Preview World Darts Championship 2024: what are the chances of the Dutch in the first round?

Ahead of the start of the 2024 World Darts Championship on Dec. 15, Dartsnews looks ahead to the duels of the Dutchmen who will be in action during the first round.

Of the twelve Dutch participants in Alexandra Palace, eight have to start from the first round. Right away in the opening match of the World Darts Championship the first Dutchman already appears on stage.

Kevin Doets reached his first PDC ranking final at Players Championship 20. Partly because of this result, the Dutchman managed to qualify for the Players Championship Finals last month and the World Darts Championship. At the Players Championship Finals, Doets reached the second round by beating Portuguese Jose de Sousa and entered the top 64 in the process. However, on his debut at the Alexandra Palace, Doets will need to get past the first round to ensure he retains his Tour Card. Otherwise, he will depend on the results of other players. His opponent is American Stowe Buntz, who won the CDC Continental Cup this year and made it to the quarter-finals of the Grand Slam of Darts.

Niels Zonneveld will make his third appearance at the Alexandra Palace. In his previous two appearances, he did not make it past the first round. Zonneveld showed good form at the Players Championship Finals, where he reached the last 16 with victories over Daryl Gurney and Jonny Clayton. His opponent is former PDC World Darts Championship quarterfinalist Darren Webster, who qualified for through the last chance saloon PDPA qualifying tournament.

Jermaine Wattimena will participate in the World Darts Championship for the tenth time in a row. The world number 51 showed good form in reaching the last 16 of the Players Championship Finals in November with victories over Dirk van Duijvenbode and Richard Veenstra. His opponent is Fallon Sherrock, who finished second in this year's Women's Series Ranking and will enter the Alexandra Palace for the fourth time.

Gian van Veen had a fantastic season in his first year as a Tour Card holder, with a final on the floor, two quarterfinals on the Euro Tour and a semifinal at the European Championships. In addition, the world number 45 finished top of the Development Tour this year and was in the final of the PDC World Youth Championship. Van Veen will face Man-Lok Leung from Hong Kong, in his first match at the Alexandra Palace. Leung took 3 titles on the Asian Tour this year, which helped him qualify for the PDC World Championship.

Wessel Nijman won three titles on the Development Tour this year and finished third in the overall rankings. Because Gian van Veen is already qualified for the World Championship via the Pro Tour, Nijman benefitted and as such, will make his debut at the Alexandra Palace. He will face the most experienced player in the field, Steve Beaton, who will participate in the PDC World Championship for a record-extending 23rd time in a row.

Richard Veenstra captured his Tour Card in January and due to a good season on the Pro Tour may debut at the Alexandra Palace. Veenstra recently showed good form when he defeated reigning world champion Michael Smith in the first round of the Players Championship Finals. His first match will be against New Zealander Ben Robb, who topped the DPNZ Tour rankings this year and is making his fourth trip to the Alexandra Palace.

Christian Kist was unable to secure a Tour Card in January, but was allowed to participate in many Players Championships as a reserve player. At Players Championship 22 he reached the final, followed by a semi-final on the following day at PC23. However, the former Lakeside winner did suffer an injury during the Players Championship Finals at the end of November. Kist has participated in the World Darts Championship four times in the past, but his opponent Luke Littler will make his debut at the Alexandra Palace. The 16-year-old Englishman finished second on the Development Tour thanks to five titles and became the youth world champion in November.

Berry van Peer finished with four titles at the top of the Challenge Tour rankings and forced his debut for the World Darts Championship. His opponent Luke Woodhouse will compete in London for the fifth time and had a great season in 2023 with a final at Players Championship 14 and a quarterfinal at the Players Championship Finals.