The stage is set for the 2024/25 Paddy Power World Darts Championship, and all eyes are on Luke Humphries as he begins his title defense at London’s iconic Alexandra Palace. The draw, held Monday, revealed Humphries will face either Thibault Tricole or Joe Comito in round two.
Humphries claimed his maiden World Championship crown in January, defeating rising star Luke Littler 7-4 in a thrilling final. Now, as the world number one, Humphries has a chance to join legends like Phil Taylor, Adrian Lewis, and Gary Anderson as one of the few to retain the Sid Waddell Trophy.
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Key Matches to Watch
- Last year’s runner-up, Luke Littler could face Fallon Sherrock in a potential round-two showdown. Sherrock begins her campaign against Ryan Meikle.
- Michael van Gerwen, a three-time champion, will take on either debutant James Hurrell or Canadian veteran Jim Long.
- Michael Smith, the 2023 champion, awaits the winner of an all-Dutch clash between Kevin Doets and Noa-Lynn van Leuven.
- Gary Anderson, a two-time World Champion, opens his campaign against either Sweden’s Jeffrey de Graaf or Bahamian trailblazer Rashad Sweeting, who is making history as the first player from the Bahamas in the tournament.
- Fellow Scot and former champion Peter Wright will face either Wesley Plaisier or Ryusei Azemoto, both making their World Championship debuts.
Legends and Rising Stars
The draw also features darts royalty like Raymond van Barneveld, who awaits the winner of Nick Kenny versus Stowe Buntz. Emerging talent Wessel Nijman will face Joe Cullen if he overcomes South Africa’s Cameron Carolissen.
Meanwhile, big names like Gerwyn Price, Rob Cross, and James Wade aim to make deep runs. Price faces a potential clash with Ireland’s Keane Barry or Belgium’s Kim Huybrechts, while Wade takes on either Jermaine Wattimena or Stefan Bellmont.
2025 Paddy Power World Darts Championship Draw
(1) Luke Humphries v Thibault Tricole/Joe Comito
(32) Raymond van Barneveld v Nick Kenny/Stowe Buntz
(16) James Wade v Jermaine Wattimena/Stefan Bellmont
(17) Peter Wright v Wesley Plaisier/Ryusei Azemoto
(8) Stephen Bunting v Alan Soutar/Kai Gotthardt
(25) Dirk van Duijvenbode v Madars Razma/Christian Kist
(9) Damon Heta v Connor Scutt/Ben Robb
(24) Mike De Decker v Luke Woodhouse/Lourence Ilagan
(4) Luke Littler v Ryan Meikle/Fallon Sherrock
(29) Ritchie Edhouse v Ian White/Sandro Eric Sosing
(13) Danny Noppert v Ryan Joyce/Darius Labanauskas
(20) Ryan Searle v Mensur Suljovic/Matt Campbell
(5) Rob Cross v Scott Williams/Niko Springer
(28) Gian van Veen v Ricardo Pietreczko/Xiaochen Zong
(12) Nathan Aspinall v Cameron Menzies/Leonard Gates
(21) Andrew Gilding v Martin Lukeman/Nitin Kumar
(2) Michael Smith v Kevin Doets/Noa-Lynn van Leuven
(31) Krzysztof Ratajski v Richard Veenstra/Alexis Toylo
(15) Chris Dobey v Stephen Burton/Alexander Merkx
(18) Josh Rock v Karel Sedlacek/Rhys Griffin
(7) Jonny Clayton v Mickey Mansell/Tomoya Goto
(26) Daryl Gurney v Florian Hempel/Jeffrey De Zwaan
(10) Gerwyn Price v Kim Huybrechts/Keane Barry
(23) Joe Cullen v Wessel Nijman/Cameron Carolissen
(3) Michael van Gerwen v James Hurrell/Jim Long
(30) Brendan Dolan v Chris Landman/Lok Yin Lee
(14) Gary Anderson v Jeffrey de Graaf/Rashad Sweeting
(19) Ross Smith v Jim Williams/Paolo Nebrida
(6) Dave Chisnall v Ricky Evans/Gordon Mathers
(27) Gabriel Clemens v Niels Zonneveld/Robert Owen
(11) Dimitri Van den Bergh v William O’Connor/Dylan Slevin
(22) Martin Schindler v Callan Rydz/Romeo Grbavac
2025 Paddy Power World Darts Championship Schedule
Sunday, December 15 (1900 GMT)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
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, December 16
Afternoon Session (1230 GMT)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
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 (1900 GMT)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
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, December 17
Afternoon Session (1230 GMT)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
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 (1900 GMT)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
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, December 18 (1900 GMT)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
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 (1230 GMT)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
Chris Landman v Lok Yin Lee (R1)
Callan Rydz v Romeo Grbavac (R1)
Martin Lukeman v Nitin Kumar (R1)
Gabriel Clemens v Zonneveld/Owen (R2)
Evening Session (1900 GMT)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
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, December 20
Afternoon Session (1230 GMT)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
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 (1900 GMT)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
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 (1230 GMT)
2x First Round, 2x Second Round
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 (1900 GMT)
4x Second Round
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, December 22
Afternoon Session (1230 GMT)
4x Second Round
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 (1900 GMT)
4x Second Round
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 December 23
Afternoon Session (1230 GMT)
4x Second Round
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 (1900 GMT)
4x Second Round
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 December 27
Afternoon Session (1230 GMT)
3x Third Round
Evening Session (1900 GMT)
3x Third Round
Saturday December 28
Afternoon Session (1230 GMT)
3x Third Round
Evening Session (1900 GMT)
3x Third Round
Sunday December 29
Afternoon Session (1230 GMT)
3x Third Round
Evening Session (1900 GMT)
1x Third Round, 2x Fourth Round
Monday December 30
Afternoon Session (1230 GMT)
3x Fourth Round
Evening Session (1930 GMT)
3x Fourth Round
Wednesday January 1
Afternoon Session (1230 GMT)
2x Quarter-Finals
Evening Session (1900 GMT)
2x Quarter-Finals
Thursday January 2 (1930 GMT)
Semi-Finals
Friday January 3 (2000 GMT)
Final
Where to watch the World Darts Championship
The tournament will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK, through the PDC’s worldwide broadcast partners including DAZN and Viaplay, and on PDCTV (excluding UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria & Switzerland-based subscribers).
Ben Evans is a passionate darts writer with a keen eye for statistics and news. With years of experience following the PDC scene, Ben brings in-depth coverage of tournaments, player performances, and emerging dart trends. Known for his detailed analysis and love for the game, he keeps fans updated with the latest stats, match insights, and memorable moments. When he’s not covering the action on the oche, Ben enjoys a game of darts, staying sharp on the sport he loves.
Thanks, Ben.