A great program awaits us at the World Darts Championship on Friday evening. For Michael van Gerwen his journey for his 4th world title will finally begin in the Ally Pally, Florian Hempel will play against Jeffrey de Zwaan.
The first three games of the evening are first round duels. The evening session will conclude with a second round game. The winner of this game can return to the third round of the Darts World Cup after the Christmas break.
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Mickey Mansell vs. Tomoya Goto (R1)
This may not be an interesting draw in terms of names, but those who follow darts a bit may remember Tomoya Goto from last year. The Japanese impressed back then by sweeping Ian White off the board 3-1 in sets. That year Goto qualified for the World Darts Championship through the Asian Tour Order of Merit, but this year Goto has qualified for the tournament as Japan's number one. If Goto manages to reach last year's level, he could make life very difficult for Mickey Mansell.
However, Mansell's confidence is high because a month ago the Northern Irish darts player reached the semi-finals of a major tournament for the first time in his career. He surprisingly beat Luke Humphries in the group stage of the Grand Slam of Darts to reach the last four, while Mansell had never made it past the round of 16 at a ranking major. It is Mansell's ninth appearance at Alexandra Palace. His streak started dramatically, with five defeats in a row. However, in the 2021, 2023 and 2024 editions, Mansell managed to reach the second round each time.
Florian Hempel vs. Jeffrey De Zwaan (R1)
Jeffrey de Zwaan managed to qualify for the World Darts Championship at the last minute. He was unsuccessful on the Pro Tour, so “The Black Cobra” had one last chance to qualify for Tour Card holders. It has been over six years since De Zwaan impressed with a semi-final place at the World Matchplay. In recent years, the Leidschendam native has struggled with shoulder injuries, but De Zwaan has continued to take small steps forward. It will also be the first time in four years that he will take part in the World Darts Championship. However, to save his Tour Card, De Zwaan has to reach the third round.
De Zwaan will certainly not have been sad about the draw, as the duel with Florian Hempel offers the Dutchman a good chance of at least making it to the second round. The German will be appearing at Alexandra Palace for the fourth time in a row. The former handball player hasn't had a special year, with a semi-final on the Pro Tour as the highlight. What speaks for him is that he is actually always good at the Darts World Cup. Hempel has already made it to the third round twice in his career. Florian Hempel has never lost a first-round game at a major; he defeated Jonny Clayton at the Players Championship Finals.
Jeffrey de Zwaan returns to the World Darts Championship after four years
William O'Connor vs Dylan Slevin (R1)
An all-Irish duel in the first round of the Darts World Championship. For O'Connor it is the eighth participation in the World Cup in a row. A positive thing for “The Magpie” is that he has only lost in the first round once in his seven previous appearances. On the other hand, O'Connor only made it through Christmas twice, and then he was eliminated straight away in the round of 32.
Like De Zwaan, Dylan Slevin also took advantage of his last chance at the qualifying tournament for Tour Card holders. The 22-year-old Irishman performed significantly better last year than this season. In 2024, Slevin reached the last 32 only three times and the last 16 once on the Pro Tour. Last year Slevin also competed in London. At that time he was eliminated in the first round against Hempel.
Michael van Gerwen vs. James Hurrell (R2)
Dart fans are eagerly awaiting Michael van Gerwen's start at this tournament. Did the 35-year-old from Vlijmen find his form back in preparation? The three-time world champion had a very lean year, only reaching the finals of the Masters and the World Matchplay. Furthermore, both of these finals were lost. This means that for the first time since the 2012 Darts World Cup 13 years ago, Van Gerwen is not one of the big favorites for the world title. Maybe this will even help Van Gerwen become world champion again for the first time since 2019.
His first hurdle on the way to the world title is James Hurrell, who earned the right to face the Dutch in the first round with a 3-0 win against Jim Long. On his debut at Alexandra Palace, Hurrell didn't do badly. The Englishman achieved an average of 89 and a final rate of 43 percent;
TV guide during the Darts World Championship
This year's World Darts Championship 2025 can of course be followed live on TV again. The tournament at Alexandra Palace will take place from Sunday December 15th to Friday January 3rd 2025.
The darts rights in German-speaking countries have been held by Sport1 and DAZN for several years. At DAZN, every single dart is broadcast. Sport 1 is also broadcasting the entire Darts World Championship, but on Saturday you can only follow it in a live stream on the website and on YouTube.
Prize money
The 96 participants in the 2025 Darts World Cup can share a whopping £2.5 million. This amount is almost 40 times higher than the very first edition of the PDC World Cup in 1994.
The 64 participants who take part in the first round of the World Cup will receive prize money of £7,500 anyway. The top 32 in the rankings will be guaranteed £15,000. These players will take part in the World Darts Championship from the second round. The amount then continues to increase per round. The new world champion will receive the top prize of £500,000.
format
First round: Best of 5 sets
Second round: Best of 5 sets
Third round: Best of 7 sets
Fourth round: Best of 7 sets
Quarterfinals: Best of 9 sets
Semifinals: Best of 11 sets
Final: Best of 13 sets
There is no tiebreak in the first round if the score is 2-2 after four legs in the fifth set. In this case, the fifth set will be played in sudden death. From the second round onwards, a tie-break rule is applied in all games; A deciding set must be won by two legs. If the score is 5:5 in the last set, a sudden death leg is still played.
Darts World Championship 2025 schedule
Friday, December 20th
Evening session (from 8:00 p.m.)
Mickey Mansell vs. Tomoya Goto (R1)
Florian Hempel vs. Jeffrey De Zwaan (R1)
William O'Connor vs Dylan Slevin (R1)
Michael van Gerwen vs. James Hurrell (R2)
By Oliver Ried
