Michael Van Gerwen is the favourite at this year’s PDC World Darts Championship but the Dutchman will face fierce competition in the hunt to claim the Sid Waddell Trophy.
The likes of defending champion Peter Wright, who got the better of Michael Smith in a thrilling final 7- last year, and 2021 champion Gerwyn Price are the clear favourites with £500,000 up for grabs to the winner.
In the build-up to the tournament Van Gerwen has hit back at critics who argue he should have more than three world titles given his talent, but the 33-year-old maintains he has nothing to prove.
“Of course I want to add more, but as long as I keep winning tournaments, World Championships will follow,” he told the PA news agency. “That’s how it is, keep believing in yourself. People always say you have to do this or that, I have won four big tournaments this season so I am not complaining. I am doing fine. From this moment, there is only more to come.
“I don’t have to prove anything, what I did in darts in the last 10 or 15 years, everyone knows what I am capable of. I just want to do the thing I love the most and that is play as well as possible.” Here’s the schedule for the World Darts Championship 2023:
2022/23 World Darts Championship odds - as of December 21
Michael van Gerwen 5/2
Michael Smith 11/2
Gerwyn Price 13/2
Peter Wright 10/1
Luke Humphries 14/1
Josh Rock 16/1
Jonny Clayton 18/1
Dimitri Van den Bergh 25/1
Nathan Aspinall 28/1
Dirk van Duijvenbode 33/1
Rob Cross 33/1
Danny Noppert 33/1
Dave Chisnall 33/1
Joe Cullen 40/1
Damon Heta 40/1
Gary Anderson 40/1
Raymond van Barneveld 50/1
James Wade 50/1
Ross Smith 66/1
Ryan Searle 66/1
Chris Dobey 80/1
Jose De Sousa 80/1
Alan Soutar 100/1
Via Betfair
Prediction
We’re going with Michael van Gerwen (9/4 pre-tournament), he’s back in the sort of form that made him the greatest player of his generation with four major titles this year, making him a tough man to bet against.
But Michael Smith (7/1) might just be the people’s pick after heartache last year against Wright. Reinvigorated after snapping a streak of eight major final losses to finally clinch glory at the Grand Slam, Bully Boy’s time might be now. But Smith may run into trouble with the likes of Luke Humphries, Dave Chisnall and Joe Cullen providing tricky barriers in his path to the final.
A dark horse or one to watch? It's got to be Nathan Aspinall (33/1). The Asp is mentally stronger after coming through his injury nightmare and now has the results to back it up, after making the World Grand Prix and Grand Slam finals, meaning some eachway value could be found in the Stockport man.
Certainly Josh Rock (16/1) is one for the future and the 21-year-old will be eager to make some noise here, but his odds as sixth favourite make him a daunting pick for punters, but fans will be licking their lips at a possible second round match with Callan Rydz, which could validate any title credentials.
2022/23 World Darts Championship
Schedule of Play
Thursday December 15 (1900 GMT)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
Mickey Mansell 3-1 Ben Robb (R1)
Keane Barry 1-3 Grant Sampson (R1)
Jermaine Wattimena 2-3 Nathan Rafferty (R1)
Peter Wright 3-0 Mickey Mansell (R2)
Friday December 16
Afternoon Session (1230 GMT)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
Alan Soutar 3-0 Mal Cuming (R1)
Boris Krcmar 3-0 Toru Suzuki (R1)
Adrian Lewis 3-0 Daniel Larsson (R1)
Kim Huybrechts 3-0 Grant Sampson (R2)
Evening Session (1900 GMT)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
Rowby-John Rodriguez 2-3 Lourence Ilagan (R1)
William O‘Connor 3-0 Beau Greaves (R1)
Keegan Brown 2-3 Florian Hempel (R1)
Michael Smith 3-0 Nathan Rafferty (R2)
Saturday December 17
Afternoon Session (1100 GMT)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
Martin Lukeman 3-0 Nobuhiro Yamamoto (R1)
Simon Whitlock 3-2 Christian Perez (R1)
Adam Gawlas 3-2 Richie Burnett (R1)
Daryl Gurney 0-3 Alan Soutar (R2)
Evening Session (2000 GMT)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
Ryan Meikle 3-2 Lisa Ashton (R1)
Cameron Menzies 3-1 Diogo Portela (R1)
Josh Rock 3-1 Jose Justicia (R1)
Dimitri Van den Bergh 3-0 Lourence Ilagan (R2)
Sunday December 18
Afternoon Session (1100 GMT)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
Madars Razma 3-1 Prakash Jiwa (R1)
Karel Sedlacek 3-0 Raymond Smith (R1)
Luke Woodhouse 3-0 Vladyslav Omelchenko (R1)
Damon Heta 3-0 Adrian Lewis (R2)
Evening Session (2000 GMT)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
Mike De Decker 3-1 Jeff Smith (R1)
Scott Williams 3-1 Ryan Joyce (R1)
Matt Campbell 0-3 Danny Baggish (R1)
Nathan Aspinall 3-1 Boris Krcmar (R2)
Monday December 19
Afternoon Session (1230 GMT)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
Andrew Gilding 3-2 Robert Owen (R1)
Danny Jansen 3-2 Paolo Nebrida (R1)
Niels Zonneveld 0-3 Lewy Williams (R1)
Jose de Sousa 3-2 Simon Whitlock (R2)
Evening Session (1900 GMT)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
Geert Nentjes 1-3 Leonard Gates (R1)
Ritchie Edhouse 2-3 David Cameron (R1)
Steve Beaton 0-3 Danny van Trijp (R1)
Gerwyn Price 3-1 Luke Woodhouse (R2)
Tuesday December 20 (1900 GMT)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
Jim Williams 3-2 Sebastian Bialecki (R1)
Jamie Hughes 1-3 Jimmy Hendriks (R1)
Ricky Evans 3-1 Fallon Sherrock (R1)
Raymond van Barneveld 3-1 Ryan Meikle (R2)
Wednesday December 21
Afternoon Session (1230 GMT)
2x First Round, 2x Second Round
John O’Shea v Darius Labanauskas (R1)
Martijn Kleermaker v Xicheng Han (R1)
Callan Rydz v Josh Rock (R2)
Dave Chisnall v Andrew Gilding (R2)
Evening Session (1900 GMT)
4x Second Round
Mervyn King v Danny Baggish
Gabriel Clemens v William O‘Connor
Michael van Gerwen v Lewy Williams
Stephen Bunting v Leonard Gates
Thursday December 22
Afternoon Session (1230 GMT)
4x Second Round
Krzysztof Ratajski v Danny Jansen
Ryan Searle v Adam Gawlas
Mensur Suljovic v Mike De Decker
Dirk van Duijvenbode v Karel Sedlacek
Evening Session (1900 GMT)
4x Second Round
Gary Anderson v Madars Razma
James Wade v Jim Williams
Luke Humphries v Florian Hempel
Vincent van der Voort v Cameron Menzies
Friday December 23
Afternoon Session (1230 GMT)
4x Second Round
Brendan Dolan v Jimmy Hendriks
Chris Dobey v Kleermaker/Han
Ross Smith v O’Shea/Labanauskas
Rob Cross v Scott Williams
Evening Session (1900 GMT)
4x Second Round
Martin Schindler v Martin Lukeman
Danny Noppert v David Cameron
Jonny Clayton v Danny Van Trijp
Joe Cullen v Ricky Evans
Tuesday December 27
Afternoon Session (1230 GMT)
3x Third Round
Dimitri Van den Bergh v Ratajski/Jansen/Nebrida
Nathan Aspinall v Rydz/Rock
Clayton/Beaton/Van Trijp v Dolan/Hughes/Hendriks
Evening Session (1900 GMT)
3x Third Round
Wade/J Williams/Bialecki v Clemens/O’Connor/Greaves
Gerwyn Price v Raymond Van Barneveld
Peter Wright v Kim Huybrechts
Wednesday December 28
Afternoon Session (1230 GMT)
3x Third Round
Searle/Gawlas/Burnett v Jose De Sousa
Noppert/Edhouse/Cameron v Alan Soutar
Anderson/Razma/Jiwa v Dobey/Kleermaker/Han
Evening Session (1900 GMT)
3x Third Round
Cullen/Evans v Damon Heta
Van Gerwen/Zonneveld/L Williams v Suljovic/De Decker/J Smith
Michael Smith v Schindler/Lukeman
Thursday December 29
Afternoon Session (1230 GMT)
3x Third Round
Van Duijvenbode/Sedlacek/Ray Smith v Ross Smith/O’Shea/Labanauskas
Cross/S Williams/Joyce v King/Campbell/Baggish
Chisnall/Gilding/Owen v Bunting/Nentjes/Gates
Evening Session (1900 GMT)
1x Third Round, 2x Fourth Round
Humphries/K Brown/Hempel v Van der Voort/Menzies/Portela
Fourth Round games on December 29-30 TBC
Schedule of play subject to change. Any amendments will be advised at pdc.tv and through the OfficialPDC social media channels.
Format
First Round - Best of five sets
Second Round - Best of five sets
Third Round - Best of seven sets
Fourth Round - Best of seven sets
Quarter-Finals - Best of nine sets
Semi-Finals - Best of 11 sets
Final - Best of 13 sets
