Alexandra Palace is buzzing once again as it hosts another blockbuster edition of the PDC World Darts Championship. The tournament, which started on 11th December, is set to be contested more fiercely than ever before.
That’s because the tournament has already made history before a dart was thrown. A record-breaking 128 players are battling it out for a slice of the £5m prize fund, by far the largest purse that the sport has ever seen. With huge amounts of cash on the table, every player will want to advance as far as they can.
With the opening rounds now behind us, Irish darts fans have already witnessed plenty of drama. Will Luke Littler continue to dominate the sport, or will a new champion be crowned at the Palace?
Below, we’ve recapped the first three days of action and also looked at the next stages of the tournament.
Thursday 11th December recap
World number 53 Kim Huybrechts opened up this year’s tournament as favourite against Arno Merk, ranked number 63. The curtain-raiser delivered our first upset as Merk brushed his experienced opponent to one side 3-1.
However, that was to be the only shock of the evening. Former champion of the world Michael Smith beat Lisa Ashton 3-0, averaging a steady 91.19 as well as hitting three 180s. Is the Englishman returning to form at the right time?
It was then time for the main event as the reigning champion, Luke Littler, faced Darius Labanauskas. The Lithuanian put up a good fight, averaging 95.25, but still couldn’t get near the world number one, who repeated the same scoreline as Smith in the previous match. With an average of 101, Littler sent out a statement to his contenders.
The evening wrapped up with Madars Razma vs Jamai van den Herik. While the Dutchman threw four 180s – the most on the night out of all eight players – his finishing let him down as his Latvian opponent came out on top 3-1. A potential dark horse for the tournament, Razma has it in him to cause an upset or two on the Ally Pally stage.
However, the talk of the town was, of course, about Luke “The Nuke” Littler, who scored the highest on the opening night, setting the tone for the rest of the tournament and showing why he’s the favourite to win back-to-back titles.
Friday 12th December recap
Thursday’s card saw 16 players come to the stage with four afternoon matches followed by another four in the evening as the World Championship got into full swing.
Niels Zonneveld wasted no time in the opener, hammering Haupai Puha 3-0. Two titans of the game followed as Ian White beat Mervyn King 3-2 in what was certainly a much slower match, with both averaging just above 80. Ian “Diamond” White will need to improve his scoring if he is to progress in the tournament.
Dark horse Ryan Searle was up next and repeated Zonneveld’s scoreline, averaging into the mid-90s against Chris Landman. The world number 20 looked as sharp as ever on the Ally Pally stage – he is without doubt a player to keep close tabs on this winter.
Previous world champion Rob Cross closed the afternoon session with yet another 3-0 victory against world number 103 Cor Dekker. The world number 17 didn’t have to get out of second gear as the afternoon session drew to a close ready for more fireworks a few hours later.
The evening opened with yet another shock. Ross Smith – expected to have a deep run in the competition – averaged over 96 but still couldn’t battle past Sweden’s Andreas Harrysson. Smith also threw six 180s – the most on the night – but his defeat showed just how ruthless this tournament and quick format can be.
Ricky Evans watched on from the sidelines and made sure that he wasn’t going to suffer the same crippling defeat, brushing aside L.M. Leung 3-0 before Smith had even packed his bag.
Gian van Veen, world number 10, averaged almost 100 as he beat Spaniard Cristo Reyes 3-1, and the Dutchman will be a popular bet to have a good run in this tournament after a promising 2025 campaign.
The big match to close the night saw Damon Heta face Steve Lennon. The Australian came out on top 3-1, averaging a shade of 91 and delivering one of the more promising performances of the night.
Saturday 13th December recap
David Davies was flying the flag for Wales on Saturday afternoon, causing yet another upset as the world number 144 easily beat Mario Vandenbogaerde 3-0. However, there was no shock half an hour later as Andrew Gilding did just that, beating Cam Crabtree 3-1 and averaging almost 98.
World number 25 Luke Woodhouse looked as good as ever, winning his opening match against Boris Krčmar 3-1, before Gary Anderson closed the afternoon session with an entertaining 3-2 victory against Adam Hunt.
The evening opened with history being created. Paul Lim became the oldest player at the age of 71 to win at the World Championship, beating Jeffrey de Graaf 3-1 to kickstart another top night of darts.
All eyes were on Wessel Nijman, who won 3-0 against Karel Sedlacek – hitting six 180s and averaging close to 101. The world number 31 has been spoken about for quite some time, and the young Dutchman is certainly a player to watch at the Palace this year.
Up next, former world champion Luke Humphries kickstarted his tournament with a 3-1 win against Ted Evetts. Impressively, Humphries hit eight 180s within just four sets and averaged almost 99. He is the likely candidate to win the tournament if Luke Littler slips up at any point.
Saturday night closed with Gabriel Clemens battering Alex Spellman. The German world number 47 has rejuvenated himself in recent times, and a kind route could see him go deep into the tournament.
Check out the pre-match odds at Tonybet.
Sunday 14th December recap
Sunday produced a further two eyebrow-raising results as Nitin Kumar beat world number 48 Richard Veenstra 3-2. Priced at 8/1, Kumar was the biggest-priced winner from the opening round.
Jonny Tata also secured a result that the bookmakers didn’t expect, beating Ritchie Edhouse 3-0 and booking his place in the next round.
Joe Cullen closed the afternoon session with a comprehensive 3-0 win over Bradley Brooks. He averaged just shy of 100, which would have caught bettors’ eyes for the following rounds.
The biggest shock of the night on Sunday saw world number 23 Dimitri van den Bergh crash out 3- against Darren Beveridge. The Belgian loves playing on the stage, yet he only hit one 180 and averaged just 80 on the night. The unpredictability of the tournament continues in its early stages.
There were no issues for world number four Stephen Bunting, however, who is certain to serve it up to the other big guns throughout the tournament. A fan favourite, the Englishman has proven that he can beat anyone on his day.
Our expert prediction
The World Championship is without doubt the best darts tournament on the planet – and so often the best players on the planet will crumble. Luke Littler and Luke Humphries are expected to have deep runs in the competition, but keep an eye on the likes of Joe Cullen and Wessel Nijman, who have hit big averages already.
Cullen has the experience to go far in the tournament and has largely been performing well enough throughout 2025 to give him the confidence to beat the very best.
There have been whispers about Nijman for quite some time, and this could be the tournament that sees him capture a global audience. The young Dutchman is able to hit consistent scores and can spring a surprise at Ally Pally this month.
If you’re looking to place a bet on the darts this winter, be sure to check out Tonybet’s many markets. Tonybet will have every match covered as well as ante-posts throughout the opening rounds, to help you back your favourite player to lift the trophy in the new year.
