Check out Paul Nicholson's selections for the World Grand Prix

Five to watch at the World Grand Prix: Josh Rock and Gian van Veen among Paul Nicholson's picks for the double-start major

By Paul Nicholson

Darts

Mon October 06, 2025 · 2M ago

Ahead of the double-start World Grand Prix, Paul Nicholson picks out five players to watch in Leicester.

Wessel Nijman

This talented debutant has been on everyone’s radar for years, and it feels rather odd that he’s making his debut in the 2025 double-in, double-out extravaganza.

The fact that he was a winner in the last Players Championship event before the tournament will skew everyone's opinion of his game with Rob Cross, but the fact is a lot of people have tipped him to win it regardless of that PC30 title.

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Here are the reasons why; He’s in better form than Cross, even though he’s had a very impressive running average for the year. Wessel has beaten Rob every time he has played him, and lastly, we all know that this format isn’t the favourite of Voltage.

I know this may seem like I am angling against Rob, but the stats and data we have point to a Wessel win. This kind of line could indeed fire Rob up, but based on recent things, you’d have to back Nijman.

There is a lot of strength in this section of the draw, but it’s not out of the question that Wessel could thrive if he can get his starting shots going.

Gian Van Veen

It’s at this point that people reading this will say, “but he’s playing Littler.”

What I will say is that Gian is very adept at many types of steel tip darts and I don’t see this format as a weakness for him. I see him as the kind of opponent that could cause immediate headaches for the World Champion. At the World Matchplay, Luke had more time to get out of jail from slow starts. He doesn’t have that in this format against a very dangerous opponent.

A countdown of the top 10 highest prize money earners in darts history, but starting with Luke Littler climbing inside top 20 already! How many years before he gets to the top?@TheAsset180 pic.twitter.com/bkOt0nUog6
— Chris Hammer (@ChrisHammer180) October 3, 2025

I am not saying outright that I think Van Veen will win, but just watch out because Gian is the highest ranked qualifier from the draw and he’s the player people really didn’t want to get.

Also, you might be curious to know that GVV has a winning record in their seven meetings. It can’t go unnoticed.

Niko Springer

Speaking of players that seeds didn’t want to get, here is another one. After a recent win in Hungary, he bulldozed his way into this World Grand Prix and into more conversations than ever. Some of us have loved watching this fabulous German player off the radar for the last two years, but now he’s in full focus in everyone’s scope.

He seems to be better on stage than the floor, he is really cool under pressure and superbly reactive when hit with big scores, and he might need that against someone who’s having his best ever season in Stephen Bunting.

We can’t ignore that The Bullet hasn’t beaten Springer in their two meetings, so I think this game could go to a last leg decider in round one. With Noppert and Wattimena for the next course, I see this as a big opportunity for the winner.

Just like Nijman and Van Veen, Springer has a winning record against his round one opponent.

Lastly, double start isn’t alien to him as he’s won a DIDO event (as it’s known) at PDC Europe Next Gen. So, he will have a game plan.

Is this one of the 'unbreakable' records in darts?

Not only has Alan Warriner-Little's ridiculous 106.45 World Grand Prix average record stood since 2001, but nobody has got remotely close for best part of 10 years! pic.twitter.com/2PqUPUsLeo
— Chris Hammer (@ChrisHammer180) October 6, 2025

Josh Rock

Ok, I will get right to it. I think Rock makes the final. He hasn’t won a WGP match in this career yet but last year we found out what happens when you put a run together.

Rock has been transformative this season and even when he’s not winning, he’s such a huge danger to any player.

Some players need to take out a real threat in round one to mount a charge, and that opponent is Ryan Joyce. Someone who Rock faced last year at the same stage. He will want to even the score. If he can, he will fear nobody because a win against Ryan in double start is one of the toughest things around. It will be interesting to see how this goes.

Head to head record doesn’t come into this one, but maybe revenge does and that’s why Rock is not the right opponent for Joyce this time around.

Mike De Decker

Realistically speaking, how many have been bigging up the defending champion the last few weeks? Not many. But, who in their right mind was bigging him up last year? Not many, so here we go again.

He will be introduced as reigning and defending champion which will be amazing. He isn’t a seed though! He didn’t break the top 16 in the world rankings after last years big cash injection which will disappoint him, but he’s in this event again and he will be dangerous if he starts with his 146’s and 108’s like last year.

Is he getting Peter Wright at the correct time? Possibly. The statistics say yes as well, but he’s still got to try and take out a slender Snakebite who really has nothing to lose here.

The crux of this pick is this. Does Mike like the format? Yes. Has he got a bad draw? No. Is he playing well? Well enough to maybe strike again. Just watch out for the defending champion if he gets a head of steam. At times last year he was untouchable getting in AND out.

And last time, he etched his name in to history solidifying his nickname of “The Real Deal.”

World Grand Prix Draw

(1) Luke Humphries v Nathan Aspinall
(16) Martin Schindler v Krzysztof Ratajski
(8) Chris Dobey v Cameron Menzies
(9) Rob Cross v Wessel Nijman
(4) Stephen Bunting v Niko Springer
(13) Danny Noppert v Jermaine Wattimena
(5) James Wade v Joe Cullen
(12) Gary Anderson v Raymond van Barneveld
(2) Luke Littler v Gian van Veen
(15) Peter Wright v Mike De Decker
(7) Gerwyn Price v Ryan Searle
(10) Josh Rock v Ryan Joyce
(3) Michael van Gerwen v Dirk van Duijvenbode
(14) Ross Smith v Daryl Gurney
(6) Jonny Clayton v Andrew Gilding
(11) Damon Heta v Luke Woodhouse

2025 World Grand Prix Schedule

Monday October 6 (1800 BST)
TV Channel: Sky Sports
First Round (Best of 3 sets)

Rob Cross v Wessel Nijman
Martin Schindler v Krzysztof Ratajski
Chris Dobey v Cameron Menzies
James Wade v Joe Cullen
Danny Noppert v Jermaine Wattimena
Luke Humphries v Nathan Aspinall
Gary Anderson v Raymond van Barneveld
Stephen Bunting v Niko Springer

Tuesday October 7 (1800 BST)
TV Channel: Sky Sports
First Round (Best of 3 sets)

Damon Heta v Luke Woodhouse
Ross Smith v Daryl Gurney
Jonny Clayton v Andrew Gilding
Gerwyn Price v Ryan Searle
Luke Littler v Gian van Veen
Michael van Gerwen v Dirk van Duijvenbode
Peter Wright v Mike De Decker
Josh Rock v Ryan Joyce

Wednesday October 8 (1900 BST)
TV Channel: Sky Sports
Second Round matches (Best of 5 sets)

Four matches

Thursday October 9 (1900 BST)
TV Channel: Sky Sports
Second Round matches (Best of 5 sets)

Four matches

Friday October 10 (1900 BST)
TV Channel: Sky Sports
Quarter-Finals (Best of seven sets)

Four matches

Saturday October 11 (2030 BST)
TV Channel: Sky Sports
Semi-Finals (Best of seven sets)

Two matches

Sunday October 13 (2000 BST)
TV Channel: Sky Sports
Final (Best of nine sets)

Winner SF 1 v Winner SF 2

What TV channel is the World Grand Prix on?

The World Grand Prix will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK, through the PDC's worldwide broadcast partners including DAZN and Viaplay, and on PDCTV (excluding UK, Germany, Austria & Switzerland based subscribers).

World Grand Prix Prize Money

Winner - £120,000
Runner-up - £60,000
Semi-finalists - £40,000
Quarter-finalists - £25,000
Second round - £15,000
First round - £7,500

Tournament Format

All Sets are the best of five legs. There will be no tie-break in any set.
All legs must begin and end with a double, meaning that a player must hit a double before he can begin scoring in each leg.
First Round - Best of three sets
Second Round - Best of five sets
Quarter-Finals - Best of five sets
Semi-Finals - Best of seven sets
Final - Best of nine sets

World Grand Prix History

Final scores in sets
1998 - Phil Taylor 13-8 Rod Harrington
1999 - Phil Taylor 6-1 Shayne Burgess
2000 - Phil Taylor 6-1 Shayne Burgess
2001 - Alan Warriner 8-2 Roland Scholten
2002 - Phil Taylor 7-3 John Part
2003 - Phil Taylor 7-2 John Part
2004 - Colin Lloyd 7-3 Alan Warriner
2005 - Phil Taylor 7-1 Colin Lloyd
2006 - Phil Taylor 7-4 Terry Jenkins
2007 - James Wade 6-3 Terry Jenkins
2008 - Phil Taylor 6-2 Raymond van Barneveld
2009 - Phil Taylor 6-3 Raymond van Barneveld
2010 - James Wade 6-3 Adrian Lewis
2011 - Phil Taylor 6-3 Brendan Dolan
2012 - Michael van Gerwen 6-4 Mervyn King
2013 - Phil Taylor 6-0 Dave Chisnall
2014 - Michael van Gerwen 5-3 James Wade
2015 - Robert Thornton 5-4 Michael van Gerwen
2016 - Michael van Gerwen 5-2 Gary Anderson
2017 - Daryl Gurney 5-4 Simon Whitlock
2018 - Michael van Gerwen 5-2 Peter Wright
2019 - Michael van Gerwen 5-1 Dave Chisnall
2020 - Gerwyn Price 5-2 Dirk van Duijvenbode
2021 - Jonny Clayton 5-1 Gerwyn Price
2022 - Michael van Gerwen 5-3 Nathan Aspinall
2023 - Luke Humphries 5-2 Gerwyn Price
2024 - Mike de Decker 6-4 Luke Humphries

World Grand Prix Most Titles

Phil Taylor - 11
Michael van Gerwen - 6
James Wade - 2
Mike de Decker - 1
Luke Humphries - 1
Jonny Clayton - 1
Gerwyn Price - 1
Daryl Gurney - 1
Colin Lloyd - 1
Alan Warriner - 1
Robert Thornton - 1

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