We will kick off the 2024 World Grand Prix on Monday night. A field of 32 players will compete for the title at the event in Leicester, where a week of spectacle can be expected.
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It is usually fireworks right away in the first round of the World Grand Prix. Because only eight players have protected status in the draw, we often get some great crackers in the first round. The draw did not disappoint again this year.
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The World Grand Prix is a unique event on the PDC calendar. This tournament is the only event where legs are started and ended with a double. Because of this format, the World Grand Prix is known for its surprises, with often early eliminations of big names.
On Monday and Tuesday, the first round is scheduled. Eight matches will be played on both days of play. According to Dartsnews.com, these are the five Must Watch matches to look forward to.
Luke Humphries v Stephen Bunting
The last match prior to the World Grand Prix was between Luke Humphries and Stephen Bunting and in Leicester the two Englishmen face each other again. Humphries and Bunting met in the final of Players Championship 26, with the win going to Humphries after a deciding leg.
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Both men are having excellent seasons. Humphries started the year in sensational fashion with the world title, and went on to win five more titles. Bunting set the tone of a good year by winning the Masters in February. 'The Bullet' also went on to reach five finals on the Players Championship circuit, but lost them all.
In the head-to-head, Humphries leads 10-5. 'Cool Hand Luke' won four of the six encounters in 2024. One of Bunting's wins over his compatriot was in his run of wins at the Masters.
Rob Cross v Luke Littler
A cracker of a lifetime. The former world champion against the new face of darts. The two players also faced each other in the semifinals of the World Darts Championship, where Luke Littler won against Rob Cross 6-2 in sets after a spectacular match.
In terms of titles, Littler has become the most successful player of 2024. No less than PDC titles 'The Nuke' already managed to win, including the Premier League Darts and the World Series Finals. However, these majors do not count toward the world rankings, which means Littler is still 20th in the world rankings. Cross is the number four player in the world rankings. 'Voltage' has two titles under his belt in 2024; a Euro Tour and a World Series tournament.
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Both Englishmen met eight times already this season. In the Premier League, Cross won once from Littler, and that also the only time 'Voltage' won from his compatriot. Littler took the win in the other seven encounters.
Michael Smith v Gary Anderson
We have seen this matchup before this year. Also at the World Matchplay, Gary Anderson and his former protégé Michael Smith faced each other. Anderson then started the match convincingly, leading 3-0, but then fell completely silent. Smith then pulled ahead 10-5.
The last time Anderson won from Smith was some time ago. In April 2022, 'The Flying Scotsman' last triumphed against 'Bullyboy,' who is now six duels unbeaten against his old teacher. In the mutual balance, Smith now leads 16-15 against Anderson.
In terms of form, however, Anderson is the big favorite to advance to the second round at the World Grand Prix. The two-time world champion is sprinkling in bizarrely high averages on the Pro Tour and has already been successful twice this year on the Players Championship circuit. Smith's highlight was winning the World Cup of Darts, while the Englishman also clinched a Players Championship tournament.
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Peter Wright v James Wade
A big name will also go home in this match. Two-time world champion Peter Wright was paired in the draw with James Wade, who managed to win this tournament in 2007 and 2010.
Both Wright and Wade did not have a good first half of the season, but have begun to return to form in recent months. Wade underlined his good form with a semifinal finish at the World Matchplay and a spot in the last four at a Players Championship tournament. Wright made his presence felt by winning the German Darts Championship, one of the Euro Tour tournaments.
Wade and Wright have faced each other no less than 51 times in their careers. The balance is almost balanced. Wright won 26 times, while Wade emerged victorious 24 times. Once both men drew when that was still possible in the old format of Premier League Darts.
Dave Chisnall v Cameron Menzies
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Perhaps a non-obvious choice, but we expect a lot from this match. Two men who have been in good form since the summer. Perhaps also two similar types; often good at scoring, but sloppy on the doubles. Don't be surprised if in this match someone is going to win a leg while the other player has yet to open his.
Chisnall had a super month in September. Two titles, another final, two semi-finals and two quarter-finals made the money flow in for 'Chizzy' last month. That was followed by another semifinal in August, after which he even reached the final of Players Championship 19. 'Cammy''s annual average has skyrocketed in recent months. The tally now stands at 96.47; only nine players on the PDC Tour have a better annual average than Menzies.
Over the years, Chisnall and Menzies played each other seven times. Five times Chisnall drew the longest, and twice Menzies won. The Scot did win the most recent showdown. At the end of August, Menzies won 6-1 over Chisnall, who has reached the World Grand Prix final twice in his career. For Menzies, it will be his debut at the double-in double-out tournament.
Samuel GillChief Content Officer
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
In his current role, Samuel works closely with editors and writers to ensure content meets clear journalistic standards, with a focus on source verification, editorial consistency, and timely updates when new, confirmed information becomes available.
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- I'm disappointed he was not able to secure a spot at the Grand Slam. With Carl Sneyd taking care of Daryl Gurney, he would have had to beat Andy Boulton before facing the winner of Sneyd vs Mensur Suljović for a Grand Slam spot. Unfortunately, after beating Filip Bereza comfortably, he succumbed to Boulton, and the board would ultimately be won by the highly inconsistent Carl Sneyd. Since he could instead have been drawn against the likes of Cristo Reyes, Dirk van Duijvenbode and Stephen Bunting, I think once Gurney was out of the picture he would have been favourite to win his board, and it seems like a massive missed opportunity to put 5 grand on his ranking and seal another major TV appearance ahead of the Worlds. The highs and lows of following Raymond van Barneveld!Deduce635806-11-2026
- Probably i will receive a lot of backlash and hate for this reaction, but well, so be it. I am more than sick and tired of those lies of you Barry Hearn. How dare you defend yourself over the back of Fallon’s son! He has a disability and not an illness, so let me correct that for you! I know because I have the exact same disability. I have tried to reach out to Fallon in the past, and offered her to help her and her son, because I was struggling with the same problems, and I understood the boy. I wanted him to have finally someone who understood him. However she told me that she did not want my help, and I have respected Fallon’s choice. I have never asked Fallon for money. They don’t need money in that case. I only ever wanted the best for Fallon and Rory, but I have to be honest about the situation. Fallon should tell the true story and not be forced to tell lies. I don’t hate Fallon, and I don’t begrudge or envy a single penny that she gets, but this situation/case is just not fair. I hate the lies and the dishonesty and injustice. I don’t want Fallon to be hated because there is an unfair disadvantage created. Don’t proclaim your false lies over the back of Rory! I only stand for integrity and justice. I am precisely the one who always sticks up for Fallon. And you don't, you don't give a damn about them. You were never there for them, and now you only want to save your own position! You are just trying to talk your way out of your own bad behavior at the expense of someone with a disability. And to Fallon, I don’t know if this may ever reach you, and you read it, but I want you to know I love you and I love your son Rory very much, I am sorry how things developed and went. I hope you and Harriet are still friends. I am sorry if I were too persistent to you, or you experienced it that way, but it was never my intention. Please understand I have autism as well. As Barry Hearn would say, I am only just a human being too, and I also make mistakes and misjudge things sometimes. I promise you I did everything out of the deepest love and care for you and Rory. If I were you, I should just keep all the money, only please never be dishonest or tell lies anymore for Barry Hearn, or anyone else. I hope you have the best life, and I wish nothing more than the best for you. I have always loved the two of you. Farewell.Hiddo05-11-2026
- She is a professional. If darts is her income, she is a professional. Same as Adrian Lewis, Martin Adams. A tour card just means someone can play on the PDC tour. You could even make a case that Clayton wasn't a professional (until recently I believe) because he had employment elsewhere.BandB04-11-2026
- She's technically not a professional though as she doesn't hold a pro tour card.mr-pablo04-11-2026
- Such a shame that lakeside has been reduced to this. Fantastic venue,and previously a great tournament. Not any morerick6703-11-2026
- Seems to me that the top 16 players pick and choose whatever they want to play. Good,all the money will get spread out more. They get more money from exhibitions than tournaments so let them all withdrawrick6703-11-2026
- Play all legs and the winners split the pot. Luke gets the lot of he wins them all. If your occupation is darts player you can't enter, regardless of ability.BandB01-11-2026
- I'm quite a jaded person all things considered, but to be honest I found Beat Luke Littler to be pretty entertaining. It certainly wasn't seamless, which is to be expected given the lack of precedence, but I actually think the pacing was pretty good, the production was impressive, and there was a good sense of humour and levity to it. I think it was a very ambitious undertaking but one that, for the most part, paid off. I liked the system with the four pots and I think it added to the drama and intrigue. I enjoyed seeing the diverse range of entrants and learning about their backstories. I think the interactivity was pretty clever and well-integrated. The panel was a little incoherent at times; Lee Mack shone however, and his improvisational skills were appreciated during some more awkward interstitial moments. As far as the darts is concerned, it was a shame that the format didn't allow Littler to get into full flow. You obviously don't want him to steamroll everyone but you want to feel like you're getting the full Littler package rather than seeing him struggling to get out of first gear. I will say that his leg against Jayden Walker was very impressive, but it was mostly downhill from there. The attraction revolves around Littler being this untouchable, indomitable force, yet the format doesn't really allow him to fulfil that characterisation. As for Fallon Sherrock, she was mightily impressive and deserved the victory. It is a testament to her unshakeable character that she was able to bang in a 14-darter under such mind-bending pressure. Everything that has been said about the misleading marketing is valid, though they were clear about their eligibility criteria and were able to offload the responsibility somewhat by bringing the viewers into the decision-making process in real time. What is clear though, is that Fallon played the game according to the rules, and she should not be criticised for that, much less abused. I will admit though that it is a kick in the teeth for those true amateurs who committed time and money to the course, and I would also question those who think pub players would have no chance, given that some of Littler's winning legs were dispatched in 7 visits to the board! The great thing about darts is that it isn't so much that amateurs cannot replicate the feats of brilliance pulled off by professionals of the sport, than it is that they simply cannot replicate the consistency of their output, something that this format almost entirely removes from the equation. It should also be noted that, financially, Fallon certainly stands to benefit much less in relative terms from the paycheque than would your average pub thrower, as I'm sure she nets a fair income from the lucrative exhibition circuit alone. What I do hope is that she might use this as an opportunity to really build up a head of steam heading into the new season, as it seems long overdue that she come through Q-School and really take it to the pros on a week-in week-out basis, but whatever she chooses to do, she has certainly achieved enough already for one if not several lifetimes, so who am I to dictate terms? To conclude though, I will state once again that I found Beat Luke Littler to be a pretty enjoyable evening of entertainment. I do feel for the contestants who never actually had the chance to try their luck against the world #1, although I suppose it comes with the format, but all which inevitably raises the question: will Netflix be tempted to do it all again next year? It's hard to say. Whether it would be financially viable, I can't weigh in there. One point I have been making though, and which I touched on earlier, is that the entire concept relies on a public perception that Littler is more or less unbeatable, and that certainly hasn't been the case of late. If the execs had been trying to pitch the show in recent months while Littler has seemed vulnerable, rather than when he was mopping up almost every major title on the calendar, it would certainly be a tougher sell. We will have to see in about 6 months' time whether Littler can still reliably command perception as a near-unstoppable force in darts, and then we'll have a clearer idea about whether we should expect a second helping. Even as a one-off experiment though, and with all the controversy taken into account, I still don't think they disgraced themselves by any means, and that will probably be my lingering assessment of the event when all is said and done.Deduce635801-11-2026
- Fair play to Fallon. But...shows the mockery when a professional players wins what was meant to be an amateur v Pro event, Littlers performance was poor, and what about the players who didn't get a game? Would have been better if the pot was split amoungst all the winners and they all got a leg.BandB31-10-2026
- Not even slightly interestedrick6730-10-2026
