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When does the World Darts Championship start? Live stream, TV and draw details as Luke Littler targets glory
The PDC World Darts Championship has made itself one of the biggest highlights on the sporting calendar.
Almost all of the world's top stars will be in action at Alexandra Palace over the festive period, with Luke Humphries looking to retain his title - and teenage sensation Luke Littler aiming to go one better than he managed almost 12 months ago, after flying onto the scene at just 16 years of age. Littler-fever is already sweeping the nation, with demand for tickets soaring - and victory for the now 17-year-old would cap an incredible 12 months for the youngster.
But he will face fierce opposition along the way, none more so than reigning champion Luke Humphries - who will again be determined to crash the party and end Littler's fairytale. Scottish hopes meanwhile lie with veterans Gary Anderson and Peter Wright, who head to Ally Pally as the 14th and 17th seeds respectively - as well as the unseeded Cammy Menzies and Alan Soutar who won his maiden PDC title earlier this year. With a huge prize pot on offer, thousands in attendance and millions glued to their TV - Record Sport can ensure you don't miss a moment of drama.
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When does the action start?
Action gets underway at the Alexandra Palace on Sunday December 15, with three first-round matches and one second-round match on the opening evening.
The third and fourth rounds will be completed by December 30 before a night off on New Year's Eve. The quarter-finals are held across two sessions on New Year's Day ahead of the semi-finals on January 2 and the final on Friday January 3.
How does the tournament work?
The top 32 seeded players all automatically advance to the second round, meaning fans will have to wait before seeing big-hitters like Humphries, Littler, Michael van Gerwen and Scotland’s own Gary Anderson take to the oche. After that matches will be played as straight in, double out - requiring the players to score 501 points to win a leg, finishing on a double, with a minimum of three sets required to win a match.
Who has already qualified for the second round?
The seeds are: Luke Humphries (1), Michael Smith (2), Michael van Gerwen (3), Luke Littler (4), Rob Cross (5), Dave Chisnall (6), Jonny Clayton (7), Stephen Bunting (8), Damon Heta (9), Gerwyn Price (10), Dimitri Van den Bergh (11), Nathan Aspinall (12), Danny Noppert (13), Gary Anderson (14), Chris Dobey (15), James Wade (16), Peter Wright (17), Josh Rock (18), Ross Smith (19), Ryan Searle (20), Andrew Gilding (21), Martin Schindler (22), Joe Cullen (23), Mike De Decker (24), Dirk van Duijvenbode 25), Daryl Gurney (26), Gabriel Clemens (27), Gian van Veen (28), Ritchie Edhouse (29), Brendan Dolan (30), Krzysztof Ratajski (31), Raymond van Barneveld (32).
Where can I watch the World Darts Championship live?
Every match will be exclusively live on Sky Sports’ dedicated darts channel, starting from the first round on December 15.
Can I live stream the World Darts Championship live?
All the action will be available for Sky Sports customers to stream on Sky Go. Alternatively it can be streamed on Now TV with a Day Pass available at NowTV.com from £11.99.
How much prize money is on offer
Once again a £2.5million prize fund is up for grabs, with the winner collecting a cool £500,000 and runner-up pocketing £200,000. From there money is awarded on a sliding scale, with defeated semi-finalists receiving £100,000 each, quarter-finalists getting £50,000, £35,000 for a fourth round exit, £25,000 at the third round, £15,000 for the second round and £7,500 for anyone who falls at the first hurdle.
