REIGNING CHAMPION LUKE HUMPHRIES TO HEADLINE OPENING NIGHT OF 2024/25 WORLD DARTS CHAMPIONSHIP
Luke Humphries will begin his defence of the Paddy Power World Darts Championship on the opening night of the 2024/25 tournament, with the schedule of play for the first and second rounds now finalised.
The pre-Christmas period in the sport's showpiece event will see the first and second rounds played across nine days from December 15-23, as 96 players prepare to feature in a festive feast of darts at London’s Alexandra Palace.
Reigning champion Humphries will begin his bid for back-to-back titles on the tournament’s opening night, as he faces either French number one Thibault Tricole or Australian qualifier Joe Comito, who lock horns in the evening’s curtain-raiser.
Sunday’s action will also see European Championship runner-up Jermaine Wattimena take on Swiss debutant Stefan Bellmont, while 2011/12 quarter-finalist Kim Huybrechts plays Ireland’s Keane Barry.
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 QUARTERS
Evening Session (1900 GMT)
2x QUARTERS
Thursday January 2 (1930 GMT)
SEMIS
Friday January 3 (2000 GMT)
FINAL
Draw - 2024/25 Paddy Power World Darts Championship
(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