The PDC World Darts Championship is fast approaching and excitement is already building for the latest edition of the biggest darts tournament on the planet. A record 128 players from around the world will be taking part in the 2025/26 Paddy Power World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace, with the winner set to pocket a cool £1 million - the largest prize in the history of the sport.

If you’re darts mad and follow the game all year round or you’re not a darts fans but want to be a part of it, here’s our ultimate guide to this year’s World Darts Championship. From day-by-day fixtures to players and matches to watch out for, Darts Corner has everything you need to know to enjoy the darts over the festive season!

TODAY’S FIXTURES (session starts at 7pm GMT)
Round 1 Kim Huybrechts v Arno Merk
Round 1 (28) Michael Smith v Lisa Ashton
Round 1 (1) Luke Littler v Darius Labanauskas
Round 1 Madars Razma v Jamai van den Herik

Player to watch: Jamai van den Herik - The 22-year-old from Dordrecht has enjoyed a breakthrough year on the PDC’s secondary tours, winning a pair of titles on both the Challenge and Development Tours. After finishing fifth on the Development Tour rankings this season, Van den Herik, who works in a clothing warehouse, had told his work colleagues that he had narrowly missed out on qualifying for the World Championship. However, during a break at work the young Dutchman discovered a social media post that he had been tagged in confirming that he had finished high enough in the rankings to earn a debut at Alexandra Palace.

Match of the day: (28) Michael Smith v Lisa Ashton - It’s a battle of the North West as St Helens takes on Bolton when former world champions Michael Smith and Lisa Ashton collide on the opening night of this year’s tournament. Smith, the 2022/23 PDC world champion famously hit the “I can’t spake” nine darter in the final of his title triumph three years ago, but an injury-plagued 2025 sees him enter this year’s event with his lowest seeding in 12 years. Ashton, a four-time women’s world champion, is 0-4 in her previous trips to the Palace, but will be confident after beating the almost-invincible Beau Greaves on her way to winning the Women’s World Matchplay for the first time in Blackpool this summer.

Did you know? Since the 2008/09 edition, the holder of the Sid Waddell Trophy has returned to Alexandra Palace to play in the first session of the next World Championship. John Part is the only defending champion to have lost on the first night since this tradition started, as the Canadian’s title defence ended abruptly with a 3-0 defeat to the American Bill Davis. Following Part’s surprise early exit, the reigning champions have a perfect 16-0 record on the opening night.

TODAY’S FIXTURES (session starts at 12.30pm and 7pm GMT)
Round 1 Niels Zonneveld v Haupai Puha
Round 1 Ian White v Mervyn King
Round 1 (20) Ryan Searle v Chris Landman
Round 1 (17) Rob Cross v Cor Dekker

Round 1 (12) Ross Smith v Andreas Harrysson
Round 1 Ricky Evans v Man Lok Leung
Round 1 (10) Gian van Veen v Cristo Reyes
Round 1 (16) Damon Heta v Steve Lennon

Player to watch: Gian van Veen - It has been another year of dominance by Luke Littler and Luke Humphries, with ‘the two Lukes’ mopping up six of the seven PDC major ranking titles held so far this season. The one title not won by Littler or Humphries was the European Championship in October, a major trophy which was lifted by Gian van Veen. The 23-year-old Dutchman defeated Humphries 11-10 in a dramatic final in Dortmund to clinch his maiden major and break into the top eight in the world rankings. Last month, ‘The Giant’ successfully defended the PDC World Youth Championship crown, overcoming Beau Greaves in the final to become just the second player in history to win the PDC’s premier youth title in back-to-back years.

Match of the day: Ricky Evans v Man Lok Leung - My personal pick for ‘tie of the first round’ sees Ricky Evans take on Man Lok Leung. World number 40 Evans has been a mainstay on the PDC tour since 2013, reaching six ProTour finals during his career and more recently enjoying a run to the quarter-finals in the Grand Slam of Darts. ‘Rapid Ricky’ tends to come alive on the Ally Pally stage, knocking out Nathan Aspinall and Dave Chisnall in the second round in each of the last two years. Hong Kong’s Leung shone on his World Championship debut two years ago, fighting back from 2-0 down in sets to beat Gian van Veen in a last-set decider. This summer, ‘Hugo’ and Lok Yin Lee gained plenty of admirers with a quarter-final run at the PDC World Cup of Darts.

Did you know? Cristo Reyes is making his first World Championship appearance in six years after winning through the Mediterranean Qualifier last month. The Spaniard previously held the record for the highest losing average at Ally Pally, losing with a 106.07 average in a 4-2 defeat to Michael van Gerwen during the 2016/17 PDC World Championship. That record was broken just five days later when Raymond van Barneveld lost to van Gerwen in the semi-finals with a 109.34 average.

TODAY’S FIXTURES (session starts at 12.30pm and 7pm GMT)
Round 1 Mario Vandenbogaerde v David Davies
Round 1 Andrew Gilding v Cam Crabtree
Round 1 (25) Luke Woodhouse v Boris Krcmar
Round 1 (14) Gary Anderson v Adam Hunt

Round 1 Jeffrey de Graaf v Paul Lim
Round 1 (31) Wessel Nijman v Karel Sedlacek
Round 1 (2) Luke Humphries v Ted Evetts
Round 1 Gabriel Clemens v Alex Spellman

Player to watch: Paul Lim - The legend lives on. Paul Lim will be 71 years and 322 days old when he makes his return to the Alexandra Palace stage at this year’s tournament. ‘The Singapore Slinger’ made history at Lakeside last year with an epic run to the final of the WDF World Championships at the age of 70, an event in which he had claimed could be his last World Championship appearance. However, the man who famously hit the first nine-dart leg at Lakeside in 1990 is now set for a first Ally Pally campaign in four years, having won two titles and reached two more finals to finish fifth on this season’s PDC Asian Tour. When he takes to the stage Lim will break his own record as the oldest player to compete in the PDC World Championship.

Match of the day: (2) Luke Humphries v Ted Evetts - Luke Humphries went into last year’s World Championship as the reigning world champion and the world number one. The 2023/24 PDC world champion’s title defence ended in a surprise 4-1 defeat to Peter Wright in the last 16, with Luke Littler going on to win the title and then last month overhaul his England World Cup team mate at the top of the world rankings. Humphries’ bid to regain his world title starts off with a tricky opening tie against Ted Evetts - a fellow former PDC world youth champion and the most successful player in Development Tour history with an unmatched 14 titles to his name.

Did you know? The 2025/26 PDC World Championship will mark the 25th World Championship campaign in Gary Anderson’s career. ‘The Flying Scotsman’ debuted at the Lakeside in 2002 and made eight consecutive appearances in the BDO World Championship, before switching over to the PDC in 2009. Anderson became the first Scottish winner of the PDC World Championship in 2015, defeating the legendary Phil Taylor 7-6 in the final. He defended the title a year later after beating Adrian Lewis 7-5 in the 2016 decider.

TODAY’S FIXTURES (session starts at 12.30pm and 7pm GMT)
Round 1 (27) Ritchie Edhouse v Jonny Tata
Round 1 Dom Taylor v Oskar Lukasiak
Round 1 Richard Veenstra v Nitin Kumar
Round 1 (32) Joe Cullen v Bradley Brooks

Round 1 Lukas Wenig v Wesley Plaisier
Round 1 (23) Dimitri Van den Bergh v Darren Beveridge
Round 1 (4) Stephen Bunting v Sebastian Bialecki
Round 1 James Hurrell v Stowe Buntz

Player to watch: Dom Taylor - The Taylor name is synonymous in the world of darts, with Phil Taylor winning a record 16 world titles during his illustrious career. Dom Taylor, no relation to Phil, makes his long-awaited Ally Pally debut in this year’s tournament, having missed out 12 months ago after failing a drugs test. ‘The Tower’ avoided a potential two-year ban after proving the substance was not performance enhancing and taken outside of competition, and has put that set back behind him with a pair of semi-final runs on the ProTour this season. The 27-year-old from Bristol will want to make up for lost time and make his mark on his World Championship bow.

Match of the day: (32) Joe Cullen v Bradley Brooks - Joe Cullen grabbed plenty of headlines in last year’s PDC World Championship after walking out of his post-match press conference, declaring that he had been ‘shown no respect’ by the media or the bookies. The former Masters champion had been priced as the underdog against Wessel Nijman, but defeated the young Dutchman in straight sets to advance to the last 32. Cullen would go on to finish on the wrong side of another Ally Pally thriller, losing in a sudden-death leg to Gerwyn Price in the next round. Bradley Brooks is back in the World Championship for the first time in four years and will be fancied to knock out the seeded Cullen on his return, having won his first Players Championship title during the summer.

Did you know? Despite finishing bottom of the table in his Premier League return this year, Stephen Bunting has enjoyed a trophy-laden 2025. Only Luke Littler (11) has won more PDC senior titles than ‘The Bullet’ in this calendar year, with Bunting level with Gerwyn Price in second place on six titles each. The world number four picked up a pair of World Series titles in Bahrain and Denmark, along with his first two European Tour titles in Germany and Switzerland and a couple of Players Championship victories on home soil.

TODAY’S FIXTURES (session starts at 12.30pm and 7pm GMT)
Round 1 Brendan Dolan v Tavis Dudeney
Round 1 (26) Cameron Menzies v Charlie Manby
Round 1 Mensur Suljovic v David Cameron
Round 1 (30) Peter Wright v Noa-Lynn van Leuven

Round 1 Martin Lukeman v Max Hopp
Round 1 (29) Dirk van Duijvenbode v Andy Baetens
Round 1 (5) Jonny Clayton v Adam Lipscombe
Round 1 Connor Scutt v Simon Whitlock

Player to watch: Dirk van Duijvenbode - Rewind two years ago and for many observers Dirk van Duijvenbode was on the cusp of becoming a major winner in the PDC. In 2023, ‘The Aubergenius’ won three Players Championship titles and reached two European Tour finals, but his career would take a sudden twist towards the end of that year with a shoulder injury that would see the Dutchman’s form and ranking both take a serious hit. Van Duijvenbode’s resurgence over the last 12 months has included a run to the final of the German Darts Championship in October, which included an astonishing 117.74 average in the second round. At his best, van Duijvenbode is box office and well worth tuning in for to see how he performs.

Match of the day: (26) Cameron Menzies v Charlie Manby - Beau Greaves took all the headlines when this year’s PDC World Youth Championship was played down to the final, with the three-time women’s world champion ending Luke Littler’s title defence in a thrilling semi-final that went down to the wire. Earlier that day, Charlie Manby had given the reigning PDC world champion a stern test, losing 6-5 in the last 16 and missing the bull for a 130 finish in the decider. The 19-year-old, who also posted an eye-watering 130.70 average on the Development Tour this year, is a tough draw for the 26th seed and Scotland’s number two Cameron Menzies, who has broken into the world’s top 32 in 2025 and is poised for a PDC World Cup of Darts debut next year.

Did you know? Of the 72 players who competed in the 2009/10 PDC World Championship, nine of them have qualified for this year’s tournament. Three of those players will be in action at Alexandra Palace on this day, including Australia’s Simon Whitlock. ‘The Wizard’ went all the way to the final in the 2009/10 tournament, losing out 7-3 to Phil Taylor to just fall short of going all the way on his Ally Pally debut. 

TODAY’S FIXTURES (session starts at 12.30pm and 7pm GMT)
Round 1 Alan Soutar v Teemu Harju
Round 1 Nick Kenny v Justin Hood
Round 1 Scott Williams v Paolo Nebrida
Round 1 (8) Chris Dobey v Xiaochen Zong

Round 1 Ricardo Pietreczko v Jose De Sousa
Round 1 (6) Danny Noppert v Jurjen van der Velde
Round 1 (9) Gerwyn Price v Adam Gawlas
Round 1 Niko Springer v Joe Comito

Player to watch: Gerwyn Price - A winner back in 2020/21, Gerwyn Price heads to Alexandra Palace this year as one of the leading contenders to lift the Sid Waddell Trophy at the start of January. Whilst it has been a long run without major singles silverware for ‘The Iceman’ - the 2022 World Series of Darts Finals being his last big win - Price has enjoyed one of his most successful seasons in terms of titles won during 2025. The world number nine has bagged half a dozen titles this term, including victories on the World Series and European Tour, along with four Players Championship wins. Could he end his wait for another major crown by winning the biggest one of them all for a second time?

Match of the day: Scott Williams v Paolo Nebrida - Since knocking out Michael van Gerwen en route to the World Championship semi-finals two years ago, it’s fair to say Scott Williams has not kicked on quite as much as he would have expected. ‘Shaggy’ is always an entertaining player to watch and he thrives on the big stage. Big stages do not get much bigger than Alexandra Palace and with £100,000 dropping off his ranking from that semi-final run in 2023/24, Williams will be keen to go on another deep run this year. Paolo Nebrida became the first Filipino to reach the last 32 at Ally Pally last year, a record-breaking run that included a 3-0 whitewash of Ross Smith in the second round.

Did you know? Sky Sports commentator Wayne Mardle famously said “I can’t spake” after Michael Smith threw a nine darter during the 2022/23 PDC World Championship final. However, Mardle genuinely could no longer speak after Jose De Sousa checked out 120 with three double 20s during a match against Nathan Aspinall in the 2021 Premier League. After losing his voice, Mardle was substituted in the commentary box by Mark Webster for the rest of the game.

TODAY’S FIXTURES (session starts at 7pm GMT)
Round 1 Matt Campbell v Adam Sevada
Round 1 Raymond van Barneveld v Stefan Bellmont
Round 1 (7) James Wade v Ryusei Azemoto
Round 1 (13) Martin Schindler v Stephen Burton

Player to watch: James Wade - It has already been a PDC Hall of Fame-calibre career for James Wade, but the World Championship remains the one title that has so far eluded him. ‘The Machine’ embarks on a 24th World Championship campaign (22nd in the PDC) off the back of an impressive 2025 season which has seen him reach two major finals at the UK Open and the World Matchplay. On both occasions, Wade was denied by Luke Littler, who is now just one win away from matching Wade’s haul of 10 major titles. However, the 42-year-old was the last player to beat Littler on TV, defeating the reigning PDC world champion 10-7 in the quarter-finals of the European Championship in October.

Match of the day: Matt Campbell v Adam Sevada - It’s a battle of North America in the first round of the World Championship as Canada’s Matt Campbell takes on the debuting American Adam Sevada. Campbell has held a PDC tour card since topping the European Challenge Tour in 2021, but heads to Ally Pally knowing that a defeat to Sevada would see him lose his tour card status. Meanwhile, Sevada makes his World Championship bow following an impressive 2025 campaign on the Championship Darts Circuit (CDC) tour, winning five titles, including four in a row, to finish as the number one ranked player on North America’s premier darts circuit.

Did you know? When Raymond van Barneveld takes to the Ally Pally stage he will equal Steve Beaton’s record for the most World Championship appearances. Beaton, who left the PDC tour at the end of last year, made 33 appearances across the BDO and PDC's World Championships, and won the Lakeside in 1996. Van Barneveld first stepped foot on a World Championship stage in 1991 and went on to win four BDO world titles, before switching to the PDC in 2006 and defeating Phil Taylor in one of the greatest matches of all time in the 2006/07 PDC World Championship final. Now 58 years old, ‘Barney’ will go level with Beaton on 33 World Championship campaigns this year.

TODAY’S FIXTURES (session starts at 12.30pm and 7pm GMT)
Round 1 Callan Rydz v Patrik Kovacs
Round 1 Thibault Tricole v Motomu Sakai
Round 1 (24) Ryan Joyce v Owen Bates
Round 1 (18) Mike De Decker v David Munyua

Round 1 (19) Jermaine Wattimena v Dominik Gruellich
Round 1 (21) Dave Chisnall v Fallon Sherrock
Round 1 (3) Michael van Gerwen v Mitsuhiko Tatsunami
Round 1 Krzysztof Ratajski v Alexis Toylo

Player to watch: Callan Rydz – World number 43 Callan Rydz was one of the star performers in the last PDC World Championship, posting three of the top four match averages on his way to a second quarter-final run at Alexandra Palace. Heading into the semi-finals, ‘The Riot’ held the top three spots on the averages, with a 107.06 in his first-round win over Romeo Grbavac, a 105.31 in whitewashing Dimitri Van den Bergh 4-0 in the third round, and a 103.88 in a losing effort to Michael van Gerwen in the last eight. The 27-year-old remains one of the most exciting talents in the world of darts, although he returns to the Palace having been unable to follow up on the fireworks he produced at the 2024/25 World Championship, producing just one semi-final run on tour back at Players Championship 3 in February this year.

Match of the day: (21) Dave Chisnall v Fallon Sherrock – It’s hard to believe it has been six years since Fallon Sherrock ‘smashed the glass ceiling’ at Alexandra Palace and became the first female player to win a match in the PDC World Championship. Adopting the ‘Queen of the Palace’ nickname, Sherrock defeated both Ted Evetts and Mensur Suljovic to reach the last 32 in the 2019/20 tournament, and when she steps back on the biggest stage of all to face Dave Chisnall in the first round this year it will have been six years and one day since that history-making victory against Evetts. ‘Chizzy’ has endured a difficult 2025 that has seen him drop out of the world’s top 16. He will not be relishing the prospect of facing Sherrock for a spot in round two.

Did you know? David Munyua will be the first player from Kenya to play in the PDC World Championship this year. The 30-year-old, who works as a veterinarian, made history for his country after winning the African Darts Group (ADG) World Championship Qualifier in Nairobi in September. Munyua told the Weekly Dartscast: “I’ve never been out of Africa before so I know it might be very challenging, but the people are very happy in Kenya for me to have this chance. They can’t wait!”

TODAY’S FIXTURES (session starts at 12.30pm and 7pm GMT)
Round 1 Kevin Doets v Matthew Dennant
Round 1 Ryan Meikle v Jesus Salate
Round 1 Mickey Mansell v Leonard Gates
Round 1 (11) Josh Rock v Gemma Hayter

Round 1 William O’Connor v Krzysztof Kcuik
Round 1 (22) Daryl Gurney v Beau Greaves
Round 1 (15) Nathan Aspinall v Lourence Ilagan
Round 1 Keane Barry v Tim Pusey

Player to watch: Nathan Aspinall – Do not let the (15) number next to his name fool you, Nathan Aspinall may come into this year’s PDC World Championship with his lowest seeding since making the semi-finals on debut back in 2018/19, but is a live contender to go on another deep run in the sport’s biggest tournament. Aspinall’s 2025 campaign has seen him break his duck on the European Tour in style, winning three titles on German soil, and just last month he made the final of the Players Championship Finals. With the race for next year’s Premier League still up for grabs, the two-time major champion will be desperate to go far at the Palace to bolster his chances of selection again 2026.

Match of the day: (22) Daryl Gurney v Beau Greaves – The final session of first round action will surely see all eyes fixed on this match between one half of the reigning PDC World Cup of Darts champions Daryl Gurney against the undisputed best female player on the planet Beau Greaves. For the last two years, Greaves has turned down her invite to play at Ally Pally, instead opting for the Lakeside where she has claimed her second and third WDF Women’s World Championship titles. The 21-year-old has enjoyed a landmark 2025 within the PDC system, reaching the fourth round of the UK Open, where she pushed Luke Humphries all the way, becoming the first female player to make the PDC World Youth Championship final, and won three titles on the Development Tour to finish second on the rankings and earn a two-year PDC tour card starting from next year. Can ‘Superchin’ spoil the party and deny Greaves a first victory on the Ally Pally stage?

Did you know? A record 34 different countries will be represented in this year’s PDC World Championship including for the first time representatives from Kenya and Argentina. Jesus Salate makes history as the first Argentine to play at Alexandra Palace, having ousted last year’s crowd favourite Rashad Sweeting, of the Bahamas, in this season’s Championship Darts Latin America and Caribbean (CDLC) Tour. Salate won four of the six tournaments held on the 2025 tour to finish in top spot and will be hoping to make an impression similar to his PDC World Cup of Darts debut this summer, where he partnered Victor Guillin to the last 16 on their debut.

TODAY’S FIXTURES (session starts at 12.30pm and 7pm GMT)

Round 2 (20) Ryan Searle v Brendan Dolan

Round 2 Andreas Harrysson v Motomu Sakai

Round 2 (29) Dirk van Duijvenbode v James Hurrell

Round 2 (21) Dave Chisnall v Ricardo Pietreczko

Round 2 (28) Michael Smith v Niels Zonneveld

Round 2 (8) Chris Dobey v Andrew Gilding

Round 2 (4) Stephen Bunting v Nitin Kumar

Round 2 (5) Jonny Clayton w/o Dom Taylor

Player to watch: Nitin Kumar - ‘The Royal Bengal’ made history in the first round of this year’s tournament, defeating Richard Veenstra in a last-set decider to become the first player from India to win a match in the PDC World Darts Championship. The 40-year-old, who had won just a single set across his four previous appearances at Alexandra Palace, produced an incredible display of finishing (9/12 75%) and defied five 100+ finishes from Veenstra to write his name into the record books last weekend. After beating the world number 48 Veenstra, Kumar said: "If you dream it, anything is possible. I've dreamed of this ever since I saw Dennis Priestley win the World Championship."

Match of the day: (8) Chris Dobey v Andrew Gilding - A battle of two first-time major champions from 2023 sees Premier League star Chris Dobey take on ‘Goldfinger’ Andrew Gilding for a place in the last 32. Dobey catapulted himself into the world’s elite with a victory in the Masters two years ago - a maiden major title that also saw him bag a full debut in the Premier League that year. ‘Hollywood’ was also a part of this year’s Premier League roadshow, finishing in sixth spot, and has a very strong recent track record at Ally Pally, reaching two quarter-finals and a semi-final in the last three years. The former UK Open winner Gilding averaged 97.89 in a 3-1 win over Development Tour #1 Cam Crabtree in round one - his highest ever average in a match at the World Championship.

Did you know? Andreas Harrysson caught the eye on his PDC World Championship debut after knocking out the 12th seed Ross Smith in a final-set shootout. The 50-year-old won four titles on this year’s PDC Nordic & Baltic Pro Tour to top the rankings and earn a first appearance at Ally Pally. Along with his darting ability, the Swede has gained plenty of attention for his remarkable beard and told the Weekly Dartscast: “I usually wash it once or twice a day. I try to use beard oil, but when I’m throwing darts my hand always goes up into the beard and then I can’t throw properly.”

TODAY’S FIXTURES (session starts at 12.30pm and 7pm GMT)

Round 2 (24) Ryan Joyce v Krzysztof Ratajski

Round 2 (32) Joe Cullen v Mensur Suljovic

Round 2 (25) Luke Woodhouse v Max Hopp

Round 2 (17) Rob Cross v Ian White

Round 2 (13) Martin Schindler v Keane Barry

Round 2 (9) Gerwyn Price v Wesley Plaisier

Round 2 (1) Luke Littler v David Davies

Round 2 (16) Damon Heta v Stefan Bellmont

Player to watch: Martin Schindler - A record eight German players have competed in this year’s PDC World Championship, with the 13th seed Martin Schindler the star performer so far. ‘The Wall’ averaged 99.14 in a 3-1 victory over Stephen Burton in the first round, firing in seven 180s and posting an impressive 112.73 set average in the fourth set. The 29-year-old is Germany’s highest-ranked player, with a trio of European Tour victories and a Players Championship title to his name. Can Schindler make the next step on the biggest stage of them all and deliver his country their first world champion?

Match of the day: (24) Ryan Joyce v Krzysztof Ratajski - Perhaps not the most glamorous tie in the last 64, but this match pits together two players that both averaged above 95 in their opening-round wins at Ally Pally. The 24th seed delivered his typical finishing masterclass, hitting nine of his 14 attempts on the doubles, and averaging 95.27 in a 3-0 whitewash of Owen Bates. Meanwhile, Poland’s number one Krzysztof Ratajski fired in a 170 checkout and averaged 97.67 in a straight sets victory over Alexis Toylo in his opening game.

Did you know? Stefan Bellmont made history for his country when he beat Raymond van Barneveld 3-0 in the first round, becoming the first player from Switzerland to win a match on the Alexandra Palace stage. Bellmont dropped just two legs as he saw off the five-time world champion van Barneveld, who was making a record-equalling 33rd World Championship appearance, and his next assignment is a clash with the Australian number one Damon Heta. For Bellmont, it will be more vital stage experience under his belt ahead of joining the ProTour in 2026, having topped the Challenge Tour this year with three titles to earn a two-year PDC tour card for the first time.

TODAY’S FIXTURES (session starts at 12.30pm and 7pm GMT)

Darren Beveridge v Madars Razma

(31) Wessel Nijman v Gabriel Clemens

David Munyua v Kevin Doets

(7) James Wade v Ricky Evans

(10) Gian van Veen v Alan Soutar

(15) Nathan Aspinall v Leonard Gates

(2) Luke Humphries v Paul Lim

Charlie Manby v Adam Sevada

Player to watch: Wessel Nijman – The young Dutchman caught the eye very early on in this year’s tournament, posting the event’s first 100+ average when he averaged 100.91 in a straight sets win over Karel Sedlacek in the opening round. It was a complete performance in round one by Wessel Nijman, who hit six 180s and was 50% on the doubles, as he dropped just three legs against ‘Evil Charlie’. The 25-year-old, who only joined the PDC tour at the start of 2024, comes into his third World Championship as a seeded player, having won a trio of Players Championship titles, including two of the last five floor events played in 2025. A pair of semi-finals on the European Tour this term, along with debuts at the World Matchplay and World Grand Prix, two of the hardest events to qualify for, further highlights Nijman as one to watch out for.

Match of the day: (2) Luke Humphries v Paul Lim – The hotly-anticipated Ally Pally rematch between Luke Humphries and Paul Lim takes place tonight, five years after the two players faced off in the first round of the behind-closed-doors tournament back in 2020/21. On that occasion, Humphries surrendered a 2-0 set lead in a 3-2 defeat to the veteran Lim, a defeat which ‘Cool Hand’ has pinpointed as one that served as a huge learning experience. Fast forward three years and Humphries went all the way and lifted the Sid Waddell Trophy in 2023/24, became world number one and has now racked up eight major titles in the PDC. Meanwhile, Lim set a new record as the oldest player to win a match in the PDC World Championship with his 3-1 victory over Jeffrey de Graaf in the first round of this year’s tournament coming at the age of 71 years and 322 days old.

Did you know? Alan Soutar and Teemu Harju played out a marathon 27-leg clash in the first round, with ‘Soots’ eventually crossing the line in a sudden-death leg with his 16th match dart finding the intended target. Soutar's 15 missed match darts is believed to be a record in a match at the PDC World Championship, with Jan van der Rassel previously holding the unwanted record with 11 missed match darts in a 4-3 defeat to the American John Kuczysnki in the second round of the 2005/06 tournament held at the Circus Tavern.

TODAY’S FIXTURES (session starts at 12.30pm and 7pm GMT)

Jonny Tata v Ryan Meikle

(22) Daryl Gurney v Callan Rydz

(19) Jermaine Wattimena v Scott Williams

(30) Peter Wright v Arno Merk

(6) Danny Noppert v Justin Hood

(14) Gary Anderson v Connor Scutt

(3) Michael van Gerwen v William O'Connor

(11) Josh Rock v Joe Comito

Player to watch: Danny Noppert – A front runner as one of the most underrated players in world darts, Danny Noppert comes into this year’s World Championship looking to finally make a deep run in the sport’s biggest tournament. Noppert made the switch over to the PDC in 2018 and has cemented his place inside the world’s top 16 for the best part of four years now. The Dutchman won the UK Open in 2022, his sole major PDC title, but 2025 has arguably been one of his most consistent years in front of the TV cameras, reaching a quartet of major ranking semi-finals. However, he has yet to go on a big run at Ally Pally, with the last 32 being his best run in seven campaigns to date.

Match of the day: (14) Gary Anderson v Connor Scutt – A real battle of experience vs youth here as the two-time PDC world champion Gary Anderson, competing in his 25th World Championship across all codes, takes on Connor Scutt, who is appearing for the third time at Ally Pally and looking to reach the last 32 for the first time. ‘The Sniper’ has said that Anderson is a hero of his and someone he looks up to, but he will have to put all of that to one side when they face off for the first time on a big stage. The pair have met four times before in Players Championship events, including in a final last year, which Anderson won, but Scutt did win their first meeting in PDC competition back in late 2023, winning 6-4 with a 95 average in the quarter-finals of a floor event.

Did you know? The 2025/26 PDC World Championship boasts a record prize fund of £5 million, including a record-breaking £1 million to the player who goes all the way and lifts the Sid Waddell Trophy on January 3. Life-changing money is on the line when the players face off on the Ally Pally stage, including for one of this year’s debutants Justin Hood. ‘Happy Feet’ averaged an impressive 99.59 in his 3-0 first-round win over Nick Kenny which saw him secure a guaranteed £25,000 in prize money. However, the first-year PDC tour card holder revealed afterwards that he will need to reach at least the fourth round (£60,000) if he wants to fulfil his dream of buying a Chinese restaurant! Hood told talkSPORT: “It’s coming. If I get to the £60,000 round. Luke Humphries said he would buy in with me.”

TODAY’S FIXTURES (session starts at 12.30pm and 7pm GMT)

6x Round 3 matches
Schedule TBC

TODAY’S FIXTURES (session starts at 12.30pm and 7pm GMT)

6x Round 3 matches
Schedule TBC

TODAY’S FIXTURES (session starts at 12.30pm and 7pm GMT)

4x Round 3 matches and 2x Round 4 matches
Schedule TBC

TODAY’S FIXTURES (session starts at 12.30pm and 7pm GMT)

6x Round 4 matches
Schedule TBC

TODAY’S FIXTURES (session starts at 12.30pm and 7pm GMT)

Quarter-finals
Schedule TBC

TODAY’S FIXTURES (session starts at 7.30pm GMT)

Semi-finals
Schedule TBC

TODAY’S FIXTURES (session starts at 8pm GMT)

Final
Schedule TBC 

Pictures: PDC