Six most watch matches of the first round of the 2026 PDC World Darts Championship: Cullen, Van Veen and Greaves in the spotlight

The World Darts Championship draw on November 24 officially confirmed all 128 first round matches for the biggest tournament of the year.

The anticipation is growing, as this huge field of participants includes a number of matches that promise real World Championship fire in the first round. From young talents to established names, the opening round offers a mix that fans should mark in red in their calendars.

We at DartsNews present six matches that you should not miss - the matches with special potential, with stories behind them and with players who set standards in 2025 and 2026.

Many fans may not have this game on their radar at first, but the encounter between Joe Cullen and Bradley Brooks on 14.12 promises to be great entertainment. The "rock star" Joe Cullen has been a player with enormous potential for years, always oscillating between outstanding performances and poor form. Despite his fluctuations, he won two titles at the Players Championships this year, proving that he is always a force to be reckoned with.

Bradley Brooks, on the other hand, is probably having the best year of his career so far. In Q-School he already set an exclamation mark by collecting more points than any other player before. After reaching the main round of the Winmau World Masters, he briefly fell into a slump, but towards the end of the year he returned to impressive strength. His first Players Championship title, which he won in the final against Gerwyn Price, shows his clear upward trend. He also impressed at the Players Championship Finals and made it through to the second round before being eliminated by Adam Lipscombe.

Brooks has already climbed to 42nd place in the annual rankings this year and is ranked 72nd in the world despite not having played a major. He has lost both of his World Championship appearances so far by the narrow margin of 2-3, including the legendary match against William Borland, who threw a 9-darter in the decider. Cullen, on the other hand, delivered epic duels at the Ally Pally in the last two years, when he forced Luke Humphries and Gerwyn Price into a sudden-death leg, but lost both.

So both have plenty of World Championship drama in their luggage - the best conditions for an exciting afternoon.

Hardly any other player has made a bigger leap in performance in 2025 than Luke Woodhouse. His consistency throughout the season is impressive: a final appearance on the European Tour, the last 16 of the World Championship last year, reaching the knockout phase of the Grand Slam of Darts and a strong step towards the top 16 in the world. He is currently regarded as the "best player without a PDC title" and impresses with his calm demeanor, reliable scoring and steady nerves.

However, his opponent is anything but a dream ticket: Boris Krcmar. The Croatian had lost his Tour Card, but was unable to get it back - and is still having one of the best seasons of his career. His numerous qualifications for the European Tour and his quarter-final appearance in Belgium, where he even defeated Michael van Gerwen, are proof of his class. Then he caused quite a stir: First he won the qualifier for the Lakeside World Championship, but canceled this participation because he was playing an e-darts tournament in Japan. Shortly afterwards he won the PDC World Championship Qualifier and thus booked his ticket for the Ally Pally.

Krcmar looks more stable in 2025 than he has for a long time and is once again showing the potential that once made him one of the most dangerous players outside the top 32. The combination of Woodhouse's consistency and Krcmar's unpredictability makes this match a real insider tip.

For many fans, Gian van Veen is already one of the eight Premier League candidates. The Dutchman played an outstanding season, crowned it with the title at the European Championship in Dortmund and is one of the players who made the biggest leap in 2025. Although he failed to reach the group stage of the Grand Slam and lost to Krzysztof Ratajski in the Players Championship Finals, his annual averages and consistency are outstanding. He is the only player outside the "Lukes" to win a ranking major in the last twelve months.

In Cristo Reyes, he meets a player that many had already forgotten - wrongfully so. The Spaniard reached the last 16 on his World Championship debut in 2015 and was a permanent fixture in the top 32 until 2019. Then came corona and Reyes disappeared from the tour. In 2021, he lost his Tour Card and completely disappeared from view.

But now he's back - and how. At the new Mediterranean Qualifier, he dominated the field of players from Spain, Portugal and Italy and averaged 97 throughout the tournament. Should he carry this level into the Ally Pally, this match could be one of the most spectacular of the entire round.

Daryl Gurney has regained his old strength in 2025. His triumph at the World Cup of Darts in the summer alongside Josh Rock was his third major title after the 2017 World Grand Prix and the 2018 Players Championship Finals. Later in the year, he reached the quarter-finals of both the European Championship and the Players Championship Finals. Although he was unable to impress at the Grand Slam, his season as a whole shows a clear upward trend.

His lot, however, is one that no player would have liked to draw: Beau Greaves. The best player in the world decided to take part in the PDC World Championship and played a remarkable year in 2025. She won titles on the Development Tour, the Challenge Tour and the Women's Series. Only Luke Littler threw more 180s than her in 2025 - an impressive statement about her scoring potential.

At the Grand Slam she was drawn in a group of death with Michael van Gerwen, Gary Anderson and Niko Springer. Despite strong performances, she only managed one win, but proved impressively that she can hold her own at this level.

At Alexandra Palace, the mood will clearly be on their side. An entire audience eager to support their fairytale story - and a Gurney who will do everything in his power to prevent the surprise. A duel that will attract worldwide attention.

On paper, this is one of the most balanced and fascinating first round matches: Wessel Nijman against Karel Sedlacek.

Nijman is one of the biggest talents in professional darts. The 25-year-old Dutchman won the Players Championship 30 and 34 titles this year and looks more stable on stage than last year, even if he still occasionally fails due to missed match darts. He reached the last 16 of the Grand Slam and beat Nathan Aspinall on his debut in the World Matchplay. He is ranked 14th in the annual average - an impressive figure.

But his season also shows that he still has a lot to learn: The bitterly lost match at the Players Championship Finals against Richard Veenstra or the missed match darts against Michael van Gerwen at the European Championship are examples of this.

His opponent Karel Sedlacek returned to the tour at the beginning of 2025 and immediately put in a strong performance. He has already reached 70th place in the world rankings without playing in any major tournaments. In the annual average, he is only just behind Nijman. This comparison shows: The Czech is playing a top-level season.

If both players bring their A-game to the board, this game will be an open exchange of blows - and a real highlight.

Cameron Menzies played a season close to his personal best in 2025. He climbed to 26th place in the world rankings and is 17th in the annual rankings. No coincidence: only 18 players threw more 180s than the Scot in 2025. Two Major round of 16 finals and a quarter-final at the World Grand Prix show his development. He also decided this year to quit his part-time job as a plumber and concentrate fully on darts.

But the World Cup is a special story for him. Last year, he lost his opening match against Leonard Gates in tears and was struggling with a family emergency at the time. This time, the question is whether he has his nerves under control.

His opponent is a young man who is increasingly moving into the limelight: Charlie Manby. He played the best average of the year on the Development Tour - 130 points. At the World Youth Championship, he missed a match dart against Luke Littler and narrowly lost despite a 102 average. He finished the Development Tour in 4th place and thus qualified for the World Championship. He missed out on the Tour Card by less than 800 pounds.

And then the highlight: his Champions Week triumph at the Modus Series 12, which he won with a 103 average in the final. The 20-year-old hardly shows any nerves and looks ready for the big stage.

If Manby transports his Modus Series level to the Ally Pally, it will be an electrifying match - one that must be seen.

If all of the players mentioned play to their potential, these six matches have the makings of true classics in World Championship history. They combine everything that makes the tournament so special: big names, big stories and players who are ready to take their next step. These matches are not to be missed.