World No 1 Luke Humphries will take on Joe Cullen in the first round of the 2025 Winmau World Masters, while world champion Luke Littler will have to wait to find out who he plays in Milton Keynes.
The new-look Winmau World Masters will be played at Arena MK in Milton Keynes, with the preliminary rounds taking place on Wednesday January 29 ahead of the televised main event from Thursday January 30 to Sunday February 2.
The top 24 players from the PDC Order of Merit automatically qualify for the 32-player main event, with the world’s top 16 seeded in the draw, while the remaining eight spots will come from the preliminary rounds.
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Emma Paton, Mark Webster and Richard Ashdown discuss if Littler can break Phil Taylor’s World Darts Championship titles record of 16
The tournament will be played in a set format, with each set being the best of three legs, with the Winmau World Masters champion winning £100,000 in prize money and £50,000 on offer to the runner-up.
Who will Humphries and Littler face?
Humphries will kick off his title challenge against former Premier League runner-up Cullen, who won The Masters in Milton Keynes back in 2022, while Littler – featuring in his first ranking event since his Alexandra Palace heroics – has been pitted against one of the eight qualifiers in his opener.
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Take a look back at the World Darts Championship, where Littler became the youngest-ever world champion
Five-time Masters champion Michael van Gerwen and defending champion Stephen Bunting will also face qualifiers, as will world No 4 Rob Cross, while Scottish icon Gary Anderson faces reigning UK Open champion Dimitri Van den Bergh.
Dutch No 2 Danny Noppert plays 2023 world champion Michael Smith in a repeat of the 2022 UK Open final, with other notable matches including Chris Dobey against Ryan Searle and 10-time TV title winner James Wade taking on World Grand Prix champion Mike De Decker.
Australian No 1 Damon Heta will face former European champion Ross Smith and Nathan Aspinall locks horns with Andrew Gilding in a battle of former UK Open champions, while Dave Chisnall, Gerwyn Price, Peter Wright and Josh Rock will also discover their opponents following the conclusion of the preliminary rounds.
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Another look at how the Alexandra Palace crowd went wild for Damon Heta’s nine-darter at the World Darts Championship
2025 Winmau World Masters draw
First round (seed number in brackets)
- (1) Luke Humphries vs Joe Cullen
- (16) Josh Rock vs Qualifier 6
- (8) Damon Heta vs Ross Smith
- (9) Gerwyn Price vs Qualifier 4
- (4) Rob Cross vs Qualifier 8
- (13) Danny Noppert vs Michael Smith
- (5) Stephen Bunting vs Qualifier 5
- (12) Peter Wright vs Qualifier 1
- (2) Luke Littler vs Qualifier 3
- (15) James Wade vs Mike De Decker
- (7) Jonny Clayton vs Martin Schindler
- (10) Chris Dobey vs Ryan Searle
- (3) Michael van Gerwen vs Qualifier 2
- (14) Gary Anderson vs Dimitri Van den Bergh
- (6) Dave Chisnall vs Qualifier 7
- (11) Nathan Aspinall vs Andrew Gilding
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Check out some of the most memorable moments from this year’s World Darts Championship including Littler’s record-breaking set, some Barrioke and two nine-darters
Winmau World Masters: Full day-by-day schedule
Wednesday January 29
Preliminary Rounds
Thursday January 30 (1900 GMT)
First Round x8 – Match Schedule TB
- Luke Humphries vs Joe Cullen
- Josh Rock vs Qualifier 6
- Damon Heta vs Ross Smith
- Gerwyn Price vs Qualifier 4
- Rob Cross vs Qualifier 8
- Danny Noppert vs Michael Smith
- Stephen Bunting vs Qualifier 5
- Peter Wright vs Qualifier 1
Friday January 31 (1900 GMT)
First Round x8 – Match Schedule TBC
- Luke Littler vs Qualifier 3
- James Wade vs Mike De Decker
- Jonny Clayton vs Martin Schindler
- Chris Dobey vs Ryan Searle
- Michael van Gerwen vs Qualifier 2
- Gary Anderson vs Dimitri Van den Bergh
- Dave Chisnall vs Qualifier 7
- Nathan Aspinall vs Andrew Gilding
Saturday February 1
Afternoon Session (1245 GMT)
Second Round x4
Evening Session (1900 GMT)
Second Round x4
Sunday February 2
Afternoon Session (1245 GMT)
Quarter-Finals
Evening Session (1900 GMT)
Semi-Finals
Final
How will the preliminary rounds work?
The preliminary round will feature Tour Card Holders and representatives from the PDC’s secondary tours, affiliate tours and the Junior Darts Corporation, played over the best of three sets and best of three legs per set.
The 32 players seeded go through to the last 64 (players 25-56 on the PDC Order of Merit, should all players enter), and they will be joined by 32 group winners from the round-robin group stage.
The group stage will see 32 players seeded as one per group (players 57-88 on the PDC Order of Merit, should all players enter), with the remaining players drawn at random to the groups.
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Check out some of the most memorable moments from this year’s World Darts Championship including Littler’s record-breaking set, some Barrioke and two nine-darters
What is the format?
Preliminary Rounds – Best of three sets, best of three legs per set
First Round – Best of five sets, best of three legs per set
Second Round – Best of seven sets, best of three legs per set
Quarter-Finals – Best of seven sets, best of three legs per set
Semi-Finals – Best of nine sets, best of three legs per set
Final – Best of 11 sets, best of three legs per set
The top half of the draw will play their first-round ties on January 30, with the bottom half of the draw playing on January 31. The schedule of matches will be confirmed following the conclusion of the Preliminary Rounds on Wednesday January 29.
How can I watch the Premier League Darts in 2025?
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