Michael Smith is targeting another World Championship win
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The world’s biggest darts tournament has returned as 96 international stars go toe-to-toe at the Ally Pally to win the sport’s most prestigious title.
England’s Michael Smith triumphed in the 2023 edition of the World Darts Championship, winning the title 7-4 against Michael van Gerwen at the start of the year to lift the trophy for the first time. Smith is the No. 1 for this year’s tournament just ahead of last year’s beaten finalist Van Gerwen.
Luke Humphries is seeded third, after winning three televised ranking titles over the last seven weeks while two-time world champion Peter Wright begins his campaign as the fourth seed. 2021 winner Gerwyn Price and World Matchplay champion Nathan Aspinall are seeded fifth and sixth respectively.
Fallon Sherrock, who created history by becoming the first female player to win a match at the World Darts Championship in 2019/2020, will compete in the tournament and faces Jermaine Wattimena in the first round.
Here’s everything you need to know, and get all the latest darts betting sites offers here.
When is the World Darts Championship?
The World Darts Championship will be held from 15 December 2023 to 3 January 2024 at Alexandra Palace in London.
How to watch the tournament on TV
The World Darts Championship will air on Sky Sports’ dedicated Darts channel with coverage beginning on December 15 and running through to the final in January. Sky Sports customers can stream the action online via the app and website.
If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch major sporting events then you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN roundup is here to help: get great deals on the best VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are and also with the terms of their service provider.
What is the prize money?
As well as the Sid Waddell Trophy, there is £2.5m in prize money on offer for the World Darts Championship with the champion netting £500,000.
The runner-up earns a cool £200,000 while semi-finalists will pocket £100,000 each and those that reach the quarter-finals winning £50,000.
Fourth-round and third-round losers earn themselves £35,000 and £25,000 respectively while there is £15,000 on offer for the 32 players knocked out in the second round and the 32 first-round losers will take away £7,500.
Schedule of Play
Tuesday 19 December
Afternoon Session (12.30pm)
Round One: Ian White vs Tomoya Goto
Round One: Ritchie Edhouse vs Jeffrey de Graa
Round One: Keegan Brown vs Boris Krcmar
Round Two: James Wade vs Matt Campbell
Evening Session (7pm)
Round One: Steve Beaton vs Wessel Nijman
Round One: Mike De Decker vs Dragutin Horvat
Round One: Ricardo Pietreczko vs Mikuru Suzuki
Round Two: Michael van Gerwen vs Keane Barry
Wednesday 20 December
Afternoon Session (12:30pm)
Round One: Radek Szaganski vs Marko Kantele
Round One: Steve Lennon vs Owen Bates
Round One: William O’Connor vs Bhav Patel
Round Two: Ross Smith vs Niels Zonneveld
Evening Session (7pm)
Round One: Ryan Joyce vsAlex Spellman
Round One: Richard Veenstra vs Ben Robb
Round One: Christian Kist vs Luke Littler
Round Two: Peter Wright vs Jim Williams
Thursday 21 December
Afternoon Session (12:30pm)
Round One: Mickey Mansell vs Xiaochen Zong
Round One: Luke Woodhouse vs Berry van Peer
Round Two: Madars Razma vs Mike De Decker/Dragutin Horvat
Round Two: Rob Cross vs Thibault Tricole
Evening Session (1900 GMT)
Round Two: Andrew Gilding vs Christian Kist/Luke Littler
Round Two: Danny Noppert vs Scott Williams
Round Two: Gabriel Clemens vs Man Lok Leung
Round Two: Damon Heta vs Martin Lukeman
Friday 22 December
Afternoon Session (12.30pm)
Round Two: Brendan Dolan vs Mickey Mansell/Xiaochen Zong
Round Two: Jose de Sousa vs Ritchie Edhouse/Jeffrey de Graaf
Round Two: Krzysztof Ratajski vs Jamie Hughes
Round Two: Dirk van Duijvenbode vs Keegan Brown/Boris Krcmar
Evening Session (7pm)
Round Two: Dimitri Van den Bergh vs Florian Hempel
Round Two: Martin Schindler vs Jermaine Wattimena
Round Two: Raymond van Barneveld vs Radek Szaganski/Marko Kantele
Round Two: Chris Dobey vs William O’Connor/Bhav Patel
Saturday 23 December
Afternoon Session (12.30pm)
Round Two: Kim Huybrechts vs Richard Veenstra/Ben Robb
Round Two: Callan Rydz vs Ricardo Pietreczko/Mikuru Suzuki
Round Two: Jonny Clayton vs Steve Lennon/Owen Bates
Round Two: Daryl Gurney vs Steve Beaton/Wessel Nijman
Evening Session (7pm)
Round Two: Ryan Searle vs Ian White/Tomoya Goto
Round Two: Josh Rock vs Luke Woodhouse/Berry van Peer
Round Two: Stephen Bunting vs Ryan Joyce/Alex Spellman
Round Two: Nathan Aspinall vs Ricky Evans
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