The PDC World Darts Championship will return this December with the grand final pencilled in for the 3rd of January 2025, and a host of British players will be bidding for a place in the final two.
Great Britain is traditionally one of the greatest producers of elite-level darting talent, and this year’s cast of players with a realistic chance of world champion glory is strong proof of that.
Here we will look at three iconic British players who will compete in the biggest event on the calendar, and could have a great chance of earning career-defining success.
Luke Humphries
Luke Humphries is comfortably the number-one player in the world according to the PDC Order of Merit rankings for 2024. Therefore, it is no surprise that he is this year’s leading favourite in a bet on the World Darts Championship at odds of 5/2. The darts odds suggest that the experience of Michael van Gerwen, who is offered at 13/2 to win a fourth title, could provide the strongest opposition to success for the Englishman.
The fact Humphries is fancied ahead of one of the greatest ever players in Van Gerwen is indicative of his stature in the sport at present – he is fast becoming a darting icon. His rise to the top of darts has come as a result of various wins across the latter end of 2023 and throughout 2024.
Last year he famously won three major titles consecutively in the form of the World Grand Prix, the Grand Slam of Darts and the Players Championship Finals. He started the current year with World Championship success and followed it up with World Matchplay glory.
No player in general – not just British players – has a level of winning momentum that can compare to Humphries’ at present.
Gary Anderson
Gary Anderson has made a strong comeback to the elite level this year, after several average seasons on the PDC tour. The Scotsman has reached the last eight or beyond of two events so far this year – the first time he has managed that feat since 2020. He qualified for the final four of the World Cup of Darts and managed an impressive run to the quarter-finals of the European Championship.
Anderson will be expected to improve significantly on last year’s fourth-round finish in the World Championship. He is offered at 16/1 to go all of the way at Alexandra Palace, and that would not be a massive shock considering he is a two-time champion and has appeared in three further finals since 2o11.
Michael Smith
Michael Smith is another former British world champion who is still at the top of his game heading into the latest edition of the competition. He is offered at 22/1 to earn his second winner’s title at Ally Pally, as his form in 2024 has not been quite as consistent as Anderson’s in the ranked events.
Smith’s single impressive major display of 2024 came in the World Matchplay where he reached the semi-final. He failed to surpass the preliminary rounds in the other major tournaments. However, like Anderson, he is a player who always turns up in the highest-pressure events, which means he is thoroughly expected to be one of the nation’s greatest hopes alongside the formerly mentioned pair.
Ultimately, Britain is a nation that is blessed when it comes to darting talent. These examples are genuine elite-level players who can have realistic ambitions of winning the world championship, however, the list of top British players who have qualified for the grand event of the year extends far beyond them.
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