humphries.

Last month, Littler claimed his first ranking PDC major title at the Grand Slam of Darts, winning on debut by demolishing Martin Lukeman 16 – 3, including winning 15 legs on the spin. He also had an all time great match with Gary Anderson that went down to the last leg in the semi-final, and if Littler is the form we saw from him in Wolverhampton, he could be unstoppable over the festive period.

The 17 year old will face either Ryan Meikle or Fallon Sherrock in the second round. Sherrock earned the nickname the ‘Queen of the Palace,’ when she made it to the third round back in 2020. Fans would love to see Littler and Sherrock face off in the second round, and we wonder which fan favourite would get more support.

The second round of the PDC World Darts Championship will see the return of 2018 World Champion Rob Cross, a man who remains one of the most underrated threats in the game despite all he has achieved. Despite the fact he’s the 5th seed, a previous winner, and was only beaten in the semi-final last year by Littler, Cross somehow continues to fly under the radar.

At 34 years old, Cross may not have claimed a ranked major since 2019, but that doesn’t diminish just how talented he is. He is a player who knows how to deliver on the biggest stages, and he regularly brings his best form to Alexandra Palace. Cross is usually strong under pressure, and he’ll be looking to start this year’s campaign with a commanding victory.

Cross will face either Scott Williams or Niko Springer. Williams, a familiar opponent, was defeated by Cross at the same stage during 2023, whilst Springer, a 24-year-old rising star from Germany, will be making his debut at the PDC World Darts Championship.

Ritchie Edhouse, the 29th seed, comes into this year’s PDC World Darts Championship riding high after a breakthrough 2024 season. The 41-year-old from Essex stunned fans by claiming his first major title at the European Championship, dismantling Jermaine Wattimena 11-3 in a dominant display. That performance was a big surprise, now the question is whether he can translate that success to the sport’s biggest stage.

Despite his European Championship triumph, Edhouse has struggled at the World Championship in the past, never progressing beyond the second round. Last month’s Grand Slam of Darts also ended at that stage, a disappointing exit after such a promising lead-up. This year, he’ll be determined to put those previous shortcomings behind him and prove that his European championship win was no fluke.

Edhouse will face either Ian White or Sandro Eric Sosing in his opening match. White, a familiar name in the darting world, boasts a huge amount of world championship experience, including a quarter-final appearance at the 2014 World Championship, only losing to Simon Whitlock. Sosing, by contrast, is an untested figure at this level, which could make him an unpredictable challenge for Edhouse.

Nathan Aspinall returns to Alexandra Palace looking to rekindle the form that has seen him reach the semi-finals of the PDC World Darts Championship twice before, back in 2019 and 2020. At 33, Aspinall is no stranger to the big stage, and his victory at the 2023 World Matchplay is the highlight of his career so far. However, his 2024 season has been underwhelming so far, and last year’s disappointing second-round exit at the world championship will be fresh in his mind. Aspinall knows he needs to step up to make a deeper run this time around.

In the second round, Aspinall will face either Cameron Menzies or Leonard Gates, two very different but equally intriguing opponents. Menzies comes into the World Championship in career-best form, having reached the quarter-finals of last month’s Grand Slam of Darts. The Scotsman will certainly fancy his chances of causing an upset, especially if he can carry that momentum into the tournament.

Leonard Gates is a veteran of the game, and at 54 years old, the American is one of the best senior players on the circuit, but remains relatively untested at the World Championship level. Gates made his debut at Alexandra Palace in 2023 but failed to progress beyond the second round. While he could pose a challenge, he’ll need to bring something special to overcome Menzies and then Aspinall.

Danny Noppert enters this year’s World Darts Championship looking to break past his third-round barrier, which is where he’s exited on four previous occasions. The 33-year-old Dutchman, a former UK Open champion, has proven himself on the big stage before and is coming off a semi-final appearance at the 2024 European Championship.

In the second round, he will face either Ryan Joyce or Darius Labanauskas. Joyce, a 39-year-old from Newcastle, reached the quarter-finals of the World Championship back in 2019 and the semi-finals of this year’s World Grand Prix. His experience and recent form make him a strong favourite against Labanauskas, the Lithuanian who was also a World Championship quarter finalist back in 2017.

Luke Littler (4) vs Ryan Meikle or Fallon Sherrock

Ritchie Edhouse (29) vs Ian White or Sandro Eric Sosing

Danny Noppert (13) vs Ryan Joyce or Darius Labanauskas

Ryan Searle (20) vs Mensur Suljovic or Matt Campbell

Rob Cross (5) vs Scott Williams or Niko Springer

Gian van Veen (28) vs Ricardo Pietreczko or Xiaochen Zong

Nathan Aspinall (12) vs Cameron Menzies or Leonard Gates

Andrew Gilding (21) vs Martin Lukeman or Nitin Kumar