By Stan Drummond
It is finally here. The agonising wait is nearly over as the World Darts Championships returns to our screens on the 11th December.
This year sees an expanded format, from the traditional 64 player field, with 128 players competing for dart’s most distinctive, and illustrious prize, the Sid Waddell trophy.
This welcomes some new faces to the Ally Pally crowd as 28 players make their debut, so here is a brief fact file on each of them. All players will receive £15,000 for playing in their opening match.
AFRICA
David Munyua (Kenya) #N/A
Credit: NTV Kenya
As the first player Kenyan to feature in a World Championship, Munyua comes from Murang’a, a town near Kenya’s capital, Nairobi.
In an interview with Darts Planet, Munyua said that he first saw the game being played in a pub, and borrowed a set of darts.
Apparently his first dart hit the bullseye and he has loved the sport ever since.
He has only been playing the game for the past three years, and works full-time as a vet, treating livestock and pets.
Nicknamed ‘Why Not’ the 30-year-old qualified via African Darts Group Qualifier and hopes to continue to create history for his nation.
Round one:
Mike De Decker (18) v David Munyua
Thursday December 18 – Afternoon Session (12:30)
SOUTH AMERICA
Jesús Sálate (Argentina) #N/A
Credit: PDC
Although Salate resides in Malaga, Spain, he’s first Argentinian to ever compete in a PDC World Championship, entering the competition through the CDLC Qualifier.
Winning four PDC and Latin American tours this year, Salate also helped Argentina defeat New Zealand in the country’s first ever appearance at the World Cup of Darts.
Jesús Salate played alongside Victor Guillin as the only debuting nation but were stopped by Australia in the second round.
Last year’s CDLC Qualifier, Rashad Sweeting, won the hearts of the Ally Pally crowd with his showmanship and ‘cold’ celebrations.
Salate defeated Sweeting on numerous occasions this year to earn himself a place in the World’s greatest darts competition.
Round one:
Ryan Meikle (62) v Jesus Salate
Friday December 19 – Afternoon Session (12:30)
NORTH AMERICA
Adam Sevada (USA) #N/A
Credit: MODUS Super Series Darts
Known for his success on the North American Tour circuit (CDC), Sevada has nine PDC titles to his name and is the CDC top-ranked American.
He is the PDC North American Tour Ranking Champion and will be making his debut at Ally Pally this year.
The 39-year-old defeated the top three seeds on his path to victory, brushing aside David Cameron, Leonard Gates and Buntz to clinch his fourth CDC ProTour crown.
Round one:
Matt Campbell (59) v Adam Sevada
Wednesday December 17 – Evening Session (19:00)
ASIA
Mitsuhiko Tatsunami (Japan) #N/A
Credit: DARTS YOU CHANNEL
The 52-year-old Steel Darts Japan Champion has already been hailed online as the ‘Japanese Stephen Bunting’ with his square glasses, red and black darts top, and very likeable nature.
If Bunting’s popularity is anything to go by, expect Tatsunami to quickly become a fan favourite.
Nicknamed ‘Sunny’, Tatsunami has experience playing in the 2022 WDF World Masters and numerous PDC Asian tours. He will have a mountain to climb with Michael Van Gerwen in the opening round.
Round one:
Michael van Gerwen (3) v Mitsuhiko Tatsunami
Thursday December 18 – Evening Session (19:00)
OCEANIA
Tim Pusey (Australia) #N/A
Credit: PDC
Many darts fans will have heard of Tim Pusey, but possibly not for his sporting accolades. The Australian went viral with his nickname ‘The Magnet’ which, paired with his name, makes a very humorous, but slightly inappropriate pun.
Unfortunately for Pusey, the magnet nickname has been banned by PDC in breach of their rule regarding “inappropriate nicknames”.
The Australian is currently searching for a new one but admitted that it is difficult as his name can be easily turned (to break PDC’s rules).
But focusing on Tim Pusey’s darts, back in 2018 he was only a few match darts from making his World Championship debut. Pusey has been on the darts circuit for several years but his best form has come in 2025.
Winner of three ADA Australian Tours and two DPA Tours, the 33-year-old will hope the treble twenty will have all his magnetic powers during this World Championships.
Round one:
Keane Barry (55) v Tim Pusey
Friday December 19 – Evening Session (19:00)
Jonny Tata (New Zealand) #N/A
Credit: PDC
Five-time PDC New Zealand Tour winner, ‘JT’ hit the tournaments first, and only, nine-darter in October.
This year’s win saw him qualify for the World Championships for the first time and finish third, ahead of Simon Whitlock in PDC’s ANZ Premier League.
Tata played in the 2025 World Series of Darts and the 2023 WDF World Championship. Jonny Tata is son of the former national darts champion, Ra Tata and outside of darts, works as a truck driver.
Round one:
Ritchie Edhouse (27) v Jonny Tata
Sunday December 14 – Afternoon Session (12:30)
EUROPE
Lukas Wenig (Germany) #64
Credit: Sky Sports
As one of the highest ranked debutants, many eyes will be on Wenig this year following his Grand Slam of Darts journey to the quarter-finals. Wenig beat Jonny Clayton and Cam Cabtree to earnt himself the tie against Danny Noppert in that game.
He produced a magnificent 170 checkout in that quarterfinal tie however; it was not enough to get him across the line.
Wenig has participated in five UK Opens and is ranked 28 places higher than his opponent. He has some experience, but his time on the Ally Pally stage will be new for him.
The crowd could expect some high checkouts and an entertaining game.
Round one:
Lukas Wenig v Wesley Plaisier (92)
Sunday December 14 – Evening Session (19:00)
Oskar Lukasiak (Sweden) #133
Credit: PDC
As PDCNB ProTour Runner-Up, Lukasiak qualified for the World Championships. Like many Ally Pally favourites, the Swede walks out to a Pitbull song (Give me everything).
He won his PDC Tour Card in 2025’s Q-School, having previously won 2024 PDC Challenge Tour 3.
Lukasiak has played in two PDC majors, one was the UK Open earlier this year where he exited in the first round to the hands of Thomas Lovely. The second was the World Cup of Darts, where he represented Sweden.
His tie against Dom Taylor is one of the most interesting fixtures in the round one, as it means at least one debutant will be guaranteed to qualify for round two.
The winner will play either Jonny Clayton, or another debutant in Adam Lipscombe.
Round one:
Dom Taylor (64) v Oskar Lukasiak
Sunday December 14 – Afternoon Session (12:30)
Patrik Kovács (Hungary) #N/A
Credit: MatchDartsHQ
Having already played two WDF World Championships, this will be Kovacs’ first with the PDC. At the age of 16, he took part in the PDC Development Tour for the first time, where he reached his first quarter-finals in 2011.
Qualifying as the Hungarian Super League Winner, Kovacs has featured in the World Cup of Darts for Hungary on multiple occasions, but individually, he has only featured in PDC qualifiers until now.
Nicknamed ‘The planner’ the Hungarian comes into the competition as a bit of an unknown with very few PDC matches to his name.
Kovacs will have his work cut out as an Ally Pally crowd favourite, Callan Rydz, awaits him in his opening match.
Round one:
Callan Rydz v Patrik Kovacs
Thursday December 18 – Afternoon Session (12:30)
Andreas Harrysson (Sweden) #115
Credit: MODUS Super Series Darts
King of Nordic darts In April, Harrysson won back-to-back titles at the PDC Nordic and Baltic Tour events 5 and 6 in Iceland.
This placed him ranked number one on the Nordic & Baltic Order of Merit after half of the season had been played, he followed this up by winning a third in Denmark, which gained him entry to this year’s World Championships.
‘Dirty Harry’ has already played in a WDF World Championship in 2020 and entered his first PDC major, the UK Open, earlier this year.
Round one:
Ross Smith (12) v Andreas Harrysson
Friday December 12 – Evening Session (19:00)
Dominik Grüllich (Germany) #98
Credit: PDC
Narrowly qualifying through the ProTour rankings 23-year-old Gruellich picked up his first Tour Card in Q-School at the start of 2025.
The German has managed to exercise his Tour Card playing Chris Dobey, Raymond van Barneveld, and Ross Smith across the last few PDC Players Championships but fell short on each occasion
Gruellich has featured in the UK Open and won a Youth Development Tour in Leicester this year. Jermaine Wattimena is an experienced opponent and will be a very difficult hurdle for Gruellich to get past.
Round one:
Jermaine Wattimena (19) v Dominik Gruellich
Thursday December 18 – Evening Session (19:00)
Teemu Harju (Finland) #163
Credit: PDC
Harju hit a nine-darter in July during a PDC Nordic & Baltic Tour. He became winner of the championship which sealed his qualification for Dart’s biggest tournament.
In his younger days, the now 33-year-old took part in the PDC World Youth Championship three times as a qualifier from Scandinavia.
Harju then went onto represent Finland in the WDF and also featured in the WDF Masters in 2023. As the reigning PDC Nordic & Baltic champion, Harju has been in the form of his career this year.
Round one:
Alan Soutar (54) v Teemu Harju
Tuesday December 16 – Afternoon Session (12:30)
Jurjen van der Velde (Netherlands) #116
Credit: MODUS Super Series Darts
The Netherlands is known for its talented darts players and Jurjen van der Velde is no exception. As a PDC Development Tour Qualifier, van der Velde, 23, has won WDF European Youth Cups, a PDC JDC World Championship and numerous youth development tours.
Van der Velde qualified out of his 2025 Grand Slam of Darts Group at the expense of Damon Heta and Martin Lukemen.
Luke Humpries was the man who prevented him moving beyond the round of 16 however, an impressive average of 97.25 in that match shows what the young man is capable of.
It will be Dutch on Dutch as van der Velde plays fellow compatriot Danny Noppert in round one.
Round one:
Danny Noppert (6) v Jurjen van der Velde
Tuesday December 16 – Evening Session (19:00)
Jamai van den Herik (Netherlands) #115
Credit: MODUS Super Series Dart
Another player from the endless conveyor belt of Dutch darting talent is Jamai van den Herik. Like van der Velde, he also qualified through the Development Tour and will be keen to impress for the first time on the main stage.
He has won two pro challenge tours and two youth development tours this year. His success in the Milton Keynes Pro Challenge Tour came alongside his first recorded nine-darter against Carl Sneyd.
Van den Herik was narrowly defeated by Luke Littler 5-6 during PC 34 in Wigan last month.
Round one:
Madars Razma (46) v Jamai van den Herik
Thursday December 11 – Evening Session (19:00)
Arno Merk (Germany) #124
Credit: PDC
Merk qualified as the MPDC Europe DACH Super League Winner. He has featured in a WDF World Championship in 2011 but has never played the PDC event.
He has won two PDC titles, a European Grand Prix Qualifier, and the Europe NEXT GEN 15 Hildesheim.
Debutant Arno Merk will feature in the very first match of the 2026 World Darts Championships.
‘The Hurricane’ Kim Huybrechts will be hoping to wipe him out in the opening round as the Belgian takes part in his 15th consecutive World Championships.
Round one:
Kim Huybrechts (53) v Arno Merk
Thursday December 11 – Evening Session (19:00)
Andy Baetens (Belgium) #78
Credit: KINGSMAN
‘The Beast from the East’ won the WDF World Championship in 2023. He went onto pick up his two-year tour card in 2024, through Q-School and qualified for the 2025 PDC World Masters by beating Darius Labanauskas, before being knocked out by Luke Littler in the first round.
Ironically, Littler faces Labanauskas in the opening round of the World Championships.
Baetens enters the competition through the Netherlands & Belgium Qualifier.
Round one:
Dirk van Duijvenbode (29) v Andy Baetens
Monday December 15 – Evening Session (19:00)
Cor Dekker (Norway) #103
Credit: PDC
Debuting in the 2025 UK Open and World Series of Darts, Dekker has made the most of his Tour Card, which he earnt from being top of the European Q-School Order of Merit.
He also won three PDC qualifiers across the year and gained qualification to the World Championships through the 2025 ProTour Rankings.
‘The Sheriff’ notably hit a nine-darter against Stephen Bunting in the second round of the 2024 Hungarian Darts Trophy. The Norwegian has also represented his country in the World Cup of Darts in 2016.
Round one:
Rob Cross (17) v Cor Dekker
Friday December 12 – Afternoon Session (12:30)
UNITED KINGDOM
Gemma Hayter (England)
Credit: MODUS Super Series Darts
Alongside Beau Greaves, Fallon Sherrock, Cristo Reyes, and Noa-Lynn van Leuven, Gemma Hayter is the latest history maker making her debut as one of the five women competing at the 2026 World Darts Championship.
Hayter took an eight-year break from darts and only returned to the fold 18 months ago, after she was persuaded to return by her friend, Luke Humphries.
The 32-year-old played darts with the world number two at youth level and qualified for the tournament through the PDC Women’s Series Qualifier back in October.
Hayter is a strong ambassador for women’s darts and wants to show that women aren’t just there to make up the numbers.
Round one:
Josh Rock (11) vs Gemma Hayter
Friday December 19 – Afternoon Session (12:30)
Cam Crabtree (England) #74
Credit: MODUS Super Series Darts
Qualifying via the 2025 pro tour rankings, Cam Crabtree has put in some notable performances this year, winning five development tours.
Success in the Winmau Development Tour in October put him into the Grand Slam of Darts, where he eased past Jonny Claton 5-1 in the first round.
Most recently Crabtree defeated Mike De Decker at the Players Championship Finals, and will be looking to make himself known on the Ally Pally stage with a winnable game for a player with his level of talent.
Round one:
Andrew Gilding v Cam Crabtree
Saturday December 13 – Afternoon Session (12:30)
Darren Beveridge (Scotland) #75
Credit: PDC
Players Championship 26 – 2025
With arguably one of the best nicknames in darts, ‘Ice Cold’, Beverage hails from the same town as Gary Anderson – Musselburgh, just outside the Scottish capital.
After picking up his tour card last year, the Scot and qualified for the World Championships through the 2025 ProTour Ranking qualifiers.
Round one:
Dimitri Van den Bergh (23) v Darren Beveridge
Sunday December 14 – Evening Session (19:00)
David Davies (Wales) #144
Credit: MODUS Super Series Darts
In true underdog fashion, Davies qualified through the UK & Ireland qualifying tournament at the start of November, without a tour card.
As a fulltime NHS area manager in Denbigh, the 40-year-old Welshman is using his annual leave to play in this year’s World Championship.
Davies has been playing on the Challenge Tour and only heard about the qualifier though the word of mouth, before deciding to give it a go.
Belgian Mario Vandenbogaerde is his first opponent and with practice sessions and tips with fellow Welshman, Mark Webster, Davies feels like he is improving all the time and could mount a serious challenge in round one.
Do not be surprised if he impresses the Ally Pally audience with his walkout to Oasis’ Cigarettes and alcohol walkout, and impressive double tops checkouts.
Round one:
Mario Vandenbogaerde (66) v David Davies
Saturday December 13 – Afternoon Session (12:30)
Dom Taylor (England) #65
Credit: PDC
The 27-year-old has had a few interesting highlights over the past few months, and it is no surprise that he will be contributing to the drama of the World Darts Championships for the first time this year.
As one of the highest ranked debutants, Taylor defeated Luke Humpries in the PDC Player’s Championship 17 in September. This was despite the World number two reeling in the big fish in the opening leg.
Just last month, ‘The Tower’ Taylor missed nine darts to prevent him from progressing to the second round of the Players Championship against Andrew Gilding. 4-1 up, Gilding pulled it back to 5-5 as Taylor saw darts bounce off the board, and stray into the singles.
The man from Bristol will be hoping luck is on his side this week as he faces fellow debutant, Oskar Lukasiak, in the opening round.
Round one:
Dom Taylor v Oskar Lukasiak (133)
Sunday December 14 – Afternoon Session (12:30)
Justin Hood (England) #86
Credit: PDC
‘Happy Feet’ Justin Hood has played in a World Championship before, but with the BDO back in 2020. He then made the move to PDC and this year Hood has put in some eye-catching performances, with a wins in the 2025 Players Championship against Demon Heta and Gary Anderson in the PDC PC17.
He also featured in this year’s UK Open, beating Darren Beveridge in the opening round, before falling short to Josh Rock.
The left-handed thrower , qualified via the Pro Tour rankings and will play the ‘Last Minute Man’ Nick Kenny in his first game.
Round one:
Nick Kenny (57) v Justin Hood
Tuesday December 16 – Afternoon Session (12:30)
Adam Hunt (England) #84
Credit: PDC
Adam ‘The Hunter’ Hunt qualified as one of the five tour card holders alongside Stephen Burton, Jose De Sosa, Haupai Puha, and fellow debutant Tavis Dudeney.
With three recorded nine darters, the man from Chester-Le-Street will be hoping to be in top form on the world stage.
Hunt had a lot of success in his youth, winning the youth development tour in 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017. He made it to the Players Championship quarterfinal 2018 but has struggled to hit the heights since then.
Round one:
Gary Anderson (14) v Adam Hunt
Saturday December 13 – Afternoon Session (12:30)
Adam Lipscombe (England) #82
Credit: MODUS Super Series Darts
As recently as last month, Lipscombe reached the last 16 of the 2025 Players Championship beating Cameron Menzies and Bradley Brooks.
Known as ‘Big Baby’, Lipscombe had a great start to 2025. He earnt his Tour Card and reached the final of the Player Championship 7 by defeating the likes of Dirk van Duijvenbode and Damon Heta, before the flying Scotsman, Gary Anderson was there to stop him in the final.
World Number five and the World Masters runner-up, Jonny Clayton waits for him in round one.
Round one:
Jonny Clayton (5) v Adam Lipscombe
Monday December 15 – Evening Session (19:00)
Charlie Manby (England) #166
Credit: MODUS Super Series Darts
The 20-year-old grew up on the darts circuit alongside Luke Littler and the pair faced off against each other in October, during the Last 16 of the 2025 PDC World Youth Championship.
Manby just missed a 130 checkout on the bull to win, losing 6-5 to Littler but the pair remain friends and it showcased the talents of Manby.
He also beat former World Champion Rob Cross in the PC 33, showing just how competitive he can be. As a PDC Development Tour Qualifier, there is a lot still to come from him as this could be his first World Championship appearance of many.
Round one:
Cameron Menzies (26) v Charlie Manby
Monday December 15 – Afternoon Session (12:30)
Tavis Dudeney (England) #133
Credit: PDC
As previously mentioned, Dudeney qualified as one of the five tour card holders and participated in his first, and only, PDC majors this year, in the UK Open. The 21-year-old gained his Tour Card though Q-School at the start of 2025 and has been consistent with his performances across the year.
‘The Dude’ faced his World Champs round one opponent fairly recently, during the PC 33 in Wigan at the end of October.
Brendan Dolan got the better of Dudeney with a score of 6-2 with a slightly poorer average as the Northern Irishman scored an average of 83.20 compared to Dudeney’s 84.48.
Round one:
Brendan Dolan (39) v Tavis Dudeney
Monday December 15 – Afternoon Session (12:30)
Matthew Dennant (England) #77
Credit: PDC
Qualifying through the ProTour Rankings, Dennant, 34, has participated in six UK Opens and famously reached the top of the UK Qualifying School Order of Merit in January 2024, securing a two-year tour card.
‘Nicknamed The Scholar’, Dennant hails from Walsall.
Round one:
Kevin Doets (40) v Matthew Dennant
Friday December 19 – Afternoon Session (12:30)