Some say the first sign of Christmas is the festive lights on Oxford Street being turned on. In the world of sport, it’s arguably the PDC World Darts Championship returning to Alexandra Palace.
Luckily for us, the greatest winter sport is finally back in London this weekend as the iconic event gets underway on Sunday evening. Luke Littler shocked the world last year as he reached the final and after a whirlwind year, he’ll expect to be there again. The only question is: can he be stopped again this time around?
Littler targets historic win at Ally Pally
Aged just 16, Littler started last year’s World Darts Championship as a 66/1 shot that few outside of the sport’s hardcore fanbase were aware of. Fast forward a few weeks and he was the most talked about sportsman on the planet as he narrowly lost the final to Luke Humphries.
This time around, there’s no confusion about the superstar’s talent and he’s the favourite to take the crown in the new year. Michael van Gerwen remains the youngest ever winner of the competition, having gone all the way back in 2014 at the age of 24 years and nine months.
Incredibly, that means that even if Littler doesn’t win this time around, he’ll still have another six attempts at smashing Van Gerwen’s record. He’s favourite for good reason – the now 17-year-old is the reigning Premier League Darts, Grand Slam and World Series Finals champion.
Earlier this week he was announced as a nominee for this year’s BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award and he’ll be desperate to add the World Championship title to his collection having missed out back in January, ultimately losing 7-4 to Humphries in the final. Since that final, Littler has won eight of the 13 meetings between the pair, although Humphries came out on top in the recent Players Championship final.
Littler’s competition gets underway on Sunday 21st December, when he’ll face the winner of Ryan Meikle and Fallon Sherrock in the second round. Like Littler, Sherrock has enjoyed time in the spotlight in recent years, having become the first ever female player to win at the World Championship back in 2019.
Who are Littler’s biggest challengers?
The obvious obstacle in Littler’s way is Humphries, who remains the highest ranked player in the world and is defending his title. The 29-year-old has won 18 PDC titles and is in strong form following that Players Championship Finals victory over Littler.
Humphries’ World Championship win last year was his fourth consecutive major title. However, he’s won just two of his five major finals since, having also secured the World Matchplay title in July, beating Van Gerwen in the final.
Van Gerwen is always a threat and is looking to win the World Darts Championship for the fourth time. The Dutchman remains one of the most successful players on the circuit, with a phenomenal 47 titles from 63 appearances in finals. However, he’s lost his last three finals, with his last success coming against Nathan Aspinall in the World Series final in 2023.
Van Gerwen’s last Ally Pally triumph came back in 2019, when he got the better of Michael Smith, although Smith got his revenge as he returned the favour in 2023. Smith could have an outside shot at claiming his second title this year, although he’s still reeling having lost the World Series final to Littler in September.
Meanwhile, Gary Anderson will fancy his chances at getting close to the final. The veteran is a two-time winner, claiming back-to-back titles in 2015 and 2016, and he’s lost two finals since, losing most recently to Gerwyn Price in 2021.
Elsewhere, Mike De Decker could be a dark horse for the competition, as could Wessel Nijman. Belgian star De Decker defeated Humphries to win the World Grand Prix in October, while 24-year-old Nijman secured his maiden senior PDC title this year.
When is the PDC World Darts Championship?
The PDC World Darts Championship gets underway this Sunday, with Humphries in action on the opening night as is tradition for the reigning champion. He’ll face the winner of Thibault Tricole and Joe Comito, who meet in the opening match of the championships.
The competition lasts for just under three weeks, with the final taking place on Friday 3rd January. It’s the first time the final is being held on a Friday in four years and the famous Ally Pally crowd will undoubtedly give both finalists an incredible atmosphere.
With 96 players set to enter the competition, the winner will pocket a mouth-watering £2.5 million in prize money. Once the action kicks off, there will be darts action almost every night, apart from a Christmas break from 24th to 26th December, as well as a night off for New Year’s Eve.