The quarter-finals of the World Darts Championship start today, as the new year begins with some of the sport’s biggest names facing off at Alexandra Palace.
Today’s action sees Chris Dobey face Gerwyn Price, while Michael van Gerwen battles Callan Rydz.
Then, the tantalising evening session gets underway with Peter Wright vs Stephen Bunting, before favourite and 17-year-old sensation Luke Littler takes on Nathan Aspinall.
We’re guaranteed a new winner in 2025 after defending champion Luke Humphries lost 4-1 to Wright in round three, with the Englishman joining two-time champion Gary Anderson and second seed Michael Smith as notable names to exit the competition early on.
And we could yet be in for more shocks at Ally Pally as the quarter-finals get underway – follow all the action unfold below:
World Darts Championship 2025
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The World Darts Championship quarter-finals take place | Live on Sky Sports
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Afternoon session order of play Dobey vs Price; Van Gerwen vs Rydz
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Littler takes on Aspinall in headline match of evening session (starts 7:00pm GMT) with Wright facing Bunting
Chris Dobey 2-2 (3-2) Gerwyn Price
13:35 , Mike Jones
This match is heating up nicely now. Dobey dazzles Price again when on the verge of losing the fourth set but then needs to break Price’s throw in the deciding leg.
Price holds his nerve and gets down to 14 from 188 in six throws. The door is open for Dobey who needs leaves 76. He sets up one dart at double tops and lands it!
The match is level again.
Chris Dobey 1-2 (3-1) Gerwyn Price
13:24 , Mike Jones
Dobey has improved through set 3. His average goes up to 113 and he’s hitting his doubles on a regular basis. There’s a chance for him to checkout and he nails it!
Price nods in understanding. He got outplayed by a special set but it’s only a hold of throw from Dobey and Price still has the advantage.
Chris Dobey 0-2 (1-3) Gerwyn Price
13:15 , Mike Jones
Bang! A slight stutter sees Price miss out on seven darts at doubles in a row before he recovers by hitting double 10. The mojo comes back and he rattles off another legt against the throw to take the second set 3-1.
The Welshman looks on top form today.
Chris Dobey 0-1 (1-1) Gerwyn Price
13:08 , Mike Jones
Price misses the chance to break Dobey’s throw after going wide on four attempts at a double. Dobey makes him pay by landing double 12 and taking the second leg of the second set.
Chris Dobey 0-1 (0-1) Gerwyn Price
13:05 , Mike Jones
Price is throwing incredibly now. He’s hit 180 on three consecutive legs and hasn’t missed a dart at a double. That is until this leg as he slips over the top of double 20.
He rectifies that quickly and lands the double to take the initiative in the second set.
Chris Dobey 0-1 (2-3) Gerwyn Price
12:59 , Mike Jones
Price responds by taking out 128 and holding his throw. Both men then trade legs and set up a one-leg shootout for the set. Gerwyn Price lands a 180 with his first three throws against the darts.
He misses out on a nine-darter but takes control of the leg and gets down to a finish first. Needing 82 to win the first set, Price finds the bullseye then hits double 16 and breaks throw!
He averaged 103 in that set and took it from Chris Dobey.
Chris Dobey 0-0 (1-0) Gerwyn Price
12:53 , Mike Jones
Dobey kicks off the match with a 180! The fans get right behind him and he’s down to the checkout in no time and takes out 80 in two darts to win the first leg of the match.
A perfect start.
Chris Dobey vs Gerwyn Price
12:39 , Mike Jones
Up first this afternoon will be Chris Dobey versus Gerwyn Price.
On paper this could be the match of the round with both players on form and wanting to kick on into the deeper parts of the tournament.
Price is tipped to beat Dobey but it’ll be a close run thing.
World Darts Championship LIVE
12:29 , Mike Jones
Alright then.
It’s almost time for the afternoon session to get underway with Chris Dobey and Gerwyn Price battling it out to become the first man into the final four.
Who will triumph?
Luke Littler on path to World Darts Championship final
12:25 , Jack Rathborn
Luke Littler remains calm as rival Luke Humphries clears the way for ‘The Nuke’ returning to the final.
Instead, Nathan Aspinall is up first before the winner takes on the winner of Peter Wright vs Stephen Bunting in the semi-finals.
PDC World Darts Championship 2025 stats
12:15 , Jack Rathborn
Via Sportradar
Most 180s
36 – Luke Littler26 – Callan Rydz24 – Chris Dobey21 – Michael van Gerwen19 – Gerwyn Price, Peter Wright15 – Nathan Aspinall14 – Stephen Bunting
Checkout Percentages52% – Peter Wright47% – Nathan Aspinall44% – Michael van Gerwen40% – Callan Rydz, Stephen Bunting38% – Luke Littler34% – Gerwyn Price31% – Chris Dobey
PDC World Darts Championship 2025: Premier League players attend Alexandra Palace
12:00 , Jack Rathborn
PDC World Darts Championship 2025 stats
11:45 , Jack Rathborn
Tournament Average
Via Sportradar
100.88 – Luke Littler99.43 – Callan Rydz98.26 – Michael van Gerwen96.62 – Stephen Bunting95.87 – Peter Wright94.39 – Chris Dobey92.29 – Gerwyn Price91.22 – Nathan Aspinall
When does Luke Littler play next at the World Darts Championship?
11:30 , Jack Rathborn
Luke Littler is on a roll and targeting a first PDC World Darts Championship after a breathtaking season.
‘The Nuke’ was upset by Luke Humphries in the final of the 2024 edition, sparking a blossoming rivalry between the pair, which could dominate the sport for years to come.
The 17-year-old is ranked fourth in the world entering the championship and filled with confidence. Victories in the Grand Slam of Darts, the Premier League and World Series Finals have been some of the highlights from a glittering year as Littler mania has taken the sport by storm.
A sluggish start was soon banished after a record-breaking final set, including a stunning 140.91 average, to dispatch Ryan Meikle before Ian White was also brushed aside to reach the fourth round.
And ‘The Nuke’ survived a scare against Ryan Joyce to advance to the last eight. Here’s everything you need to know about Littler’s next match in this year’s championship and who he might meet further down the line:
When does Luke Littler play next at the World Darts Championship?
How the Luke Littler effect made darts the sport of 2024
11:15 , Jack Rathborn
In one of the all-time great pieces of nominative determinism, the man at the epicentre of the poker boom was called Chris Moneymaker.
Moneymaker found himself in the eye of a perfect storm: interest in poker surged after the 1998 film Rounders starring Matt Damon and Ed Norton, at a time when the internet’s arrival spawned poker websites which drew millions of American players. In 2003, ESPN took a punt televising the biggest event in poker, the World Series.
They struck gold with Moneymaker, an accountant from Georgia who became the world champion, beating 852 opponents and turning his $40 buy-in into the $2.5m winner’s prize. He was an ordinary American Joe and his story had an inspirational effect. People who’d never before picked up a deck of cards suddenly wanted to be the next Moneymaker.
How the Luke Littler effect made darts the sport of 2024
Luke Littler holds nerve to edge out Ryan Joyce and book quarter-final spot
11:00 , Jack Rathborn
Luke Littler came through an exacting test of his credentials as favourite for the World Darts Championship with a tense 4-3 victory over Ryan Joyce to book a place in the quarter-final.
Expectation on last year’s runner-up was ramped up following defending champion Luke Humphries’ surprise exit and the 17-year-old had to withstand intense pressure at Alexandra Palace.
His class showed when it was needed most as he averaged 111 in the final set, having hit 14 180s in the match.
Luke Littler holds nerve to edge out Ryan Joyce and book quarter-final spot
Michael Van Gerwen hits out at Peter Wright for ‘nonsense’ World Darts Championship claim
10:45 , Jack Rathborn
Michael Van Gerwen has hit out at Peter Wright for “talking s***” after the Scot hailed the Dutch player’s next opponent, Callan Rydz, as the new favourite for the PDC World Darts Championship.
Wright emerged victorious against Luke Humphries after a war of words in the build-up and the two-time world champion has provoked a reaction from rival Van Gerwen before his quarter-final.
Rydz has the highest tournament average (100.91), yet the bookies and most pundits have tipped last year’s runner-up, Luke Littler, as the favourite throughout this year’s tournament, with ‘The Nuke’ hitting the most 180s in the tournament (22) and eight more than Rydz.
Van Gerwen hits out at Wright for ‘nonsense’ World Darts Championship claim
World Darts Championship prize money: How much will winner earn at Ally Pally?
10:30 , Jack Rathborn
The PDC World Darts Championship is in full flow as we return from the Christmas break, with plenty of shocks and show-stopping moments already captivating fans at Alexandra Palace.
Luke Littler is the favourite to win the title in January, and will not have to face last year’s winner Luke Humphries after the defending champion was beaten by two-time winner Peter Wright in the last-16.
Meanwhile, two-time champion Gary Anderson and 2023 winner Michael Smith were among the upsets as both crashed out in the opening rounds.
World Darts Championship prize money: How much will winner earn at Ally Pally?
World Darts Championship 2025: Scores, schedule and results
Tuesday 31 December 2024 14:49 , Jack Rathborn
The PDC Paddy Power World Darts Championship 2024/25 is underway as Alexandra Palace delivers its usual thrills over the festive period.
And there will be a new champion after holder Luke Humphries was stunned by two-time winner Peter Wright in the last 16.
As the Luke Littler effect sweeps across the sport, ‘The Nuke’ enters this year’s championship as favourite, with former world champion Michael van Gerwen among his main contenders.
Gary Anderson, Michael Smith, Mike De Decker and Rob Cross were among the top seeds to suffer shock early exits with 96 players competing for the iconic Sid Waddell Trophy and a £2.5m prize pot.
World Darts Championship: Scores, schedule and results
World Darts Championship LIVE
10:18 , Mike Jones
Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s coverage of today’s World Darts Championship action.
It’s quarter-finals day with the last eight challengers all hoping to book a spot in the semi-finals and take one step closer to winning the world title.
Coverage will be shown on Sky Sports throughout the day with big-hitters like Chris Dobey and Michael van Gerwen in action during the afternoon session before Luke Littler takes to the stage in the evening session tonight.
Who will make it to the final four? Let’s find out…
