World Series of Darts Finals 2025 | Day One Preview and Order of Play

The 2025 World Series of Darts Finals commences on Friday with eight unmissable first round ties in Amsterdam.

The 11th staging of the televised non-ranking event will feature 32 players competing for £400,000 in prize money over the next three days at the AFAS Live.

A host of star names are in action on opening night, with one of the stand-out ties featuring world number one Luke Humphries up against ten-time major winner James Wade.

Humphries is aiming to secure this title for the first time, having reached the semi-finals two years ago, and heads to Amsterdam in high spirits following last weekend’s Czech Darts Open triumph.

Humphries is seeded fourth in the draw, having claimed the US Masters title on the World Series this year, but faces a formidable opener against the 2018 champion.

Wade has enjoyed a superb season of resurgence, finishing runner-up in both the UK Open and World Matchplay, as well as picking up a Players Championship title.

Another mouth-watering tie sees five-time champion Michael van Gerwen take on emerging star Wessel Nijman.

Van Gerwen won four of the first five stagings of this event before adding to his tally in 2023, but just three World Series appearances and three quarter-finals this year mean he is unseeded this time around.

The three-time World Champion averaged 112 in a 6-0 whitewash of Mike De Decker in Prague last weekend but frustratingly followed that up with an 89 average in a Third Round defeat to Josh Rock.

Nijman, meanwhile, continues to make strides up the Order of Merit and is now ranked inside the world’s top 40, having reached two European Tour semi-finals and two ProTour semi-finals in 2025.

Top seed Stephen Bunting gets his campaign under way with a clash against home hopeful Danny Noppert.

Bunting has enjoyed a magnificent year on the World Series, clinching the Bahrain Masters and Nordic Masters titles, alongside runner-up spots at the Poland Masters and Dutch Masters.

Noppert finished runner-up here in 2019 and has four Players Championship semi-final appearances to his name this year, as well as a semi-final run at the World Masters back in February.

Fifth seed Rob Cross, the 2020 runner-up, starts out against New Zealand number one Haupai Puha.

Cross has enjoyed an impressive World Series campaign this year, winning the Dutch Masters back in January and reaching the final of the Nordic Masters in June.

Tour Card holder Puha has climbed into the world’s top 100 this year and notably took Luke Littler to a deciding leg in last month’s Australian Masters.

World Grand Prix champion Mike De Decker takes on former World Championship semi-finalist Gabriel Clemens.

De Decker got his first taste of World Series action this year and grasped the opportunity with both hands, reaching the final of the Australian Masters before eventually going down 8-4 to Littler.

Clemens came through last month’s Tour Card holder qualifier to secure a fifth World Series Finals appearance – where he is vying for his first win.

World number ten Damon Heta faces a tough test against a rejuvenated Joe Cullen – fresh from winning Players Championship 27 on Wednesday.

World Cup of Darts winner Josh Rock – runner-up in back-to-back European Tour events – looks to continue his blistering spell of form when he faces Polish number one Krzysztof Ratajski.

The opening match of the night features an all-Dutch showdown between Kevin Doets and recent Players Championship event winner Jermaine Wattimena.

The action gets under way from 6pm BST, with First Round matches to be contested over the best of 11 legs.

WATCH THE WORLD SERIES FINALS STREAMED LIVE HERE

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World Series of Darts Finals 2025 Day One Schedule

All times BST (local time +1 hour)

Friday September 12

First Round

6pm-10pm
Kevin Doets v Jermaine Wattimena
Krzysztof Ratajski v Josh Rock
Damon Heta v Joe Cullen
Mike De Decker v Gabriel Clemens
Luke Humphries v James Wade
Wessel Nijman v Michael van Gerwen
Stephen Bunting v Danny Noppert
Rob Cross v Haupai Puha