The World Darts Championship returns to our screens as the darts calendar reaches its pinnacle event.
Alexandra Palace will host the tournament once more, having recently secured a new deal through until 2031.
Luke Littler is the defending champion, having thrashed Michael van Gerwen in January’s final 7-3.
‘The Nuke’, now 18, is the top seed in the 128-strong bracket, and takes on Darius Labanauskas in his first-round match on the opening day.
He follows former champion Michael Smith, the 28th seed, today, with both looking to book their places into the second round as quickly as possible.
Luke Humphries, who defeated Littler in the 2024 final, is seeded second, and he faces Ted Evetts on Saturday evening.
The ‘People’s Champion’ Stephen Bunting - the fourth seed in Littler’s half of the draw - plays Sebastian Bialecki on Sunday.
How to watch the World Darts Championship
TV channel: The tournament will be covered live in full on Sky Sports. Both the afternoon and evening sessions will be shown on Sky Sports Darts, with many sessions also on Sky Sports Main Event.
Live stream: Sky Sports subscribers will also be able to watch the action live online through the Sky Go app.
Live blog: Follow Luke Littler vs Darius Labanauskas on Thursday night with Standard Sport’s live blog.
