PDC World Darts Championship 2025: Betting tips, preview and predictions for the Sky Sports-televised major at the Ally Pally

Our darts expert has selections in a range of markets, including his take on just how many nine-dart finishes might be in store.

ALSO WATCH: ALL 95 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TIES PREDICTED!

Darts betting tips: PDC World Championship

6pts Luke Humphries to win the World Championship at 100/30 (General)

2pts Gary Anderson to reach the final at 4/1 (Paddy Power, Betfair)

0.5pt e.w. Chris Dobey to win the World Championship at 40/1 (General 1/2, 1,2)

1pt Stephen Bunting to reach the quarter-finals at 3/1 (Paddy Power, Betfair)

1pt Scott Williams to reach the quarter-finals at 12/1 (Paddy Power, Betfair)

1pt Wessel Nijman to reach the quarter-finals at 11/4 (Paddy Power, Betfair)

1pt Dave Chisnall to reach the quarter-finals at 11/4 (Paddy Power, Betfair)

1pt three or more nine-dart finishes in the tournament at 4/1 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power, Betfair)

Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair Sportsbook

Dartmas is finally here again after an unforgettable 12 months in which the sport has soared to new heights thanks largely to the exploits of one superstar teenager.

This time 12 months ago, darts purists may have expected Luke Littler to make some kind of a dramatic impact on his Alexandra Palace debut but nobody could have foreseen how he was able to transcend darts with a series of mind-blowing performances that took him to the final at the age of just 16.

ALSO WATCH: WORLD DARTS CHAMPIONSHIP PREDICTIONS

Since then, Littler has continued to defy everything you'd think was possible from someone so young. He's won more titles than anyone else including the Premier League and Grand Slam of Darts, hit perfect legs for fun, scooped over £1million in total prize money, shot up to fourth in the world rankings, earned sponsorship deals that other players can only dream of and help darts generate more headlines, social media engagement and TV interest than ever before.

While we've heard some murmurings of envy within the ranks, we're in the midst of a darting boom right now that everyone can capitalise upon - if they have the right motivation and dedication.

And plenty have shown they do.

Because although Littler and defending world champion LUKE HUMPHRIES have hogged 17 titles between them this year - with the Nuke becoming the fourth different player ever to reach 10 in a single season - and banked a combined £2.5million, we've seen two huge outsiders winning two of the majors this year in Mike de Decker at the World Grand Prix and Ritchie Edhouse at the European Championship, while there were shocks galore at a Grand Slam of Darts that resulted in Martin Lukeman and Mickey Mansell reaching the semi-finals.

On top of this there have been 27 different winners of PDC events and 13 have managed to bag two or more.

The general consensus is that anyone really can beat anyone on their day - especially over the shorter format - but when it comes to the Ally Pally, the cream does rise to the top.

Those in with a genuine chance of lifting the Sid Waddell Trophy historically need to reach a very high bar of performance level, the consistency to do it round after round occasions, the mental strength to handle the pressure and nerves on the biggest stage of all, fighting spirit when the chips are down, and genuine confidence based on relatively recent experience of success.

This time 12 months ago we didn't really know for sure just how many of those boxes Littler ticked, but now it's obvious he ticks the lot. Including that very last one which may have proved the difference against Humphries in last year's final.

It's no surprise whatsoever that the two Lukes dominate the head of the betting and you can get even money on anyone else becoming world champion. That's 94 players verses two in an era when darts is meant to be more competitive than ever!

When you consider Littler and Humphries are in the same half of the draw, that bet does at least guarantee you'll have a runner in the final and if they've both been knocked out beforehand, you've already won.

It's an interesting option to consider if you have doubts over the dominant duo but I'm struggling to see how they both get stopped given all the factors in their favour, and expect them to meet in a blockbuster semi-final.

Their respective 'off days' are so few and far between when it comes to major action and even their 'B game' is too much for most players in pressurised situations.

Out of the pair, I'm standing by Humphries to join the ranks of legends who have successfully defended their world title but I'll explain more as I run through each quarter of the draw.

CLICK HERE to back Humphries with Sky Bet

QUARTER ONE

• Luke Humphries (1) v Thibault Tricole or Joe Comito
• Raymond van Barneveld (32) v Nick Kenny or Stowe Buntz
• James Wade (16) v Jermaine Wattimena or Stefan Bellmont
• Peter Wright (17) v Wesley Plaisier or Ryusei Azemoto
• Stephen Bunting (8) v Alan Soutar or Kai Gotthardt
• Dirk van Duijvenbode (25) v Madars Razma or Christian Kist
• Damon Heta (9) v Connor Scott or Ben Robb
• Mike de Decker (24) v Luke Woodhouse or Lourence Ilagan

One of the most impressive qualities about Luke Humphries this year is how he's handled being in Luke Littler's 'shadow' with such class and maturity.

I've seen so many people on social media over the year say they've felt sorry for him being overlooked in terms of coverage and exposure but judging by the way he's eloquently spoken about it on numerous occasions, I really don't think he's bothered.

And while he's so gracious in defeat - as we saw when losing to Littler in the Premier League final - under that calm, family man demeanour, he also possesses that ruthless desire to destroy his opposition and dominate the sport.

After a couple of shock disappointments at the European Championship and Grand Slam of Darts, he had the character to bounce back and overcome Littler in the climax of the Players Championship Finals and that was exactly the tonic he needed to restore any lost confidence ahead of his World Championship defence.

The way he put Shaun Murphy in his place during the recent nine darter v 147 debate was also another example of his sharp mind and strong personality that will also help him grow his fanbase quicker than he realises. He's a pleasure to watch, a pleasure to listen to and I doubt it'll be long before he gets the credit and fame we all know he deserves.

Humphries may not have hoovered up as many titles as Littler and also lost grip of two of his major titles in the World Grand Prix and Grand Slam following his sublime success at the World Matchplay, but that most recent triumph in Minehead could prove crucial were they to meet again in the semi-finals.

But who are his biggest threats before then?

I can't see him having any trouble on his way through to the last 16, where one of James Wade, Peter Wright or the in-form and increasingly confident Jermaine Wattimena will probably lie in wait.

Whoever it is, they'd need Humphries to have a rare off day to stand a chance so now we come to bottom section of this quarter.

Mike de Decker has emerged as a genuine threat to the established stars this winter thanks to his stunning triumph at the World Grand Prix, which included thrashings of Wade, Gary Anderson and Dimitri Van den Bergh before overcoming Humphries 6-4 in the final.

He came within a whisker of knocking Littler out of the Grand Slam and while he was no match for the Nuke during a rematch in Minehead, he's arguably the player Humphries will secretly most want to avoid.

However let's not rule out crowd favourite STEPHEN BUNTING, who's been so unlucky to be runner-up in six Players Championship events this year since becoming Masters champion so memorably back in February.

Two of those have been 8-7 losses to both Littler and Humphries while the latter is responsible for three of his exits at the majors, and two of the others have been down to Gary Anderson.

As for Damon Heta, he's played some breathtaking darts this season - as demonstrated by two Pro Tour titles - and not only is he ranked eighth in the averages for all of 2024, he's actually as high as third with 99.22 since the start of October.

He was among my selections at the recent Players Championship Finals because of this form but once again on the big stage, he struggled to produce these same kind of levels and I'm not sure he currently has the presence needed to succeed at the Ally Pally.

Although I expect Humphries to come through this section, I think Bunting will end up being his biggest threat.

Quarter Verdict: Humphries to win quarter; Bunting his challenger

QUARTER TWO

• Luke Littler (4) v Ryan Meikle or Fallon Sherrock
• Ritchie Edhouse (29) v Ian White or Sandro Eric Sosing
• Danny Noppert (13) v Ryan Joyce or Darius Labanauskas
• Ryan Searle (20) v Mensur Suljovic or Matt Campbell
• Rob Cross (5) v Scott Williams or Niko Springer
• Gian van Veen (28) v Ricardo Pietreczko or Zong Xiao Chen
• Nathan Aspinall (12) v Cameron Menzies or Leonard Gates
• Andrew Gilding (21) v Martin Lukeman or Nitin Kumar

I doubt there's anyone reading this requiring a review of Luke Littler's history-making debut season with the PDC.

There are not many superlatives left to describe the electric manner in which he plays the game and the way he's managed to back it up with so much success in just 12 months. No stage fazes him. No crowd size overwhelms him. No opponent bothers him.

He can hit nine-darters and win multiple titles in the quiet surroundings of Players Championship events, the raucous stadium stages in the Premier League, and also when he's miles from home on the World Series and European Tours.

Littler handles the spotlight behind the scenes so effortlessly and quietly but on the oche he unleashes a phenomenal stage presence that seems to have many players beaten before a dart is thrown.

And if they aren't beaten then, it won't be long before his 100+ averages, relentless 180 hitting and show-stopping checkouts take their toll in emphatic fashion.

It truly is remarkable.

I recently asked him about the critical media headlines that finally reared their head - like Gary Anderson famously warned they would - in the wake of his run of early exits at the World Matchplay, World Grand Prix and European Championship to Andrew Gilding.

He saw them and read them. But responded by averaging 100+ in 13 games in a row during a run that saw him crowned Grand Slam of Darts champion and runner-up at the Players Championship Finals.

Like I said about Humphries previously, anyone who comes up against Littler will need him to have an off day. He's got too much confidence right now and it will require nerves of absolute steel to take any chances that may arise against him.

The internet would break if Fallon Sherrock managed it in round two but the player most likely to cause him problems in the top section of this quarter is Ritchie Edhouse, who definitely has the fearlessness to take on anyone and has also shown a high enough A-game in recent months to potentially cause problems.

Looking further down to quarter-final candidates, Rob Cross hasn't looked particularly explosive lately and even lost 6-0 to Littler at the Players Championship Finals last month.

Gian van Veen's fantastic run to the Grand Slam quarter-finals means he's second favourite to come through this quarter but if you're looking for a lively outsider then how about Scott Williams?

He certainly had the showmanship and bravado to thrive on the Ally Pally stage last year during a thrilling run to the semi-finals that included a victory over Michael van Gerwen that few saw coming.

That level of confidence is a very significant weapon in an arena when so many players wilt under the lights.

Williams' lack of success on the floor means he's gone under the radar this season and only been involved in two majors since the worlds - the UK Open and the Players Championship Finals.

At the latter he reminded everyone what he can do by reaching the quarter-finals and I wouldn't be surprised at all to see him use the crowd again to get that far again here.

Quarter Verdict: Littler to win quarter, with Williams his surprise opponent

QUARTER THREE

• Michael Smith (2) v Kevin Doets or Noa-Lynn van Leuven
• Krysztof Ratajski (31) v Richard Veenstra or Alexis Toylo
• Chris Dobey (15) v Stephen Burton or Alexander Merkx
• Josh Rock (18) v Karel Sedlacek or Rhys Griffin
• Jonny Clayton (7) v Mickey Mansell or Tomoya Goto
• Daryl Gurney (26) v Florian Hempel or Jeffrey De Zwaan
• Gerwyn Price (10) v Kim Huybrechts or Keane Barry
• Joe Cullen (23) v Wessel Nijman or Cameron Carolissen

You'd expect a world number two to be a clear favourite to win their quarter of the draw - especially if they were crowned world champion as recently as January 2023.

However, Michael Smith is enduring a rather worrying spell in his career and while he clearly has the talent to turn the corner at some point in the not too distant future - and hopefully he does - I'm just not sure if it'll happen this month.

I did back Bully Boy ahead of the Grand Slam of Darts as I thought this would be the time of year he would finally kick into life but he crashed out in the group stage with a couple of heavy defeats and then lost to Daryl Gurney in the early rounds of the Players Championship Finals.

He hasn't averaged over 100 in any of his last 11 games and has generally struggled to reach that level consistently all year.

That said he will be clear favourite in his opening two matches against (probably) Kevin Doets, who gave him a scare this time last year but is averaging less than 90 this season, and Krysztof Ratajski, who certainly isn't the force of old.

It then gets tricky against either CHRIS DOBEY or Josh Rock if we assume both of those avoid any early slip-ups.

The pair have enjoyed superb campaigns with three titles apiece and are among the top 10 for averages both this year and since October.

However, their major and TV form has been extremely disappointing with a whole host of early exits between them. In fact neither have reached a quarter-final since Dobey dazzled us at the Ally Pally 12 months ago before blowing a huge lead against Rob Cross.

Rock winning a maiden European Tour title back in May should really have given him the confidence he needs to showcase his best form on stage but it's not really happened for him, despite losing with some high averages in a 'group of death' at the Grand Slam of Darts.

However we've seen Dobey play well on TV many times before this season so I'm going to give the edge to Hollywood in this top section.

When we drop into the second half, all eyes are on an unseeded player in Wessel Nijman.

Statistically, the Dutchman has been among the star performers this winter with an average of 97.97 in all competitions since the start of September - only Luke Littler, Gary Anderson and Damon Heta have recorded higher.

This form towards the end of his debut season as a PDC Tour Card holder helped him land a maiden Pro Tour title at Players Championship 24 with an 8-5 victory over Stephen Bunting in the final.

He's not obviously had the chance to qualify for many majors yet but in the five we have seen him contest, he's managed just three wins and they've all come on the smaller stages at the UK Open and Players Championship Finals in Minehead.

Nijman has picked up wins over Littler, Gerwyn Price, Chris Dobey in short format matches on the European Tour stages but never to have tasted victory on the PDC televised stage is cause for concern.

However, he did average 107, 105 and 111 in three marginal defeats during a ridiculously unlucky Grand Slam of Darts debut and while he followed that up with a drab first-round exit to Kim Huybrechts at the Players Championship Finals, he'll hopefully have focused more on his Wolverhampton positives during the build up to the worlds.

Maybe it was time for a rest having played a whopping 287 matches this year - compared to Littler's 186 - due to his Development Tour efforts and a refreshed Nijman will be dangerous.

The draw has been relatively kind because if he breaks his duck against Cameron Carolissen, he'll then be rewarded with a tie against Joe Cullen.

If he can get past the out-of-tune Rockstar then 'big stage' confidence he's never had will be flowing and he will be fancied to beat either Gerwyn Price, Jonny Clayton or Daryl Gurney.

Price and Clayton are ranked in the world's top 10 still but seem to be short on belief - particularly the Iceman - and while Gurney is enjoying a climb in winning form, his stats aren't as strong as Nijman's.

Overall I feel Dobey ticks more boxes - including the significant experience of playing well at the Ally Pally - to be the strongest candidate for success in this quarter and if he does come through it there's no reason why he can't give anyone in the section below a run for their money for a place in the final.

CLICK HERE to back Dobey with Sky Bet

Quarter Verdict: Dobey to win the quarter after Nijman runs him close in the last eight

QUARTER FOUR

• Michael van Gerwen (3) v James Hurrell or Jim Long
• Brendan Dolan (30) v Chris Landman or Lok Yin Lee
• Gary Anderson (14) v Jeffrey de Graaf or Rashad Sweeting
• Ross Smith (19) v Jim Williams or Paolo Nebrida
• Dave Chisnall (6) v Ricky Evans or Gordon Mathews
• Gabriel Clemens (27) v Niels Zonneveld or Robert Owen
• Dimitri Van den Bergh (11) v William O'Connor or Dylan Slevin
• Martin Schindler (22) v Callan Rydz or Romeo Grbavac

Michael van Gerwen made some headlines recently by claiming he's 'not scared' of Luke Littler but he'll have his work cut out to even get the chance to defy the 17-year-old's 'fear factor' considering they can't meet until the final.

He admitted that his tally of four titles this season was 'bad' especially considering his haul didn't include any of the ranked majors for the second successive year and you have to question whether that run will suddenly end on the biggest stage of all.

MVG did reach the World Matchplay final, where he lost narrowly 18-15 and was always in contention, but since then he's bowed out early in the World Grand Prix, European Championship, Grand Slam and the Players Championship Finals.

And while he's still averaging in the top five this season with 97.2, he's only managing 95.6 since the start of October which puts him down in 14th in this timeframe.

Fortunately for MVG, I think there's only one player in this section who I'd back to beat this version of him on the Ally Pally stage this year.

Unfortunately for him it's GARY ANDERSON and the pair could meet as early as the fourth round.

As you'll likely be aware, the Flying Scotsman has enjoyed a renaissance this year as he makes a concerted effort to become a major champion again for the first time since 2018.

Father Time is not on his side but nevertheless, he boasts the highest average of all this season - including Littler (99.06) - with 99.6 and has posted over 100 in just over half of his matches (52/99). For context, not even Littler (88/186) and Humphries (75/173) are as prolific as that.

Anderson may not have major silverware among his tally of three titles this season but his run to the semi-finals of the Grand Slam of Darts certainly gave his huge fanbase reliable evidence that he still has what it takes to go toe-to-toe with anyone on the major stage.

Having topped his group comfortably with an average of around 105, he was too strong for Stephen Bunting and Gian van Veen before coming agonisingly close to overcoming Littler in an absolute classic.

In the end he lost 16-15 with an average over 100 and didn't look like he was running out of steam. It was just a case of a world-class talent having that tiny bit more at the death.

Ross Smith will probably be the player that comes between him and a showdown with MVG but considering the Englishman has seemingly lost his 180 potency at the moment, all signs point to Anderson coming through.

If we do get the MVG v Anderson blockbuster then the latter also has the advantage of winning both their matches this season - at the Grand Slam and the European Championship.

When it comes to the bottom section of this quarter, regular readers of mine won't be surprised to see me side with DAVE CHISNALL.

There's no player I'd rather see win a major than Chizzy but it's been the same old story this year - plenty of Pro Tour and European Tour titles, great stats, but lots of major disappointments.

I'll always struggle get my head round this 'TV problem' he has because it's not as if he's never played well on the big stage and conjured up many magical performances and victories.

While he probably doesn't have an envious bone in his body, goodness knows what he must think when the likes of Andrew Gilding, Mike de Decker and Ritchie Edhouse come out of nowhere to win majors over the past couple of seasons.

As time wears on it's going to get harder and harder for him to finally achieve a lifetime dream of his - and a lifetime dream for all of his many fans.

My hopes for him are fading as quickly as they have about Jimmy White finally winning the snooker World Championship so rather than throwing points on him to lift the big one, I'll instead take a much shorter price on him winning the eighth section of the draw despite some injury issues in the second half of the season.

Dimitri Van den Bergh is the biggest name in this section and won the UK Open back in March but overall his form has been extremely worrying, especially in recent months.

Since the start of October he's been averaging under 90 in 13 of his 18 matches and while he'll be motivated to get on the microphone in front of a TV audience of millions, his air time for speeches will be minimal if he can't bag a win.

Elsewhere, Martin Schindler has played well this season and picked up a couple of European Tour titles but historically tends to struggle in the intense atmosphere of the majors while compatriot Gabriel Clemens has been pretty anonymous this year.

It is a weak section generally and whoever comes through it will probably fall in the quarters if it's Anderson or MVG.

Overall, I'm favouring Anderson to reach the semi-finals, where he'll be favourite to book a place in his sixth World Championship final.

You can get 4/1 for him to achieve that feat which is well worth backing given his form, resurgence and confidence but as I fully expect his opponent there to be either Littler of Humphries, I fancy him to come up agonisingly short.

CLICK HERE to back Anderson to reach the final with Sky Bet

Quarter Verdict: Anderson to progress all the way to the final, with Chisnall his opponent in the quarters

Will there be a nine-darter?

The penny seemed to have finally dropped last week that a nine-darter is statistically harder than a 147 in snooker, but that doesn't stop us all expecting to see another perfect leg at the Ally Pally.

We didn't actually get any during the last edition and the year before that we had to wait until the final to see the greatest ever seen between Michael Smith and Michael van Gerwen.

In the 2022 World Championship there was a record-breaking three of them thanks to a pair of unlikely sources in Willie Borland and Darius Labanauskas before Gerwyn Price delivered perfection in a quarter-final defeat to Smith.

This season we've seen four in televised PDC tournaments, with Luke Littler contributing two and Gerwyn Price and Dimitri Van den Bergh adding the others.

In addition there have been six on the stage environment of the European Tour - including three at the Hungarian Darts Trophy thanks to De Dekker, Michael van Gerwen and Martin Schindler.

Luke Humphries also managed one of those six at the Baltic Sea Darts Open but Cool Hand is strangely yet to achieve one on TV despite all of his attributes and ability to hold his nerve under pressure.

Despite nine-darters being so hard, they are seemingly 'easier' for this current crop of stars as demonstrated by there being a record 55 in all competitions in 2024.

I want some interest in the various perfect leg markets and rather than pin my hopes on a particular player (Littler 6/1; Humphries 10s), I just feel we're gearing up to one of those editions where an early nine-darter could be infectious and inspire two or even three more.

CLICK HERE to back three or more nine-darters with Sky Bet

Posted at 2100 GMT on 08/12/24

Title winners this year

Click here for a full list of events, results & winners

• 10: Luke Littler (including Premier League, Grand Slam, World Series of Darts Finals)
• 7: Luke Humphries (including World Championship, World Matchplay, Players Championship Finals)
• 4: Michael van Gerwen, Dave Chisnall
• 3: Gary Anderson, Chris Dobey, Josh Rock
• 2: Mike De Decker: 2 (including World Grand Prix), Dimitri Van den Bergh: 2 (including UK Open), Rob Cross, Damon Heta, Martin Schindler, Gerwyn Price
• 1: Stephen Bunting (Masters), Ritchie Edhouse: (European Championship) Ryan Searle, Raymond van Barneveld, Danny Noppert, Michael Smith, Brendan Dolan, Alan Soutar, Ross Smith, Jonny Clayton, Peter Wright, Wessel Nijman, Wesley Plaisier, Cameron Menzies

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