World Matchplay: Fixtures, results, format with Luke Littler vs Michael van Gerwen in first-round action | Darts News

World Matchplay: Fixtures, results, format with Luke Littler vs Michael van Gerwen in first-round action | Darts News



Reigning champion Nathan Aspinall and World Champion Luke Humphries will headline the opening night of the 2024 World Matchplay on Saturday July 13, with the schedule of play confirmed for the showpiece event.

Aspinall will begin his title defence against debutant Luke Woodhouse when the £800,000 tournament gets underway as the Stockport star bids to join Rod Harrington, Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen in winning back-to-back World Matchplays.

World Champion Humphries – the No 1 seed – will open his challenge against Germany’s Ricardo Pietreczko on a star-studded opening night at Blackpool’s Winter Gardens, as former finalists Gerwyn Price, Jonny Clayton and Raymond van Barneveld also feature.

Watch Luke Littler’s nine-darter from all angles as ‘The Nuke’ hit perfection on Finals night of the 2024 Premier League.

2023 runner-up Clayton takes on five-time World Champion Van Barneveld for a place in the last 16, while 2022 finalist Price will play two-time semi-finalist Daryl Gurney in the opening match of the tournament.

The first round will conclude with a bumper evening session on Monday July 15, as three-time champion Michael van Gerwen goes head-to-head with debutant Luke Littler in one of the most highly-anticipated first-round ties in World Matchplay history.

World number three Michael Smith and 2018 champion Gary Anderson will lock horns in another heavyweight showdown, while Australian number one Damon Heta plays Ryan Searle in a battle of last year’s quarter-finalists.

Chris Dobey – who also reached the last eight 12 months ago – will round off the first-round action when he takes on Ritchie Edhouse, one of five debutants in this year’s 32-player field.

Luke Littler won the Premier League in his debut campaign after defeating world number one Luke Humphries 11-7 in the final.

The second round will take place on Tuesday July 16 and Wednesday July 17, before the quarter-finals are staged across Thursday July 18 and Friday July 19.

The semi-finals will be held on Saturday July 20, before the final takes place on Sunday July 21, as the remaining two players compete for the £200,000 top prize and the coveted Phil Taylor Trophy.

This year’s visit to the Winter Gardens will once again feature the Betfred Women’s World Matchplay, which will see eight players competing in the third edition of the event on the afternoon of Sunday July 21.

World Matchplay schedule:

Saturday July 13 (7.30pm)

First Round

Gerwyn Price v Daryl Gurney

Jonny Clayton v Raymond van Barneveld

Luke Humphries v Ricardo Pietreczko

Nathan Aspinall v Luke Woodhouse

Sunday July 14

Afternoon Session (1pm)

First Round:

Ross Smith v Josh Rock

Danny Noppert v James Wade

Dimitri Van den Bergh v Martin Schindler

Stephen Bunting v Ryan Joyce

Evening Session (7pm)

First Round:

Rob Cross v Gian van Veen

Joe Cullen v Brendan Dolan

Peter Wright v Andrew Gilding

Dave Chisnall v Krzysztof Ratajski

(Should England reach the Euro 2024 final, session times for Sunday July 14 will be amended)

Monday July 15 (7pm)

First Round:

Damon Heta v Ryan Searle

Michael Smith v Gary Anderson

Michael van Gerwen v Luke Littler

Chris Dobey v Ritchie Edhouse

Tuesday July 16 (7pm)

Second Round x4

Wednesday July 17 (7pm)

Second Round x4

Thursday July 18 (8pm)

Quarter-Finals x2

Friday July 19 (8pm)

Quarter-Finals x2

Saturday July 20 (8pm)

Semi-Finals

Sunday July 21

Afternoon Session (1pm)

Women’s World Matchplay:

Quarter-Finals:

Beau Greaves v Katie Sheldon

Mikuru Suzuki v Noa-Lynn van Leuven

Fallon Sherrock v Anastasia Dobromyslova

Lisa Ashton v Rhian O’Sullivan

Semi-Finals:

Greaves/Sheldon v Suzuki/Van Leuven

Sherrock/Dobromyslova v Ashton/O’Sullivan

Final

Evening Session (8pm)

World Matchplay Final

Michael van Gerwen and Luke Littler had a leg to forget during their semi-final encounter on Night 15 of the Premier League in Leeds.

When and where is the World Matchplay?

The World Matchplay kicks off on Saturday July 13 and runs until Sunday July 21, with every dart live on Sky Sports.

The tournament takes place at the iconic Winter Gardens in Blackpool and 2024 marks the 31st edition of the Matchplay, the ballroom hosting some of darts’ most iconic moments.

With the darts calendar in full swing, the World Matchplay is the second major of the season after the UK Open, which Dimitri Van den Bergh won with an 11-10 victory over world champion Luke Humphries.

As the top 32 in the world prepare to face off, this prestigious event is not to be missed!

Luke Humphries takes out a superb 142, to take a three-leg lead in his Premier League darts Night 16 semi-final against Michael van Gerwen.

What is the format?

The World Matchplay is a legs format, with the number of legs required to win increasing as the rounds go on.

Each match must be won by two clear legs unless the score is tied after six legs.

  • Round 1: first to 10 legs (sudden death at 12-12)
  • Round 2: first to 11 legs (sudden death at 13-13)
  • Quarter-finals: first to 16 legs (sudden death at 18-18)
  • Semi-finals: first to 17 legs (sudden death at 19-19)
  • Final: first to 18 legs (sudden death at 20-20)

Michael Smith all but sealed his place in the Premier League darts playoffs with this special 132 checkout against Nathan Aspinall.

Who are the previous winners?

The World Matchplay has a long list of stellar winners, with Aspinall heading into the 2024 tournament as the defending champion.

The first winner was Larry Butler back in 1994 before Phil Taylor then picked up his first win of 16 (yes, 16) in 1995.

Taylor also won the 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2017 Matchplays.

During his 2002 win, Taylor also threw the first-ever televised nine-darter and such dominance led to the trophy being renamed after him in 2018.

Other winners include Michael van Gerwen (2015, 2016 and 2022), Gary Anderson (2018), Rob Cross (2019), Dimitri Van den Bergh (2020), and Peter Wright (2021).

Watch the World Matchplay Darts from July 13-21 live on Sky Sports.

Players Championship 14: Jonny Clayton beats Wesley Plaisier in final while Luke Littler makes early exit | Darts News

Players Championship 14: Jonny Clayton beats Wesley Plaisier in final while Luke Littler makes early exit | Darts News


Jonny Clayton returned to winning ways with an outstanding 8-5 success against Wesley Plaisier in Wednesday’s Players Championship 14 final in Milton Keynes, as Luke Littler made another early exit.

Clayton stormed to victory on a thrilling day of action at the Marshall Arena, denying an in-form Plaisier to clinch his first PDC ranking title since May 2023.

The Welshman – a runner-up in May’s Dutch Darts Championship – endured a difficult end to 2023, but he continued his revival to become the 14th different winner in as many Players Championship events in 2024.

Clayton – a quarter-finalist on Tuesday – kicked off his campaign with emphatic wins against Darren Beveridge, Andy Baetens and James Hurrell, before defying a 110.71 average from Dom Taylor in a sensational last-16 tie.

The 49-year-old then overcame Martin Schindler in the last eight, before running out a 7-3 winner against Cameron Menzies in the semi-finals, which ended the Scot’s hopes of World Matchplay qualification.

Who will win the Betfred World Matchplay? Watch live from Saturday July 13 on Sky Sports!

Clayton seized the early initiative in Wednesday’s showpiece, reeling off three consecutive legs to establish 4-1 and 5-2 leads, only for Plaisier to respond with a majestic 161 checkout in leg eight.

The former Premier League champion restored his three-leg buffer with a fabulous 11-darter, and he punished rare errors on the outer ring from his Dutch opponent to move to the brink of glory at 7-3.

Plaisier hit back with skin-saving 121 and 122 finishes on the bull as he looked to complete an astonishing turnaround, but Clayton kept his cool, pinning double 16 to triumph with a 106 average.

“Fair play to Wesley. How he hasn’t got a Tour Card I’ll never know, because he can seriously play darts,” said Clayton, who also landed seven 180s in the final. “Confidence is low when you’re not picking up results, but I’ve got my mojo back. I’ve got a smile on my face, and winning always helps.

“I was way off at the start of the year, but something has clicked. I played well yesterday and I played well today, so my consistency is there, and fingers crossed I can keep it going. It’s a great time to get your form back with the World Matchplay coming up, and hopefully I can go one step further this year.”

Plaisier reaffirmed his credentials by reaching back-to-back finals at the Marshall Arena, as he walked away from this week’s ProTour double-header with £20,000 in prize money. He dumped out world No 4 Gerwyn Price in the last 32, and later accounted for Mario Vandenbogaerde, Graham Usher and Ryan Joyce to maintain his superb run of form.

Image:
Gerwyn Price will be among the favourites at the Betfred World Matchplay later this month in Blackpool

Joyce crashed in a 111.48 average in his quarter-final thumping of Josh Rock, having also won through a deciding-leg tussle against top seed Dave Chisnall in the last 16.

Scottish star Menzies dumped out England’s World Cup winning duo Michael Smith and Luke Humphries on his way to the semi-finals, while Schindler defeated his World Cup partner Gabriel Clemens to end Clemens’ World Matchplay dreams.


Live World Matchplay Darts


Saturday 13th July 7:30pm


Usher claimed a host of big scalps to reach his maiden ProTour quarter-final, following up deciding-leg wins over Gary Anderson and James Wade with a 6-4 success against World Matchplay champion Nathan Aspinall.

Robert Owen produced the performance of the day in Milton Keynes, registering a staggering 115.85 average in his third round demolition of Ryan Searle, who was beaten 6-1 despite averaging 105, while Luke Littler made another early exit with a 6-3 loss against Hurrell.

Wednesday’s action marked the final event before the cut-off for Betfred World Matchplay qualification, with 2007 champion James Wade securing the final place in the 32-player field.

Menzies threatened to overhaul Wade with his brilliant run to the last four, although he fell just short in his last-gasp Blackpool bid.

Watch the Betfred World Matchplay from July 13-21 at the Winter Gardens, Blackpool live on Sky Sports. Watch the best darts live on Sky Sports or stream with NOW.

World Cup of Darts: All you need to know with Luke Humphries, Gerwyn Price and Michael van Gerwen all playing but no Luke Littler | Darts News

World Cup of Darts: All you need to know with Luke Humphries, Gerwyn Price and Michael van Gerwen all playing but no Luke Littler | Darts News


All you need to know ahead of the World Cup of Darts at the Eissporthalle in Frankfurt with Luke Humphries, Michael Smith and Gerwyn Price all playing – but no Luke Littler.

Wales’ Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton are the defending champions and they will be determined to fend off 39 other nations to retain their title.

Top seeds and four-time champions England will be represented by world champion Luke Humphries – making his World Cup debut – and Michael Smith, but Luke Littler will not feature because the two highest-ranked English players in the PDC Order of Merit are picked.

‘The Nuke’ is currently 25th in the Order of Merit.

All the best of the action from last year’s World Cup of Darts finals night in Frankfurt

Michael van Gerwen and Danny Noppert will line up for four-time winners and third seeds Netherlands, while Peter Wright and Gary Anderson will fly the flag for two-time champions and fourth seeds Scotland.

Damon Heta and Simon Whitlock will continue their partnership which saw them claim glory for Australia in 2022, while former runners-up Belgium, Republic of Ireland and Austria are also among the teams seeded 5-16.

Speaking on Love The Darts, Paul Lim talked about the feeling of representing your country ahead of last year’s tournament

Paul Lim, at the age of 70, and Harith Lim will compete on behalf of Singapore having qualified for the country’s 10th tournament.

Since their World Cup debut in 2014, Singapore have built for themselves a reputation as giant-killers.

The duo, who are unrelated, surprised third seeds Wales in 2019 and top seeds Scotland in 2017, which was also when they went on to record their best finish by reaching the quarter-finals.

Who is Paul Lim?

The 70-year-old is a legend of this sport

In 1990, he hit the first nine-dart finish in a World Championship, and pocketed £52,000, more than double what a certain Phil Taylor took home for winning the whole event

With all pairings now confirmed, the draw for the Group Stage will be made on Wednesday.

The revamped format successfully introduced last year will return in 2024, with group and knockout stages of all Doubles matches across four days of action.

The top four ranked nations, based on the lowest cumulative PDC Order of Merit ranking of the two competing players, will be seeded and will enter at the second-round stage.

The remaining 36 teams will be split into 12 groups of three for the round-robin first round – including 12 seeded nations – from which each group winner will progress.

The second round, featuring the last 16 nations, will be split across two sessions on Saturday June 29 before the quarter-finals take place on Sunday afternoon, with the tournament culminating in the semi-finals and final on Sunday evening – with the eventual champions to earn a combined £80,000 in prize money.

Josh Rock told Sky Sports’ Love the Darts Podcast that representing Northern Ireland alongside Brendan Dolan in the World Cup is a ‘massive achievement’

Competing Nations & Pairings

Seeds 1-4 – Through to Round Two
(1) England – Luke Humphries, Michael Smith
(2) Wales – Gerwyn Price, Jonny Clayton
(3) Netherlands – Michael van Gerwen, Danny Noppert
(4) Scotland – Peter Wright, Gary Anderson

Seeds 5-16 – Seeded for Group Stage
(5) Belgium – Dimitri Van den Bergh, Kim Huybrechts
(6) Northern Ireland – Josh Rock, Brendan Dolan
(7) Germany – Martin Schindler, Gabriel Clemens
(8) Australia – Damon Heta, Simon Whitlock
(9) Republic of Ireland – William O’Connor, Keane Barry
(10) Austria – Rowby-John Rodriguez, Mensur Suljovic
(11) Poland – Krzysztof Ratajski, Radek Szaganski
(12) Czechia – Adam Gawlas, Karel Sedlacek
(13) Croatia – Boris Krcmar, Romeo Grvabac
(14) France – Jacques Labre, Thibault Tricole
(15) Sweden – Jeffrey de Graaf, Oskar Lukasiak
(16) USA – Danny Lauby, Jules van Dongen

Non-Seeded Nations
Bahrain – Basem Mahmood, Duda Durra
Canada – Matt Campbell, David Cameron
China – Xiaochen Zong, Chengan Liu
Chinese Taipei – Teng-Lieh Pupo, An-Sheng Lu
Denmark – Benjamin Reus, Claus Bendix Nielsen
Finland – Marko Kantele, Teemu Harju
Gibraltar – Justin Hewitt, Craig Galliano
Guyana – Norman Madhoo, Sudesh Fitzgerald
Hong Kong – Lok Yin Lee, Man Lok Leung
Hungary – Gabor Jagica, Nandor Major
Iceland – Arngrimur Olafsson, Petur Gudmundsson
Italy – Michele Turetta, Massimo Dalla Rosa
Japan – Tomoya Goto, Ryusei Azemoto
Latvia – Madars Razma, Valters Melderis
Lithuania – Darius Labanauskas, Mindaugas Barauskas
Malaysia – Siik Hwang Wong, Mohamad Nasir
New Zealand – Haupai Puha, Ben Robb
Norway – Cor Dekker, Hakon Bjorge Helling
Philippines – Christian Perez, Alexis Toylo
Portugal – Jose de Sousa, David Gomes
Singapore – Paul Lim, Harith Lim
South Africa – Johan Geldenhuys, Cameron Carolissen
Spain – Jose Justicia, Jesus Noguera
Switzerland – Stefan Bellmont, Bruno Stockli

Schedule of Play

Thursday, June 27 (6pm BST)
Group Stage – Opening Matches

Friday, June 28
Afternoon Session (11am BST)

Group Stage – Second Matches

Evening Session (6pm BST)
Group Stage – Final Matches

Saturday, June 29
Afternoon Session (12pm BST)

Second Round x4

Evening Session (6pm BST)
Second Round x4

Sunday, June 30
Afternoon Session (12pm BST)

Quarter-Finals

Evening Session (6pm BST)
Semi-Finals
Final

What is the format?

  • Group Stage – Best of seven legs
  • Second Round – Best of 15 legs
  • Quarter-Finals – Best of 15 legs
  • Semi-Finals – Best of 15 legs
  • Final – Best of 19 legs

All matches will be played in a doubles format

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Luke Littler claims outstanding victory in Poland Darts Masters following three-match masterclass | Darts News

Luke Littler claims outstanding victory in Poland Darts Masters following three-match masterclass | Darts News


Teen superstar Luke Littler claimed the title on his Poland Darts Masters debut with a stunning performance on Saturday night.

The 17-year-old sensation dispatched Peter Wright 6-3 and 2023 world champion Michael Smith 7-6 before beating Rob Cross comprehensively 8-3 in the final in front of a crowd of 9,000 at the PreZero Arena.

As he moved 4-1 up in the showpiece against Cross, Littler nailed a 164 monster checkout, proving he lives for the big occasion.

But it was not all easy for Littler, on Friday he survived a late scare to see off UK Open semi-finalist Adam Gawlas, who fought back from 5-1 down, taking three successive legs to threaten to send the ‘The Nuke’ packing.

Littler, though, took care of business 6-4 in the end and showed no such nerves on Saturday as he dispatched three of the world’s top 10 to claim victory – including a bang-in form Cross who was in the final of a World Series tournament for the third time this month.

Cross beat Sebastian Bialecki 6-1, Stephen Bunting 6-4 and Michael van Gerwen 7-2 en route to the final, but he found Littler in irrepressible form.

A tight fourth leg proved to be the turning point as Littler broke his throw with 16-darter before compounding the misery for Cross with a 164 finish to move 4-1 ahead. Although Cross punched back, Littler again managed a 121 finish in the seventh leg and claimed a romping victory to add to a growing list of honours.

Currently, Littler is the Premier League Darts champion, as well as Junior and World Youth champion. He adds the Poland Darts Masters to the Bahrain title he won in January as well as being the current Belgian and Austrian Darts Open champion.

Littler, who started the week on a break in the United States, admitted he played his way into the tournament and was delighted to claim the title.

“I’ve just had a week off in Orlando and there was a bit of rust. But I think this weekend I’ve played well,” he said.

“Obviously Rob (Cross) has been at it all weekend up until now. I’ve had a week off and I thought I was in for a game but Rob didn’t turn up. I did punish him and got over the line.

“I love playing in big arenas in front of thousands. I’m just playing well. It’s another one to add to the list.”

Remembering when Luke Littler won the Premier League in his debut campaign after defeating world No 1 Luke Humphries 11-7 in the final

Littler had earlier survived a tense semi-final with Smith, who led 4-1 and narrowly missed the bull going for a 124 finish and then two match darts at double eight in the deciding leg before Littler found double five to prevail 7-6.

It proved something of a battle throughout with Littler having earlier taken out treble 19, double top, double top for 137 to level at 5-5.

Now, after winning another title at such a tender age, Littler is eager to continue to add to his list of accolades.

“I want to win as much as I can,” he added. “This first half of the year has been really good with six titles and numerous nine-darters. I can’t wait for the second half of the season to kick in.

“I hope to win everything. But it might not happen. The Matchplay I’m looking forward to, the Grand Prix and Grand Slam.”

2024 Superbet Poland Darts Masters

Friday June 14
First Round

Rob Cross 6-1 Sebastian Bialecki
Boris Krcmar 6-4 Nathan Aspinall
Michael Smith 6-4 Radek Szaganski
Peter Wright 6-0 Jacek Krupka
Michael van Gerwen 6-1 Karel Sedlacek
Luke Littler 6-4 Adam Gawlas
Stephen Bunting 6-1 Krzysztof Ratajski
Luke Humphries 6-1 György Jehirszki

Saturday June 15
Quarter-Finals

Luke Littler 6-3 Peter Wright
Luke Humphries 5-6 Michael Smith
Rob Cross 6-4 Stephen Bunting
Michael van Gerwen 6-0 Boris Krcmar

Semi-Finals
Luke Littler 7-6 Michael Smith
Rob Cross 7-2 Michael van Gerwen

Final
Luke Littler 8-3 Rob Cross

What’s next on Sky Sports?

Image:
Jonny Clayton and Gerwyn Price are reigning World Cup of Darts champions

The World Cup of Darts will take place from 27 to 30 June 2024 at the Eissporthalle in Frankfurt, Germany.

Wales’ Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton are the defending champions and they’ll be determined to fend off 39 other nations to retain their title.

Luke Humphries and Smith are in line to represent England but Littler will not feature because the two highest-ranked English players in the PDC Order of Merit are picked. ‘The Nuke’ is currently 25th in the Order of Merit.

Fans are also able to stream the entire action on NOW TV through their mobile device or tablet.

World Cup of Darts: Fixtures

Thursday, June 27 (6pm BST)
Group Stage – Opening Matches

Friday, June 28
Afternoon Session (11am BST)

Group Stage – Second Matches

Evening Session (6pm BST)
Group Stage – Final Matches

Saturday, June 29
Afternoon Session (12pm BST)

Second Round x4

Evening Session (6pm BST)
Second Round x4

Sunday, June 30
Afternoon Session (12pm BST)

Quarter-Finals

Evening Session (6pm BST)
Semi-Finals
Final

What is the format?

  • Group Stage – Best of seven legs
  • Second Round – Best of 15 legs
  • Quarter-Finals – Best of 15 legs
  • Semi-Finals – Best of 15 legs
  • Final – Best of 19 legs

All matches will be played in a doubles format

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Luke Littler: Teenager into Poland Darts Masters quarter-finals along with Michael van Gerwen | Darts News

Luke Littler: Teenager into Poland Darts Masters quarter-finals along with Michael van Gerwen | Darts News


Luke Littler made a winning start on his Poland Darts Masters debut, fending off a valiant fightback from Adam Gawlas to advance to the quarter-finals with a 6-4 success in Gliwice on Friday.

Littler, 17, survived a late scare to see off UK Open semi-finalist Gawlas, who fought back from 5-1 down to threaten an unlikely victory by taking three successive legs.

Reigning champion Michael van Gerwen continued his winning record in Poland to set up a quarter-final clash against Boris Krcmar.

Littler won the Premier League in his debut campaign after defeating world No 1 Luke Humphries 11-7 in the final

The Dutchman began his title defence with a comprehensive 6-1 win over a below-par Karel Sedlacek, while Krcmar defied five 180s from Nathan Aspinall to progress to the quarter-finals with a huge 6-4 victory against the World Matchplay champion.

Peter Wright returned to winning ways in emphatic style, producing a trio of 15-darters in the closing stages to dispatch big-stage debutant Jacek Krupka 6-0.

Despite missing 28 darts at double, Michael Smith still averaged over 95 to complete a 6-4 victory against home hope Radek Szaganski.

What’s next on Sky Sports?

Image:
Jonny Clayton and Gerwyn Price are reigning World Cup of Darts champions

The World Cup of Darts will take place from 27 to 30 June 2024 at the Eissporthalle in Frankfurt, Germany.

Wales’ Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton are the defending champions and they’ll be determined to fend off 39 other nations to retain their title.

Luke Humphries and Smith are in line to represent England but Littler will not feature because the two highest-ranked English players in the PDC Order of Merit are picked. ‘The Nuke’ is currently 25th in the Order of Merit.

Fans were also able to stream the entire action on NOW TV through their mobile device or table.

World Cup of Darts: Fixtures

Thursday, June 27 (6pm BST)
Group Stage – Opening Matches

Friday, June 28
Afternoon Session (11am BST)

Group Stage – Second Matches

Evening Session (6pm BST)
Group Stage – Final Matches

Saturday, June 29
Afternoon Session (12pm BST)

Second Round x4

Evening Session (6pm BST)
Second Round x4

Sunday, June 30
Afternoon Session (12pm BST)

Quarter-Finals

Evening Session (6pm BST)
Semi-Finals
Final

What is the format?

  • Group Stage – Best of seven legs
  • Second Round – Best of 15 legs
  • Quarter-Finals – Best of 15 legs
  • Semi-Finals – Best of 15 legs
  • Final – Best of 19 legs

All matches will be played in a doubles format

Ad content | Stream Sky Sports on NOW

Stream Sky Sports live with no contract on a Month or Day membership on NOW. Instant access to live action from the Premier League and EFL, plus darts, cricket, tennis, golf and so much more.

Luke Littler: Premier League champion gets chance for revenge in return to action at Poland Darts Masters | Darts News

Luke Littler: Premier League champion gets chance for revenge in return to action at Poland Darts Masters | Darts News



Luke Littler will have the chance to avenge his 2023 defeat to Adam Gawlas when the Premier League champion returns to action at the Poland Darts Masters.

Littler lost to the Czech player in their last televised meeting at the 2023 UK Open, but has since taken the darting world by storm, reaching the World Darts Championship final before going on to triumph in the Premier League.

The 17-year-old Briton is participating in the 16-player tournament in Gliwice for the first time, with the opening-round matches taking place on Friday before the final three stages follow on Saturday.

Michael van Gerwen will begin his defence of his title at the World Series of Darts event against Czech star Karel Sedlacek.

Van Gerwen produced averages of 110, 104 and 113 to triumph in the tournament’s inaugural staging in Warsaw last year, and the Dutch supremo will play Czech World Cup star Sedlacek on his return to Polish soil.

Littler won the Premier League in his debut campaign after defeating world No 1 Humphries 11-7 in the final

The draw also pitted world No 1 Luke Humphries against Hungarian newcomer Gyorgy Jehirszki, as the world champion continues his bid for a maiden World Series of Darts crown.

Poland’s No 1 Krzysztof Ratajski will also take centre stage on home soil this weekend, and the former World Matchplay semi-finalist kicks off his challenge against Masters champion Stephen Bunting.

Newly-crowned US Darts Masters champion Rob Cross begins his bid for a second World Series title in the space of a fortnight against home favourite Sebastian Bialecki – a UK Open quarter-finalist in 2022.

Littler hit a nine-darter during the Premier League Play-Off final at London’s O2 arena

Michael Smith, the 2023 world champion, will also face Polish opposition in Radek Szaganski, who regained his PDC Tour Card earlier this year after winning a Players Championship title in 2023.

Elsewhere, World Matchplay winner Nathan Aspinall plays Croatian trailblazer Boris Krcmar, while two-time world champion Peter Wright meets Poland’s big-stage debutant Jacek Krupka.

What’s next on Sky Sports?

The World Cup of Darts will take place from June 27-30 at the Eissporthalle in Frankfurt, Germany.

Wales’ Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton are the defending champions and they will be determined to fend off 39 other nations to retain their title.

Humphries and Smith are in line to represent England but Littler will not feature because the two highest-ranked English players in the PDC Order of Merit are picked. ‘The Nuke’ is currently 25th in the Order of Merit.

Fans are able to stream the entire action on NOW TV through their mobile device or table.

World Cup of Darts: Fixtures

Thursday, June 27 (6pm BST)
Group Stage – Opening Matches

Friday, June 28
Afternoon Session (11am BST)

Group Stage – Second Matches

Evening Session (6pm BST)
Group Stage – Final Matches

Saturday, June 29
Afternoon Session (12pm BST)

Second Round x4

Evening Session (6pm BST)
Second Round x4

Sunday, June 30
Afternoon Session (12pm BST)

Quarter-Finals

Evening Session (6pm BST)
Semi-Finals
Final

What is the format?

  • Group Stage – Best of seven legs
  • Second Round – Best of 15 legs
  • Quarter-Finals – Best of 15 legs
  • Semi-Finals – Best of 15 legs
  • Final – Best of 19 legs

All matches will be played in a doubles format