Luke Littler faces a potential showdown against Fallon Sherrock in the Paddy Power World Darts Championship, while Luke Humphreys will begin his title defense against either Thibaut Tricol or Joe Comito.
Humphreys returns as defending champions after a 7-4 win over Littler last year, with the pair two pre-tournament favorites when it kicks off at Alexandra Palace on December 15. Live on Sky Sports.
The world No.1 has already defended his Players Championship Finals title in 2024, adding to his Betfred World Matchplay success and three runner-up finishes in PDC majors this year, while Littler has won the Premier League and the Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts. remarkable debut season.
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Highlights of the 2024 World Darts Final between World No.1 Luke Humphreys and teenager Littler
They are among 96 players in contention to win the eponymous Sid Waddell Trophy and the £500,000 top prize, with Littler in fourth and leading Humphries in the same half of the draw and a potential semi-final showdown.
The top 32 players in the PDC Order of Merit enter the second round after Sunday’s Ladbrokes Players Championship final, while the first round sees the 32 players in the ProTour Order of Merit Qualifiers play one of the international qualifiers.
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Humphries will become back-to-back world champions live on Sky Sports at Alexandra Palace this Christmas.
Littler has been handed a blockbuster draw against Suffolk’s Ryan Meikle or Sharrock, who was named Queen of Palace in 2020 as she progressed to the third round and returns for her fifth appearance in six years.
Full draw to follow…
The game schedule will be confirmed later this week.
When will the World Darts Championship be held?
The tournament kicks off at Alexandra Palace on Sunday 15 December with three first and one second round matches on the opening night.
There will be live darts on each of the next eight days, including seven afternoons, with the usual three-day break from Christmas Eve to Boxing Day, before returning for round three and a double session on December 27.
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Speaking on Love The Darts, Michael Bridges and Polly James discuss which players are still to be feared when playing against them.
Rounds three and four will run until December 30 before taking a break on New Year’s Eve, with the quarter-finals played over two sessions on New Year’s Day before the semi-finals on January 2 and the final on Friday January 3.
You can find the full schedule for this year’s tournament here here.
Who will win the Paddy Power World Darts Championship Watch every match exclusively live from December 15 to January 3 on Sky Sports’ special Darts channel. Stream darts and better sports with NOW!.
