This week, the MK Arena in Milton Keynes hosts the first-ever revamped edition of the Winmau World Masters Darts. This tournament marks the start of the 2025 major darts events. This prestigious competition brings together the world’s best darts players for an intense battle for the title. With a renewed lineup and an updated tournament structure, it promises to be highly exciting. Read all about it in this article.
Championship
The Winmau World Masters takes place from January 29 to February 2. For years, the darts season traditionally kicked off with the Masters. Originally, only eight players participated, but with the growing popularity of darts, this number gradually expanded to 16 and then 24 participants. This year, the PDC, which took over the tournament from the BDO, is taking it a step further by increasing the number of participants to 32. This gives more players the chance to showcase themselves on the world stage.
Qualification for the main tournament is based on the world rankings. The top 24 on this list automatically qualify, while the remaining eight spots are filled by players who distinguish themselves in the preliminary round on January 29. This new setup makes the championship more accessible for emerging talents and allows for surprises in the match results.
Notably, the tournament format has also been adjusted. While typically three legs per set were required to win, this edition of the Winmau World Masters reduces that to just two legs per set. This change increases the pressure on players, as there is less room for errors.
Participants
Luke Humphries, ranked number one in the world, automatically qualifies but has a tough draw. He faces Joe Cullen in the first round. Cullen won the Masters in 2022, so he’s certainly no stranger to success. This opening match is one to watch.
New world champion Luke Littler will begin against one of the qualification winners. Littler was crowned the youngest world champion ever earlier this year, giving him a strong boost for the new season. However, he was already knocked out in the quarterfinals of the Bahrain Masters and only reached the semifinals at the Dutch Masters. In the quarterfinals, he did manage to defeat Michael van Gerwen in a rematch of the World Championship final.
Van Gerwen is also automatically qualified for this tournament. The Dutch darts phenomenon has long been a dominant figure in modern darts but has recently struggled to achieve significant results. As mentioned earlier, he missed out on winning the Dutch Masters after his lost World Championship final. Like Littler, Van Gerwen will first face a qualifying player.
Belgian Participants
Dimitri Van den Bergh, ranked 18th on the Order of Merit, is already assured of his spot but faces a tough opponent in the first round: multiple world champion Gary Anderson. The Scotsman won his first world title in 2015 and repeated the feat a year later, but he also holds numerous other championships. He often ranks in the world’s top 16 and is currently 14th. A challenging start for Van den Bergh, who lost his first match of the year to Luke Littler. If Dimitri beats Anderson, he might face Michael van Gerwen.
Mike De Decker, ranked 24th, barely made the cut and will face veteran James Wade in his first match. De Decker won the World Grand Prix last year, climbing further up the rankings. However, he was eliminated in the first round at the World Darts Championship. He will need to bring his best game this time. Wade, who has also won several titles, last claimed one in 2018. If Mike wins, he may face Luke Littler.
Kim Huybrechts is not directly qualified, as he is ranked only 46th. He will need to secure a ticket during the qualifiers starting January 29. Andy Baetens, Mario Vandenbogaerde, and Stefaan Henderyck also have a chance to fight their way into the main draw through the qualifiers.
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