The big preview of the 2025 World Darts Championship: Can the favourites stand up, or will we get another crazy tournament?
PDC
The annual festive spectacle of darts is about to begin. Starting Sunday, December 15th, the 2025 PDC World Darts Championship will get underway and 96 players will compete for the coveted Sid Waddell Trophy. In this article, read our big preview of the upcoming tournament.
As in past years, the World Darts Championship will take place at the Alexandra Palace, which fans affectionately refer to as Ally Pally. The venue can accommodate 3,200 fans, who will hopefully once again create a wonderful atmosphere with their festive attire and hearty singing. This year it was harder than ever to get tickets to the most important darts tournament of the year. Even before the start of the free sale, all 90,000 tickets had flown out to lucky punters.
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History of the World Darts Championship
The PDC World Darts Championship has been dominated by one man in the past. After Dennis Priestley won the first edition in 1994, Phil Taylor managed to take the world title no less than fourteen times between 1995 and 2013. The crumbs left by 'The Power' were picked up by John Part (2003 and 2008), Raymond van Barneveld (2007) and Adrian Lewis (2011 and 2012).
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In 2013, Taylor won the World Darts Championship for the last time. After that came as many as six new world champions. Michael van Gerwen took his first of three world titles in 2014. Also in 2017 and 2019, "Mighty Mike" was the world's best. Gary Anderson captured the world title in 2015 and 2016, while Rob Cross got to lift the Sid Waddell Trophy in 2018. Peter Wright became world champion in 2020 and 2022, and in between, Gerwyn Price managed to win the corona edition.
Michael Smith became England's first World Champion in 2023 since Cross in 2018. Smith settled with Van Gerwen in a spectacular World final. This historic contest featured the best leg of all time. In the third leg of the second set, both players had the chance for a nine darter. Van Gerwen was first up and after eight perfect arrows, he missed the double 12 for a perfect leg. After Smith gave his Dutch rival a hand for his attempt, "Bullyboy" managed to throw a nine darter. Images of this leg went all over the world. The clip of the PDC showing this leg was viewed over 25 million times on X, the former Twitter, alone.
The following year, another English winner came to Alexandra Palace. This time it was Luke Humphries who captured the most important prize in darts. This final also went down in the history books, although that was mainly because of the losing finalist. The then 16-year-old Luke Littler unleashed a true media hype with his amazing performance and became the youngest player ever to reach the final of the World Darts Championship. An ultimate crowning achievement did not materialize, but a new crown prince in the sport of darts had risen.
Nine darters at the World Darts Championship
Michael Smith's nine-darter just mentioned was the fourteenth perfect leg in the tournament's history. In 2009, Raymond van Barneveld was the first player to throw a nine-darter at Alexandra Palace. A year later, "Barney" also took the second perfect leg. Adrian Lewis managed to add lustre to his world title during the 2011 edition by producing a nine darter in the World Championship final.
The 2013 edition featured two nine-darters for the first time. Dean Winstanley and Michael van Gerwen both recorded a perfect leg. Almost even a third nine darter followed. After Van Gerwen threw his perfect leg, he missed the double in the following leg for two nine darters in a row.
Fans who had tickets for the afternoon session on Dec. 14, 2013, also experienced a historic afternoon. They saw nine darters from both Terry Jenkins and Kyle Anderson in one session. In subsequent years, Adrian Lewis (2015) and Gary Anderson (2016) threw a perfect leg.
After that, as many as four World Championship editions followed without a nine-darter. James Wade ended this streak with a nine-darter during the 2021 edition. Then William Borland, Darius Labanauskas and Gerwyn Price managed to pull off this feat during the 2022 World Darts Championship. So the latest in line is Smith, with his historic perfect leg during the 2023 World Championship final.
Trend break or fitting end to the season?
If the course of the last major tournaments becomes a harbinger of what we can expect at the World Darts Championship, the tournament will be a frenzied battleground. It all started with the World Grand Prix, where Mike de Decker took the title in sensational fashion.
An even bigger stunt victory came at the European Darts Championship in Dortmund, where Richie Edhouse surprisingly took the title. That tournament went down in history as the craziest major event ever at the PDC. There was not a single player from the top-10 of the world rankings in the semifinals, with besides Edhouse also Luke Woodhouse, Danny Noppert and Jermaine Wattimena. The final was even between two players outside the world top-32, in which Edhouse proved too strong for Wattimena with 11-3.
At the Grand Slam of Darts, almost all the big names also flew out early. Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen, Michael Smith, Peter Wright and Dave Chisnall did not survive the pool stage, while Martin Lukeman and Mickey Mansell unexpectedly reached the semifinals. Lukenan eventually became the surprise major finalist, but 'Smash' had to bow deeply to teenage sensation Luke Littler (16-3) in the final.
The trend continued at the Players Championship Finals, where Humphries, Littler and Damon Heta were the only top-10 players to advance to the last 16. With Humphries and Littler, the last event prior to the World Championship did get a top seed in the finals. Humphries managed to prolong his title at the Players Championship Finals by defeating his new rival 11-7.
The big question, of course, is whether the World Darts Championship will be the next tournament in which the usual names fail en masse, or whether they will rise to the occasion. It is true, however, that the pressure at a World Championship is of a completely different order than at tournaments such as the World Grand Prix and the European Darts Championship. The stakes are obviously a lot higher. The attention from fans and press is possibly greater than ever, and finally, there is a bucket of more prize money to be divided.
Who are the favourites for the world title?
The 2025 World Darts Championship begins with two absolute top favourites for the world title. After reaching the 2024 World Championship final, Luke Humphries and Luke Littler were also the two biggest winners of the season, with Humphries looking slightly more consistent out of this pair.
Humphries disappointed only at the Grand Slam of Darts, while "Cool Hand" countered that with five major finals after the World Championship. The World Matchplay and Players Championship Finals were won, while Humphries also took the title with Michael Smith at the World Cup of Darts. Littler had higher peaks than Humphries, but was also eliminated three times in the first round of a ranking major. After winning the Premier League Darts and World Series Finals, 'The Nuke' did manage to capture his first title at the Grand Slam of Darts at a ranking-major.
A repeat of the last World Championship final is unfortunately not in the cards. Humphries and Littler are in the same half of the draw and could only face each other in the semifinals. There is a good chance we will see one of these Luke's in the final.
Humphries' and Littler's biggest competitors are from Scotland and the Netherlands. Gary Anderson is on an upswing and left a strong impression at the Grand Slam of Darts, where "The Flying Scotsman" managed to reach the semifinals. No darter has thrown as many 110+ averages this season as Anderson. Michael van Gerwen, of course, should not be discounted for the title either. 'Mighty Mike' in top form can also compete with Humphries and Littler, and besides, Van Gerwen is usually always good at a World Championship. Anderson and Van Gerwen could face each other early on, however, as it may come to a meeting between the former world champions as early as the last sixteen.
Outsiders for the world title are Michael Smith and Rob Cross. 'Voltage' has actually been performing steady all season, and managed to follow up his semi-final place at the last World Darts Championship with five quarter-finals at the majors. Smith, with his talent, is always a contender to become world champion, although 'Bullyboy' will need to improve on his form of recent months. With three World Championship finals under his belt, however, the 2023 world champion has already shown that he often plays his best game in Ally Pally.
Among bookmakers, Mike de Decker is highly ranked, but to say that the Belgian has a good chance of winning the world title is a bit of an exaggeration. While the World Grand Prix champion is better than ever and has developed strongly in 2024, his draw is tremendously tough, however. De Decker may have to get past both Humphries and Littler to make the final at all. In the same section of the draw as De Decker is also Stephen Bunting. The Englishman had the best season of his career with winning the Masters and putting in numerous good performances on the Euro Tour and Pro Tour. In recent years, Bunting has also generally performed well at the World Darts Championship, reaching at least the last sixteen four times in the last five editions. Finally, Gerwyn Price also gets a mention. 'The Iceman' may have a very poor year without a quarterfinal at a major, but his annual statistics are quite acceptable. Price has an annual average of 97.07, which only five players do better on the tour. The Welshman often plays quite decently, but it all just doesn't fall his way. Maybe the puzzle pieces will fall together in London.
Favourites according to Dartsnews.com
***** Luke Humphries
**** Luke Littler
*** Gary Anderson, Michael van Gerwen
** Michael Smith, Rob Cross
* Stephen Bunting, Gerwyn Price, Mike de Decker
As has long been the case, the home of the World Darts Championship will be Sky Sports, with this year's edition no different.
Every dart thrown at the Ally Pally this festive period will be able to be viewed across the Sky Sports platforms.
Prize money
The 96 participants at the 2025 World Darts Championship may divide as much as £2.5 million between them. That amount is almost forty times higher than at the very first edition of the PDC World Darts Championship back in 1994.
All 64 players who start in the first round of the World Darts Championship will get £7,500 in prize money guaranteed. The top-32 of the seeding list are guaranteed £15,000. These players enter the World Darts Championship starting in the second round. The amount then increases further per round. The new world champion will receive the top prize of £500,000.
Format
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
In the first round, there will be no tiebreak if it is 2-2 after four legs in the fifth set. In that case, the fifth leg will be sudden-death. Starting from the second round, a tie-break rule will be applied in all matches; a deciding set must be won with a difference of two legs. If the score in the last set becomes 5-5, a sudden-death leg will still be played.
World Darts Championship 2025 schedule
Sunday, Dec. 15 (from 7 p.m.)
Thibault Tricole v Joe Comito (R1)
Jermaine Wattimena v Stefan Bellmont (R1)
Kim Huybrechts v Keane Barry (R1)
Luke Humphries v Tricole/Comito (R2)
Monday, Dec. 16
Afternoon session (from 12:30 p.m.)
Wesley Plaisier v Ryusei Azemoto (R1)
Luke Woodhouse v Lourence Ilagan (R1)
Alan Soutar v Kai Gotthardt (R1)
James Wade v Wattimena/Bellmont (R2)
Evening session (from 7 p.m.)
Niels Zonneveld v Robert Owen (R1)
Connor Scutt v Ben Robb (R1)
Cameron Menzies v Leonard Gates (R1)
Gerwyn Price v Huybrechts/Barry (R2)
Tuesday, Dec. 17
Afternoon session (from 12:30 p.m.)
James Hurrell v Jim Long (R1)
Kevin Doets v Noa-Lynn van Leuven (R1)
Ryan Joyce v Darius Labanauskas (R1)
Mike De Decker v Woodhouse/Ilagan (R2)
Evening session (from 7 p.m.)
Jeffrey de Graaf v Rashad Sweeting (R1)
Ricardo Pietreczko v Xiaochen Zong (R1)
Ryan Meikle v Fallon Sherrock (R1)
Peter Wright v Plaisier/Azemoto (R2)
Wednesday, Dec. 18 (from 7 p.m.)
Jim Williams v Paolo Nebrida (R1)
Madars Razma v Christian Kist (R1)
Ricky Evans v Gordon Mathers (R1)
Nathan Aspinall v Menzies/Gates (R2)
Thursday, December 19
Afternoon session (from 12:30 p.m.)
Chris Landman v Lok Yin Lee (R1)
Callan Rydz v Romeo Grbavac (R1)
Martin Lukeman v Nitin Kumar (R1)
Gabriel Clemens v Sunfield/Owen (R2)
Evening session (from 7 p.m.)
Nick Kenny v Stowe Buntz (R1)
Mensur Suljovic v Matt Campbell (R1)
Scott Williams v Niko Springer (R1)
Michael Smith v Doets/Van Leuven (R2)
Friday, Dec. 20
Afternoon session (from 12:30 p.m.)
Stephen Burton v Alexander Merkx (R1)
Wessel Nijman v Cameron Carolissen (R1)
Ian White v Sandro Eric Sosing (R1)
Stephen Bunting v Soutar/Gotthardt (R2)
Evening session (from 7 p.m.)
Mickey Mansell v Tomoya Goto (R1)
Florian Hempel v Jeffrey De Zwaan (R1)
William O'Connor v Dylan Slevin (R1)
Michael van Gerwen v Hurrell/Long (R2)
Saturday, December 21
Afternoon session (from 12:30 p.m.)
Karel Sedlacek v Rhys Griffin (R1)
Richard Veenstra v Alexis Toylo (R1)
Brendan Dolan v Landman/Lee (R2)
Chris Dobey v Burton/Merkx (R2)
Evening session (from 7 p.m.)
Danny Noppert v Joyce/Labanauskas (R2)
Raymond van Barneveld v Kenny/Buntz (R2)
Luke Littler v Meikle/Sherrock (R2)
Damon Heta v Scutt/Robb (R2)
Sunday, Dec. 22
Afternoon session (from 12:30 p.m.)
Ryan Searle v Suljovic/Campbell (R2)
Dirk van Duijvenbode v Razma/Kist (R2)
Joe Cullen v Nijman/Carolissen (R2)
Ritchie Edhouse v White/Sosing (R2)
Evening session (from 7 p.m.)
Martin Schindler v Rydz/Grbavac (R2)
Ross Smith v J Williams/Nebrida (R2)
Gary Anderson v De Graaf/Sweeting (R2)
Dimitri Van den Bergh v O'Connor/Slevin (R2)
Monday, Dec. 23
Afternoon session (from 12:30 p.m.)
Krzysztof Ratajski v Veenstra/Toylo (R2)
Andrew Gilding v Lukeman/Kumar (R2)
Josh Rock v Sedlacek/Griffin (R2)
Jonny Clayton v Mansell/Goto (R2)
Evening session (from 7 p.m.)
Gian van Veen v Pietreczko/Zong (R2)
Daryl Gurney v Hempel/De Zwaan (R2)
Dave Chisnall v Evans/Mathers (R2)
Rob Cross v S Williams/Springer (R2)
Friday, Dec. 27
Afternoon session (from 12:30 p.m.)
3x Third Round
Evening session (from 7 p.m.)
3x Third Round
Saturday, December 28
Afternoon session (from 12:30 p.m.)
3x Third Round
Evening session (from 7 p.m.)
3x Third Round
Sunday, Dec. 29
Afternoon session (from 12:30 p.m.)
3x Third Round
Evening session (from 7 p.m.)
1x Third round, 2x Fourth round
Monday, Dec. 30
Afternoon session (from 12:30 p.m.)
3x Fourth Round
Evening session (from 7:30 p.m.)
3x Fourth Round
Wednesday, Jan. 1
Afternoon session (from 12:30 p.m.)
2x quarterfinals
Evening session (from 7 p.m.)
2x quarterfinals
Thursday, Jan. 2 (from 7:30 p.m.)
Semifinals
Friday, Jan. 3 (from 8 p.m.)
Final
The moment you have all been waiting for... 🙌
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) November 27, 2024
Here's the Pre-Christmas Schedule for the 2024/25 @paddypower World Darts Championship, starting December 15.
👉 https://t.co/IoJjAXopxW pic.twitter.com/qjERXBs9Qi