Paddy Power World Darts Championship: Favourites, Format and Odds

Competition Overview and Format

It’s December, and for darts fans that means just one thing: The 2024-25 World Darts Championship is coming to the Ally Pally! The 32nd edition of the competition will run from December 15 to January 3, featuring 96 entrants, with the top 32 highest-ranked players on the PDC Order of Merit receiving seeding to the second round. 

Every match will be played as straight in, double out, to 501. Here’s how each round of the competition is structured: 

Participants will be competing for a share of the mega total prize pool of £2.5 million, with the winner of the competition taking home £500,000, runners-up will receive £200,000, while semi and quarter-finalists are awarded £100,000 and £50,000 respectively. Notably, the official sponsors, Paddy Power, are also putting up £60,000 for every nine-dart finish hit during the tournament. 

The defending World Champion Luke Humphries is the number one seed heading to the Ally Pally, while 2023 World Champion Michael Smith is seeded second, and the three-time champ Michael van Gerwan is seeded third. Fan favourite and Premier League champion, 17-year-old Luke Littler, receives the number four seed and will be aiming to go one better than he did last year. 

There are plenty of special offers and promotions from all the best online betting sites for the 2024-25 Paddy Power World Darts Championship, so be sure to give them a look before placing your wagers. 

Who Are the World Darts Championship Favourites?

Luke Humphries

Few can forget Dan Dawson’s “the ascension is complete” line when Luke Humphres pinned double eight to win his first-ever Paddy Power World Darts Championship title in January. The world number one returns to defend his crown this year and if he is able to do so, will join a prestigious group of players such as Phil Taylor, Adrian Lewis and Gary Anderson, who successfully retained the coveted Sid Waddell Trophy. 

‘Cool Hand Luke’ has won six TV ranking titles since October 2023, and this year, he helped steer England to the World Cup with Michael Smith in June before winning his first World Matchplay title the following month. “I’m going to be dangerous at the World Championship this year, I can feel it” - these were the exact words of the reigning champ ahead of the tournament, and rarely has he failed to deliver on his promises. 

Humphries is the second favourite to win the 2024-25 Paddy Power World Darts Championship, currently showing up at 3.00 with Bet365. 

Luke Littler

A year ago, darts purists may have anticipated Luke Littler to make an impression on his Ally Pally debut, but few could have imagined the remarkable performances he delivered which captivated audiences and propelled him to the final - all at the age of just 16! Since then, the sensational teenager has produced one of, if not the greatest debut season seen, winning more titles than anyone else, including the Premier League and Grand Slam of Darts. 

‘Luke the Nuke’ beat Christian Kist, Andrew Gilding, Matt Campbell, Raymond van Barneveld, Brendan Dolan and Rob Cross in his fairytale run to the final last year, and while it is his namesake that came out on top that time, this year, it is the Warrington wonderkid that currently tops the betting favourite board at 2.00 with Betway to win the 2024-25 World Darts Championship. 

Michael van Gerwen

The 2024 season has not been the greatest for Michael van Gerwen, but the defiant Dutchman has vowed that “he will be ready” for this year’s World Darts Championship “no matter what.” The 35-year-old is the most successful player in this edition’s start-studded lineup, having lifted the coveted title three times in past, including 2013-14, 2016-17, and 2018-19, and his journey to a fourth crown will get underway on December 20 when he faces either James Hurrell or Jim Long. 

‘MVG’ is inserted in the bottom half of the draw and you can’t help but feel that the world number three has saved his best performance for the grandest stage of all, in front of a packed house here at the Ally Pally. Odds of 10.0 are available on pre-tournament betting for the three-time world champ to win the 2024-25 Paddy Power World Darts Championship, but if he gets off to a solid start, expect that price to drop very quickly. 

Ones to Watch

Among the lurkers in the pack for the Paddy Power World Darts Championship title is Stephen Bunting, who reached the quarter-final on three occasions and the semis once, since his debut over a decade ago. The Liverpudlian won the January Masters, beating van Gerwen 11-7 in the final, but en route to the title, he also downed all of Humphries, Ross Smith, Peter Wright and Nathan Aspinall. You can ‘Go Bunting Mental’ with odds of 40.0 for the 39-year-old to win this year’s title. 

There’s no talk of Ally Pally greats without the irrepressible Gary Anderson’s name making the conversation. The 53-year-old is one of just three players to win back-to-back World Championship titles and his tally of 51 wins at the event is the second-most of all time behind van Gerwen. Notably, The Flying Scotsman’s seasonal average of 99.86 is the highest of any Tour Card Holder qualifier, surpassing the likes of both Littler and Humphries. Installed at 9.0, Anderson could be of tremendous value if he brings his A-Game to Alexandra Palace. 

We round off the table-toppers with none other than Michael Smith, who completed his dream of becoming a world champion in 2023 in arguably the greatest final of all time, which included that heart-stopping nine-darter against MVG that sent Wayne Mardle into raptures. Smith has had an inconsistent year but showed glimpses of his best when winning the World Cup of Darts alongside Humphries, and odds of 28.0 definitely seem worth a cheeky punt for the 'BullyBoy.'

Odds to Win the Paddy Power World Darts Championship

As mentioned Humphries is out to defend his title this year, but the pre-tournament favourite tag belongs to the teenage Hawkeye Luke Littler. Here are the players and odds from the top of the betting boards: 

All odds taken from Bet365

1. Luke Littler - 2.00
2. Luke Humphries - 3.00
3. Gary Anderson - 9.00
4. Michael van Gerwen - 10.00
5. Wessel Nijman - 28.00
6. Mike De Decker - 28.00
7. Michael Smith - 28.00
8. Gerwyn Price - 33.00
9. Chris Dobey - 40.00
10. Rob Cross - 40.00
11. Stephen Bunting 40.00
12. Gian van Veen - 40.00
13. Ross Smith - 40.00
14. Dave Chisnall - 66.00
15. Nathan Aspinall - 80.00

Dartmas is here, and this year’s Paddy Power World Darts Championship is shaping up to be the greatest ever seen, so be sure to lock in your bets and prepare for December Darts Delight with SportyTrader!

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