Grand Slam of Darts 2025 | Day One Preview and Order of Play

The 2025 Grand Slam of Darts gets under way in Wolverhampton on Saturday with the first batch of group fixtures.

The 19th staging of the prestigious major sees 32 players competing for £650,000 in prize money at the Aldersley Leisure Village.

The field is comprised of televised tournament winners and runners-up over the past 12 months, as well as a series of qualifiers from the PDC circuit and affiliate tours.

The afternoon session plays host to the opening matches from Groups B-D and F-H, including three-time champion Gerwyn Price up against the returning Ricky Evans in Group D.

Price, winner here in 2018, 2019 and 2021, missed out on last year’s Grand Slam but is back after reaching the final of the World Cup of Darts, whilst also picking up four Players Championship titles and a European Tour title this season.

Evans, meanwhile, came through last week’s Tour Card holder qualifier to clinch his first Grand Slam appearance since 2020.

Group D also sees three-time Grand Slam runner-up James Wade take on Swiss debutant Stefan Bellmont.

Wade has finished runner-up in both the UK Open and World Matchplay this year, climbing back to fifth in the Order of Merit, while Bellmont booked his place in the event by finishing top of this year’s Challenge Tour Order of Merit.

Newly-crowned European Champion Gian van Veen marks his return to action following his landmark triumph in Dortmund as he takes on Women’s World Matchplay champion Lisa Ashton.

A formidable Group F also sees World Cup of Darts winner Josh Rock come up against multiple ProTour event winner Wessel Nijman for the second successive year, with Rock having prevailed 5-3 in 2024 despite a 105.4 average from the Dutchman.

Multiple major winner Jonny Clayton starts his campaign in Group H with a tie against debutant Cameron Crabtree – the Development Tour Order of Merit winner.

Clayton failed to qualify for last year’s Grand Slam but is back with a vengeance after finishing runner-up in this year’s World Masters and World Cup, as well as reaching the semi-finals of the UK Open, World Matchplay and World Grand Prix.

Elsewhere in Group H, Danny Noppert – who came through the Tour Card holder qualifier for the third consecutive year – takes on German debutant Lukas Wenig.

Eighth seed Chris Dobey starts out against last year’s World Youth Championship runner-up Jurjen van der Velde in a Group B which also sees multiple Players Championship event winner Damon Heta face last year’s Grand Slam runner-up Martin Lukeman.

The evening session sees reigning champion Luke Littler launch his title defence against in-form Karel Sedlacek in Group E.

Littler secured his first televised ranking title here in an emphatic fashion 12 months ago and is bidding to become only the fourth player to successfully retain this crown.

The 18-year-old, who could also become world number one by the end of the week, opens up against Czech number one Sedlacek – who came through the Tour Card holder qualifier to secure a debut appearance.

Elsewhere in Group E, World Cup of Darts winner Daryl Gurney marks his return to the Grand Slam for the first time since 2019 as he faces Connor Scutt – who continued his resurgent form in the Tour Card holder qualifier.

Luke Humphries, the 2023 champion, starts his quest to reclaim the Eric Bristow Trophy and retain the world number one spot when he meets American ace Alex Spellman.

Humphries crashed out in the Group Stage 12 months ago and will be determined to make amends as he vies for a third major title of 2025.

Spellman, 37, arrives in Wolverhampton for the first time, having won this year’s CDC Continental Cup.

A fascinating Group A also sees Nathan Aspinall and Michael Smith go head-to-head in a repeat of the 2022 Grand Slam final.

Smith came out on top a crushing 16-5 winner on that occasion to land a maiden major title, before going on to win the World Championship.

However, he has endured a torrid 2025 which has seen him plummet to 30th in the Order of Merit after failing to qualify for the World Matchplay, World Grand Prix and European Championship, but he underlined his battling qualities by coming through the Tour Card holder qualifier.

Aspinall, meanwhile, returns after missing out last year, having enjoyed a superb season on the European Tour which saw him scoop a hat-trick of titles as well as a further final appearance.

Dubbed this year’s ‘Group of Death’, Group G kicks off with a showdown between two-time Grand Slam finalist Gary Anderson and European Tour event winner Niko Springer.

Anderson has picked up a European Tour title and a Players Championship title this year, while Springer arrives for his debut courtesy of his Hungarian Darts Trophy triumph.

That is followed by a mouth-watering tie between three-time Grand Slam champion Michael van Gerwen and three-time Women’s World Champion Beau Greaves.

Van Gerwen returned to the winner’s circle on home soil at the World Series Finals in Amsterdam in September and will be determined to atone for last year’s disastrous Group Stage exit in Wolverhampton.

Greaves returns for her third consecutive appearance after an astonishing Women’s Series campaign which saw her extend her unbeaten run to 86 matches, whilst also securing a Tour Card via the Development Tour.

Group C commences with a tie between German number one Martin Schindler and European Tour finalist Luke Woodhouse, before world number four Stephen Bunting takes on PDC Asian Championship finalist Alexis Toylo in the final match of the night.

The action gets under way from 1pm GMT, with Group Stage matches to be contested over the best of nine legs.

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Grand Slam of Darts 2025 Day One Schedule of Play

Saturday November 8

Afternoon Session (1pm-5pm)

Groups B-D-F-H
Danny Noppert v Lukas Wenig (H)
Damon Heta v Martin Lukeman (B)
Chris Dobey v Jurjen van der Velde (B)
Gerwyn Price v Ricky Evans (D)
James Wade v Stefan Bellmont (D)
Jonny Clayton v Cam Crabtree (H)
Josh Rock v Wessel Nijman (F)
Gian van Veen v Lisa Ashton (F)

Evening Session (7pm-11pm)

Groups A-C-E-G
Daryl Gurney v Connor Scutt (E)
Martin Schindler v Luke Woodhouse (C)
Nathan Aspinall v Michael Smith (A)
Gary Anderson v Niko Springer (G)
Luke Humphries v Alex Spellman (A)
Luke Littler v Karel Sedlacek (E)
Michael van Gerwen v Beau Greaves (G)
Stephen Bunting v Alexis Toylo (C)