Preview Saturday WDF World Championship at Lakeside: Jimmy van Schie and Mikuru Suzuki headline evening proceedings

The WDF World Championship kicked off with an exhilarating night of action. As the round-one action continues, former world champions return to put on a show at Lakeside.

The number one seed will begin the second-round action late on, while a two-time world champion makes a return to the venue where she became an icon of the sport.

Making a name for himself the other side of the world, Caleb Hope comes into the event on brilliant momentum after winning two titles on the WDF Circuit in his prior four events. The others was a final and semi-final, giving him the taste of winning. This has earned him a debut at the iconic venue, and a matchup against Darren Johnson. The 60-year-old is back for a third appearance on the spin. He will be hoping to get off the board with his first victory.

Going back Down Under but this time to Australia for another debut campaign set to commence. Joanne Hadley has won five titles this year and is ready to make an ever-lasting impact in this prestigious event. Welshwoman Eve Watson will be targeting to ruin her first appearance. She qualified as the 17th ranked player and could be a banana skin for any player.

Once a regular at Ally Pally, Ben Robb has switched the Palace for Lakeside. While he has never won a World Championship match, he will be hoping to make a big step in his darts career. He comes up against a tricky opponent in Johan Engstrom who is set to play his maiden World Championship match. It will be a first meeting between the duo.

Jitka Cisarova became the first Czech darter to make a quarter-final at Lakeside. She did unfortunately fail to get any further as Beau Greaves brushed her aside but it was a very commanding run. Cisarova will be looking for a similar run. After being left out of the draw due to an error, Maud Jansso has been confirmed to return after her debut in 2024.

James Beeton was delighted after securing his first win on the Lakeside stage last year. In a return to the oche, his expectations are sky-high after a very positive 2025 campaign. He faces the first winner of this year's event, Dennis Nilsson. The Swede defeated Shane Sakchekapo 3-0 while averaging over 86. He was a semi-finalist back in 2023 before losing out to eventual champion Andy Baetens.

To kick off the evening session, Ryan Hogarth is set to make his fourth appearance. The 33-year-old Scot has never made it past the last-16. His quest for success begins against debutant Jonas Masalin. The Finnish star won an event in his home country enroute to securing his place at Lakeside.

Two of the favourites for the title are set to clash in the first-round, with another tough test in Deta Hedman waiting in the wings. Kirsi Viinikainen never got her event underway last year after a 2-0 opening match defeat to Greaves. It will not get easier as the Finnish star is set to clash against a darting legend. Mikuru Suzuki is a two-time world champion after previous triumphs in 2019 and 2020. However she has not competed since 2022. It is a highly anticipated return for Suzuki.

Another player Down Under set to make their debut: Karl Schaefer clinched a title with a couple of semi-finals which gave him a commanding lead at the top of the regional table. His opponent is German Daniel Bauerdick. He endured a disappointing World Masters tournament, and will be hoping for a change of fortune.

Between 2010-2014, Irina Armstrong made a semi-final and three quarter-finals in four appearances in that time frame. The Russian has only featured once since 2016, coming last year in a second-round exit. 10 years after her debut, Maria Carli secured a return to Lakeside after a dominant year in North America.

Another firmer quarter-finalist, Brian Raman made a run to the last-eight in the 2022 competition. He made it to the third-round last year. His opening match is against Jeffrey Sparidaans. The Dutchman first appeared in the world champs back in 2018 and has not returned since. He will be hoping for a positive return.

Round two action completes the night. Number one seed Jimmy van Schie goes into the event as a big favourite to take the title. He won the World Masters earlier this year and is looking to continue his steady rise in the sport with a world title. A win tonight would match his third-round appearance last year. His opponent, Alex Williams, has already had some experience this year on the oche. He came through a remarkably tight match to fend off Croation Romeo Grbavac.