2023 World Darts Championship Draw, Dates and More
Peter Wright will begin the defense of his Cazoo World Darts Championship on the opening night of the 2022/23 competition. The two-time champion will meet either Northern Ireland’s Mickey Mansell or New Zealand’s Ben Robb. This pair will open proceedings on Thursday, December 15.
The pre-Christmas period in the sport’s showpiece event – with a prize fund of £2.5 million and played at London’s Alexandra Palace – will feature the first and second-round matches played across nine days from December 15th-23rd.
Michael van Gerwen is favorite to land the 2023 World Darts Championship. ©PDC
Friday, December 16th is the day set aside for the first double session of the championship. In the afternoon, double World Champion Adrian Lewis faces Sweden’s Daniel Larsson. In the evening, eight-time PDC Women’s Series winner Beau Greaves will make her world championship bow against Ireland’s William O’Connor. Two-time runner-up Michael Smith will also play either Jermaine Wattimena or Nathan Rafferty.
Can a Belgian Move a Rock?
Belgian number one Dimitri Van den Bergh and World Youth champion Josh Rock headline the action on Saturday, December 17th. Former finalist Simon Whitlock, Daryl Gurney, and Lisa Ashton also take to the stage. Two-time semi-finalist Nathan Aspinall gets his campaign underway on Sunday, December 18th. The day will also see World Cup winner Damon Heta in action. Adrian Lewis is his likely opponent.
World number one Gerwyn Price starts his bid for a second World Championship crown on Monday, December 19th. The Welshman will face either Luke Woodhouse or Ukrainian debutant Vladyslav Omelchenko in round two. Monday’s action will also see the remarkable Steve Beaton make his 32nd consecutive World Championship appearance.
Another popular player, five-time World Champion Raymond van Barneveld, enters the fray on Tuesday, December 20th. The Dutch legend will begin his 30th World Championship campaign against Ryan Meikle or four-time Women’s World Champion Lisa Ashton. On the same card, Women’s World Matchplay winner Fallon Sherrock will play Ricky Evans for the right to meet Joe Cullen in the second round.
Dutch Master Begins His Quest
Wednesday, December 21st will see three-time champion and ante-post favorite Michael van Gerwen begin his quest to lift the Sid Waddell Trophy for the first time since 2019. The best World Darts Championship betting sites make the Dutch player 11/4 to take the title on January 3rd.
The St Helens duo of Dave Chisnall and Stephen Bunting will also be in action on the 21st. The day could also witness last year’s quarter-finalist Callan Rydz clash with a shooting star, Josh Rock.
Two-time World Champion Gary Anderson headlines a star-studded double session on Thursday, December 22nd, the bill also includes ten-time TV title winner James Wade and fifth seed Luke Humphries.
Rob Cross has found some form as the season approaches its conclusion. ©Kieran Cleeves/PDC
The second round of action will conclude across two sessions on Friday, December 23rd. 2018 World Champion Rob Cross, seventh seed Jonny Clayton, and Masters champion Joe Cullen are among the high-profile players in action.
Four Brackets and the Best of …
Following a three-day Christmas break, the third and fourth rounds of Dart’s World Championship will be held from December 27th until the 30th. The quarterfinals, semi-finals and grand final will take place during the first three days of January.
Darts betting sites are offering prices on the winners of each quarterfinal bracket. Gerwyn Price is 13/8 to take the top quarter of the draw. Michael Smith is 9/4 to claim the second bracket. At 3/1, Peter Wright is the narrow favorite to land the third quarter, and van Gerwen is even-money to sail through the bottom bracket.
Early rounds of the competition are a best-of-five-sets format. The third and fourth rounds are the best-of-seven-sets. The business end of the tournament sees the quarterfinals raced to five sets. The semi-finals are a race to six, and the valuable decider is a best of 13 sets confrontation.
Where Does the Value Lay?
The list of televised event winners during the year confirms Michael van Gerwen is the rightful World Darts Championship favorite.
Televised Tournament Results
| 2021/22 World Championship | Peter Wright |
| 2022 Masters | Joe Cullen |
| 2022 UK Open | Danny Noppert |
| 2022 US Darts Masters | Michael Smith |
| 2022 Premier League | Michael van Gerwen |
| 2022 Nordic Darts Masters | Dimitri Van den Bergh |
| 2022 World Cup | Australia (Damon Heta & Simon Whitlock) |
| 2022 Dutch Darts Masters | Dimitri Van den Bergh |
| 2022 World Matchplay | Michael van Gerwen |
| 2022 Queensland Darts Masters | Michael van Gerwen |
| 2022 New South Wales Darts Masters | Jonny Clayton |
| 2022 New Zealand Darts Masters | Gerwyn Price |
| 2022 World Series of Darts Finals | Gerwyn Price |
| 2022 World Grand Prix | Michael van Gerwen |
| 2022 European Championship | Ross Smith |
| 2022 Grand Slam of Darts | Michael Smith |
| 2022 Players Championship Finals | Michael van Gerwen |
But there are other in-form players to consider. Luke Humphries – 14/1 with the best World Darts Championship betting sites – has won four of 2022’s 13 European Tour events. Michael Smith – in addition to his breakthrough ‘major’ (The Grand Slam of Darts) – has won three Players Championship events and a leg of the European Tour (The Dutch Darts Championship).
7/1 in the outright betting, Smith can be backed at 4/1 to reach his third World Championship final in the past five years. And there are signs to suggest Rob Cross is too big at 7/1 to win his quarter/bracket. The 2018 World Champion took two Players Championship events towards the end of the season. Most recently, Cross made the decider of the Players Championship Finals where he averaged an impressive 100.3 in the 17-leg game.
