Schedule Sunday night at World Darts Championship 2025: Gary Anderson begins quest for 3rd world title with Dimitri van den Bergh also in action

This Sunday night we have another four matches on the schedule at the World Darts Championship. All are second-round matches, with the winners allowed to return after Christmas.

Among others, Gary Anderson will return to the Alexandra Palace stage, beginning his latest quest for a 3rd World Darts Championship title. Dimitri van den Bergh will also play his first match of the tournament on Sunday night.

Out of nowhere, Callan Rydz emerged as the best player of the first round. With an incredibly strong performance, he outlasted Romeo Grbavac 3-0 in the first round. 'The Riot' had an average of 107 and a finishing percentage of 60 percent. If Rydz regains that form, Martin Schindler may have his chest wet.

Schindler had the best year of his career this season. The German managed to win two Euro Tours and has climbed to 22nd place in the world rankings. The past two seasons 'The Wall' reached the last 32 in Ally Pally each time, a result he will want to at least match this year. Schindler has a particularly good record against Rydz. He has won all twelve previous meetings with the Englishman.

In each of the past three editions, Ross Smith reached the last 32 at the World Darts Championship. To succeed there for the fourth time, 'Smudger' will first have to get rid of Paolo Nebrida. The former European Championship winner has had a fine year, with a quarterfinal at the World Matchplay and a semifinal at the Players Championship Finals. In addition, Smith also reached two Euro Tour finals and won a Players Championship title.

Nebrida managed to cause a surprise in the first round by eliminating Jim Williams 3-2 in sets. The Filipino dart player could become the first Asian player since Seigo Asada in 2020 to reach the last 32 at the World Darts Championship.

De Graaf won 3-1 over Rashad Sweeting in the first round and now faces the leaden task of flooring a title favourite.

For the first time in years, Anderson is again among the big favourites for the world title. Last month, Anderson almost won a major title, but in the semifinals of the Grand Slam of Darts, he lost 16-15 to Luke Littler. The Scot was in greatest form on the Pro Tour this season, winning a Euro Tour tournament and two Players Championships there. Of all the darters on the PDC Tour, Anderson has the highest annual average. If Anderson takes that form to Alexandra Palace, then few can stop 'The Flying Scotsman'. In the head-to-head, Anderson leads 2-1. De Graaf won the first meeting between these two players in 2016, but this year 'The Flying Scotsman' managed to win twice from the Swedish Dutchman on the floor.

Dimitri van den Bergh must save Belgium's honour at the World Darts Championship, after his compatriots Mike de Decker and Kim Huybrechts were ingloriously eliminated at the World Darts Championship. 'The Dreammaker' is performing shakily at Alexandra Palace. Highlights were quarterfinals in 2018 and 2020, and even a semifinal at the 2023 edition. At the 2022 and 2024 World Cup, however, Van den Bergh was eliminated in the second round.

Normally, the first hurdle should be doable for Van den Bergh. He takes on Dylan Slevin, who was too strong for William O'Connor in the first round in an Irish scrap. It will be the first time Van den Bergh and Slevin have faced each other in an official match.

Sky Sports are broadcasting the entire World Darts Championship in the UK with coverage throughout on a dedicated channel Sky Sports Darts.

A subscription is required to access this though which can be sought on a Sky box or through their streaming platform.

The 96 participants at the 2025 World Darts Championship may divide as much as 2.5 million pounds between them. That amount is almost forty times higher than at the very first edition of the PDC Worlds in 1994.

The 64 participants to start in the first round of the World Darts Championship will receive £7500 in prize money anyway. The top-32 of the placement list are guaranteed 15,000 pounds. These players enter the World Darts Championship from the second round. The amount then increases further each round. The new world champion will receive the top prize of 500,000 pounds.

First round: Best of 5 sets

Second round: Best of 5 sets

Third round: Best of 7 sets

Fourth round: Best of 7 sets

Quarterfinals: Best of 9 sets

Semifinals: Best of 11 sets

Final: Best of 13 sets

Martin Schindler v Callan Rydz (R2)

Ross Smith v Paolo Nebrida (R2)

Gary Anderson v Jeffrey de Graaf (R2)

Dimitri Van den Bergh v Dylan Slevin (R2)