The darts season is about to reach its thrilling climax, with the prestigious PDC World Championship set to get underway on December 15 before concluding on January 3.
With that in mind, now seems like a good time to take a look at the World Rankings — after all, they could make a big difference when it comes to seedings.
1. Michael Smith
The current World No. 1 is also the reigning PDC World Darts Championship holder, Michael Smith.
‘Bully Boy’ won the World Youth Championship in 2013, and he completed his journey to World Champion a decade later when beating Michael van Gerwen 7-4 in the World Championship final earlier this year.
Smith followed that up with a win in the Bahrain Darts Masters and beat Gary Andersen to win Players Championship 13 in June, but he is the fourth favourite to defend his title in the darts world championship odds.
2. Peter Wright
Two-time World Championship winner Peter Wright is currently ranked second by the PDC, and he will be keen to have a good tournament this year.
‘Snakebite’ won the £2.5 million prize for the second time in three years when he beat Smith in 2022, but he was knocked out of last year’s tournament in the third round following a shock defeat to Kim Huybrechts.
Wright is 12/1 to win the World Championship for a third time on January 3. However, he boasts some good form this year — including a second win in the European Championship in October.
3. Michael van Gerwen
Van Gerwen has become the face of darts in the last 10 years or so, winning three World Championships since his first success in the tournament when he beat Wright 7-4 in 2014.
However, ‘Mighty Mike’ will perhaps be disappointed that he hasn’t been able to add a fourth victory to his CV at Alexandra Palace in the last four years — losing two finals to the aforementioned Wright and Smith in 2020 and 2023, respectively.
Van Gerwen has won six titles this year and is arguably the deserved favorite to win a fourth world title in the darts odds on current form.
4. Luke Humphries
After cleaning up on the Development Tour, winning an array of titles including the World Youth Championship, Luke Humphries has quickly climbed up the ranks on the PDC circuit.
The 28-year-old has won several European Tour events in the last couple of years and landed his maiden premier event when winning the World Grand Prix with a victory over Gerwyn Price in October.
‘Cool Hand Luke’ has been extremely consistent at Ally Pally, reaching the quarter-finals on four attempts, and he might be primed to progress further in this year’s World Championship. He comes in as the third favorite at 6/1.
5. Gerwyn Price
Another former winner of the World Championship, Gerwyn Price has had a meteoric rise to the top since switching the rugby field for the oche.
The Welshman won his first televised title in 2018 when securing the Grand Slam of Darts, which he has won twice more since, and he landed the World Championship in 2021.
Price has won five individual titles this year, as well as the World Cup of Darts, when beating Scotland alongside English teammate Jonny Clayton, and he’s the second favorite ahead of the latest renewal of the World Championship.
