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PDC - Darts: World Championship - All You Need to Know

The Darts World Championship is the sport's yearly showpiece event and with the increased interest in the arrows, we have compiled a list of questions about the World Championships to tell you all you need to know.

Where is it?

The World Darts Championship takes place every year at Alexandra Palace in North London. The venue has become iconic among the darting public.

When is it?

The World Darts Championship gets underway on the 15th December and runs until the 3rd January with a break for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

When is the draw?

The draw will take place at 19:15 on Monday, 29th November.

Where can it be watched?

The tournament will be available to watch on Sky Sports throughout its duration, while you can also catch the action on our Sports Live Streaming platform.

How many players play?

96 players will start the World Darts Championship, they have qualified from the PDC Order of Merit, the Pro Tour Order of Merit, and a series of other qualifying events.

The top 32 players on the PDC Order of Merit are seeded and so begin in the second round, while the other 64 have to play a first-round tie.

Who is the favourite?

The current favourite for this year's competition is Welshman Gerwyn Price at 7/2, he is also the number one ranked player in the world and number one seed for the tournament.

Michael van Gerwen is 9/2, while Jonny Clayton is a 6/1 chance and Peter Wright is 6/1 to claim the spoils.

Who is the reigning champion?

Gerwyn Price is the reigning champion, having won last year's title with a 7-3 victory over Gary Anderson.

Price beat Jamie Lewis, Brendan Dolan, Mervyn King, Daryl Gurney and Stephen Bunting on his way to the final.

How many qualifiers have won before?

There are seven former winners in this year's lineup, with Raymond van Barneveld the furthest since his victory which came in 2007. Adrian Lewis won twice in 2010 and 2011, while Gary Anderson also took the title in back-to-back years, 2015 and 2016.

Michael van Gerwen has the most titles of any contender this year, winning in 2014, 2017 and 2019.

Gerwyn Price is the reigning champion, Peter Wright won in 2020 and Rob Cross, who had turned professional just 11 months earlier, took a famous victory in 2018.

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What is the format?

All matches at the World Darts Championship are single in, double out, with a 501 start. Matches are played in a set format, with each set being the best of five legs.

In the first and second rounds, matches are the best of five sets.

In the third and fourth rounds, matches are best of seven sets, then the quarter-final is a best of nine sets.

Following that, the semi-final is best of 11 sets and then the final, which is the best of 13 sets.

How long has it been at Alexandra Palace?

The World Darts Championship has been at Alexandra Palace since 2008. Before that, it was held at the Circus Tavern in Essex.

How much money do you get for winning the World Championship?

The prize fund for the World Darts Championship is the highest for any event in darts. The total prize fund for this year's World Darts Championship is £2.5 million, with the winner receiving £500,000 and the runner-up taking home £200,000.

Will there be any female players?

There will be two female players at this year's World Darts Championship after Lisa Ashton and Fallon Sherrock topped the Women's Series Order of Merit to secure a place at Alexandra Palace.

Sherrock is the only female player to have won a game at the World Darts Championship, she beat Ted Evetts and Mensur Suljovic two years ago.

The 27-year-old also recently became the first woman to reach the last 16 of a ranking major at the Grand Slam of Darts, beating Mike De Decker, Gabriel Clemens and Mensur Suljovic before she was beaten by Peter Wright in the quarter-final.

Are there any unusual qualifiers?

This year will see the first father and son pair to both qualify for the same World Darts Championship as Australian family members Raymond and KY Smith both came through the Oceanic qualifying route to make it to Ally Pally.

There will also be the brothers Rusty-Jake and Rowby-John Rodriguez at Alexandra Palace after they made it with their performance on the Pro Tour Order of Merit.

Paul Lim, who hit the first-ever televised nine-darter, has also qualified for this year's World Darts Championship at 67 years old.

At the other end of the age range, 16-year-old Fabian Schmutzler qualified for the World Darts Championship just a few months after becoming eligible to do so.

How many different countries will players represent?

A new record will be set as players from 31 different countries will compete at this year's World Darts Championship, topping the previous record of 29.

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