Schedule Wednesday night 2025 PDC World Darts Championship with Ricky Evans and Nathan Aspinall in action

A quiet day today at the World Darts Championship 2025, as four matches will be played in the evening only on Wednesday. Ricky Evans and Nathan Aspinall will also provide entertainment.

The first three matches of the evening involve tie from the first round. The evening session will conclude with a match from the second round. The winner of that match may return for the third round of the World Darts Championship after the Christmas break.

The evening begins with Jim Williams against Paolo Nebrida, a duel between a seasoned Welshman and an Asian challenger. Williams qualified for the World Championship as No. 25 on the Pro Tour. In his previous three participations at Alexandra Palace, he always got past the first round. Indeed, the past two years he survived Christmas and Williams made it to the last 32.

His opponent Paolo Nebrida is representing the Asian continent in London. The Filipino has qualified for the third time in a row through the PDC Asian Tour, a circuit that is getting stronger. With four tournament wins in 2024, Nebrida proved his class at the regional level, but at the World Championship he is still waiting for his first victory.

In the second match, Madars Razma and Christian Kist face each other. For Kist, it is a new chance to prove himself at the World Darts Championship. The Dutchman qualified through the Challenge Tour, for the tournament in Alexandra Palace. He became world champion with the BDO in 2012. His appearances at the PDC's World Championship, however, have been less impressive. Only once, in 2016, did he manage to reach the second round.

Madars Razma is a player who has developed steadily in recent years. The Latvian has now qualified for the World Championship six times in a row and reached the last 32 last year, his best performance to date. Razma's season has been shaky, with 13 defeats in the first round of a Players Championship tournament, but that includes three quarterfinals and a semifinal. An interesting fact is that Kist has won all three previous encounters between these two players, including a convincing 6-2 win in 2024.

Ricky Evans, known for his fast-paced playing style and flamboyant stage performances, traditionally brings Christmas spirit to Alexandra Palace. His emergence, accompanied by the song Merry Christmas Everyone by Shakin' Stevens, is a highlight for fans. Evans, who only secured a World Championship spot on the final day of the Pro Tour, is celebrating his tenth participation. Last year, Evans reached the third round, matching his results in 2020 and 2021.

Gordon Mathers reached a spot at the World Darts Championship via the Oceanic Masters. He is a player with a special story. The Australian is making his return to the World Darts Championship after a three-year absence. In recent years he has gone through a remarkable transformation. He has lost an enormous amount of weight, which seems to benefit not only his physical health but also his game. Still, Mathers is struggling at Alexandra Palace; his previous three participations ended in a direct exit each time.

The evening concludes with a second-round match between Nathan Aspinall and Leonard Gates. For Aspinall, it is a crucial tournament. The former semifinalist has struggled in recent years to match his early success at the World Championship. In 2019 and 2020, "The Asp" made it to the semifinals, but in the sequel he reached the third round at most. With a painful defeat in the second round last year, Aspinall has something to prove. He needs to perform not only to advance in the tournament, but also to justify his spot in next year's Premier League Darts. As a crowd favorite, he has this factor, but without results that will be difficult.

Leonard Gates already has one victory behind his name this tournament. The American defeated Cameron Menzies 3-1 and is now in the second round for the second time in his career. Aspinall is certainly the favorite to go through, but on a good day Gates can certainly cause a surprise in Ally Pally.

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 World Cup 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

Jim Williams v Paolo Nebrida (R1)

Madars Razma v Christian Kist (R1)

Ricky Evans v Gordon Mathers (R1)

Nathan Aspinall v Leonard Gates (R2)