Paddy Power Sign Up Offer: Get 50/1 on Littler to beat Labanauskas in round 1
Littler favourite to rule the Worlds again
The PDC World Darts Championship begins at Alexandra Palace on Thursday December 11, and it’ll be all eyes on Luke Littler as the teenage sensation begins his title defence against Darius Labanauskas.
Littler was still 18 days short of his 18th birthday when becoming the youngest world champion in history back in January, and is also the current holder of the Grand Slam of Darts, UK Open, World Matchplay and World Grand Prix titles.
But for coming up short in the Premier League, Littler would be bidding for a clean sweep of the biggest titles in darts this season, and he returns to Ally Pally as a strong favourite. Bookmakers rate him about 50-50 versus the field, which is to say Littler’s chance is equal to the other 127 players combined.
Among them, second seed Luke Humphries is seen as the biggest danger. He beat Littler in the 2024 final and while dumped out in round four of his defence, returns as the clear number two. He’s seeded that way, too, meaning the pair are on course to meet in the World Darts final on Saturday January 3.
Who else can stop Littler?
Littler’s defence begins against Lithuania’s Darius Labanauskas, quarter-finalist in 2020 but winner of just two matches on this stage since. Victory for the 49-year-old would go down among the biggest shocks in the history of the event and bookmakers give him very little hope of avoiding a 3-0 whitewash.
Littler appears to have landed in a good section of the draw, with Dutch darting legend Raymond van Barneveld far from the force of old and Australia’s Damon Heta and former champion Rob Cross the two biggest names in The Nuke’s section.
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Lurking on the opposite side of the same quarter though are another former champion, Gerwyn Price, and the dangerous Chris Dobey, who made the semi-finals a year ago.
Price did go on a six-match winning run against Littler, which ended in March, and recently said that he’s different to other PDC players who ‘are all scared of him’. A quarter-final meeting of the pair would be a blockbuster showdown and a real test for Littler.
Should Littler emerge unscathed, it’s very possible that his semi-final is less daunting on paper. Price’s World Cup teammate Jonny Clayton, prolific 180 hitter Ross Smith, fourth seed Stephen Bunting and the dangerous Dave Chisnall are among the key candidates.
Chisnall though faces Fallon Sherrock in the first round, a potential banana skin against the ‘Queen of the Palace’.
How to watch the World Darts Championship
Sky Sports have exclusive rights to the PDC World Championship in the UK, with every match live on channel 407, which will be rebranded Sky Sports Darts for the duration of the tournament.
Viewers can also stream via Sky Go and Now TV, while there will be highlights on Sky Sports and PDC YouTube channels together with social media clips on X, TikTok and Facebook.
Before the action begins, Sky Sports host Abigail Davies and former World Championship player Paul Nicholson sat down with Sporting Life’s Chris Hammer to go through the entire draw. You can watch their video preview here.
World Darts Championship schedule
- Thursday December 11 - 4 x Round one at 7pm
- Friday December 12 - 4 x Round one at 12.30pm
- Friday December 12 - 4 x Round one at 7pm
- Saturday December 13 - 4 x Round one at 12.30pm
- Saturday December 13 - 4 x Round one at 7pm
- Sunday December 14 - 4 x Round one at 12.30pm
- Sunday December 14 - 4 x Round one at 7pm
- Monday December 15 - 4 x Round one at 12.30pm
- Monday December 15 - 4 x Round one at 7pm
- Tuesday December 16 - 4 x Round one at 12.30pm
- Tuesday December 16 - 4 x Round one at 7pm
- Wednesday December 17 - 4 x Round one at 12.30pm
- Wednesday December 17 - 4 x Round one at 7pm
- Thursday December 18 - 4 x Round one at 12.30pm
- Thursday December 18 - 4 x Round one at 7pm
- Friday December 19 - 4 x Round one at 12.30pm
- Friday December 19 - 4 x Round one at 7pm
- Saturday December 20 - 4 x Round two at 12.30pm
- Saturday December 20 - 4 x Round two at 7pm
- Sunday December 21 - 4 x Round two at 12.30pm
- Sunday December 21 - 4 x Round two at 7pm
- Monday December 22 - 4 x Round two at 12.30pm
- Monday December 22 - 4 x Round two at 7pm
- Tuesday December 23 - 4 x Round two at 12.30pm
- Tuesday December 23 - 4 x Round two at 7pm
- No play on Wednesday December 24, Christmas Day and Boxing Day
- Saturday December 27 - 3 x Round three at 12.30pm
- Saturday December 27 - 3 x Round three at 7pm
- Sunday December 28 - 3 x Round three at 12.30pm
- Sunday December 28 - 3 x Round three at 7pm
- Monday December 29 - 3 x Round three at 12.30pm
- Monday December 29 - 1 x Round three and 2 x Round four at 7pm
- Tuesday December 30 - 3 x Round four at 12.30pm
- Tuesday December 30 - 3 x Round four at 7pm
- Thursday January 1 - 2 x Quarter-finals at 12.30pm
- Thursday January 1 - 2 x Quarter-finals at 7pm
- Friday January 2 - Semi-finals at 7.30pm
- Saturday January 3 - Final at 8pm
Paddy Power Offer: Terms and Conditions
Who can take part?
- New customers only. Available to residents of the UK & Republic of Ireland.
How & when can I qualify?
- Open a new account using promo codeYSACLK
- Deposit a minimum of £5 by Pay by Bank, Cards or Apple Pay.
- Place a max £1 bet on Luke Littler To Win in the Match Odds market in Luke Littler vs Darius Labanauskas on Thursday 11th December.
- Cashed Out, Partially Cashed Out and Power Price bets will not count towards the promotion. If you place a qualifying bet and subsequently use Cash Out on the bet, you will no longer be eligible for the promotion.
What can I win?
- If your bet is successful, you will be paid in cash based on the normal price on site and will have the extra amount, bringing the bet up to the cumulative 50/1 payout, credited in free bets.
When will I get my prize?
- You will receive your Free bet after your qualifying bet settles. Free bets are valid for 30 days.
What else do I need to know?
- Best odds guaranteed does not apply to bets placed with a free bet, or partial free bet.
- You can use part of your free bets and save the rest for later as long as you use it before they expire. Stakes are not returned with winnings if your free bet wins. Your winnings will be credited to your main wallet.
- If we find that you have taken part in this promotion using a duplicate account or that you have used more than one account to participate, we reserve the right to withhold your free bets and any winnings earned on the duplicate account.
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- The offer excludes the following bet types: Canadian, Goliath, Heinz, Lucky 15, Lucky 31, Lucky 63, Patent, Super Heinz, Trixie & Yankee.
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