2024/25 PADDY POWER WORLD DARTS CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW

The 2024/25 Paddy Power World Darts Championship gets underway at London’s Alexandra Palace on Sunday evening, as reigning champion Luke Humphries opens his defence of the title on the tournament’s opening night.

The 32nd staging of the World Darts Championship will see 96 players from around the globe competing for the coveted Sid Waddell Trophy from Sunday December 15through to the final on Friday January 3.

The festive feast of darts will see 14 debutants and 28 countries represented in the £2.5 million showpiece, as number one seed Humphries aims to emulate Phil Taylor, Adrian Lewis and Gary Anderson by winning back-to-back titles.

Humphries ran out a 7-4 winner against Luke Littler in a record-breaking final back in January, in a contest watched by a staggering audience of 4.8 million viewers - the highest ever non-football peak in Sky Sports history.

The 29-year-old has enjoyed a terrific 2024 season, lifting maiden World Cup of Darts and World Matchplay titles, before retaining his Players Championship Finals crown in Minehead last month.

Humphries would also become the first player in PDC history to reach £2m on the two-year Order of Merit system if he clinches back-to-back World Championship titles on January 3, and he kicks off his campaign against Thibault Tricole or Joe Comito.