Live Darts on Friday | World Darts Championship 2025/26 Day Nine Preview and Order of Play

The first round draws to a close at the World Darts Championship on Friday as a clutch of star names take to the Alexandra Palace stage.

One of the most memorable days of first round action in the event’s history saw David Munyua and Motomu Sakai etch their name into Ally Pally folklore by pulling off huge upsets on their debut.

Opportunity knocks for a further batch of newcomers on Day Nine as they bid to upset the applecart and complete the second round line-up.

The afternoon session includes a clash between World Cup of Darts winner Josh Rock and Women’s Series star Gemma Hayter.

Rock has enjoyed his best year on the circuit to date, partnering Daryl Gurney to World Cup glory for Northern Ireland, as well as picking up a Players Championship title and reaching a further three major semi-finals.

Rock heads into his fourth World Championship campaign as the 11th seed, having reached the Last 16 on debut in 2022/23 and bowed out in the second round and third round in his two most recent visits.

Hayter finished fifth on this year’s Women’s Series Order of Merit, reaching three finals, and also made her debut in July’s Women’s World Matchplay in Blackpool.

Former Grand Slam semi-finalist Mickey Mansell comes up against American ace Leonard Gates in another intriguing tie.

Mansell has reached two ProTour quarter-finals this season and is making his tenth World Championship appearance as he bids to reach Round Two for the fifth consecutive time.

Gates, a multiple World Seniors televised event winner, returns for a third crack at Ally Pally, having reached Round Two in each of his previous two visits, losing out 3-1 to Nathan Aspinall 12 months ago.

Dutch star Kevin Doets, who enjoyed a terrific run to the Last 16 at Ally Pally 12 months ago opens up with a tie against debutant Matthew Dennant – a two-time Challenge Tour event winner who has reached two ProTour quarter-finals this term.

World number 62 Ryan Meikle, who is battling to retain his Tour Card, faces a tricky opener against Argentinian trailblazer Jesus Salate.

Meikle is making his sixth World Championship appearance, having lost 3-1 at the hands of Raymond van Barneveld and Luke Littler in the second round of his last two campaigns.

Salate impressed during Argentina’s debut World Cup of Darts campaign and becomes the first player from his nation to compete in the World Championship, having won four Championship Darts Latin America and Caribbean Tour events in 2025.

Evening Session

Multiple major champion Nathan Aspinall launches his latest bid for a maiden world title with a tie against Lourence Ilagan of the Phillipines.

Aspinall has romped to a hat-trick of European Tour titles this season, whilst also reaching the semi-finals of the Premier League and finishing runner-up in last month’s Players Championship Finals.

The Stockport star enjoyed a breakthrough run to the semi-finals on his World Championship debut in 2018/19 and repeated the feat 12 months later, before reaching the quarter-finals on New Year’s Day in 2025.

Ilagan celebrates his tenth PDC World Championship appearance after retaining the Asian Championship title but has mustered just one win in his nine previous visits to Ally Pally.

One of the stand-out ties of the opening round sees two-time major winner Daryl Gurney take on three-time Women’s World Champion Beau Greaves.

Gurney, twice a World Championship quarter-finalist, has enjoyed a resurgent season, reaching the Last Eight of both the European Championship and Players Championship Finals.

The former Premier League star partnered Josh Rock to World Cup glory for Northern Ireland in June and returns for his 13th World Championship campaign, having lost his opening match here just once over the last decade.

Greaves makes her eagerly-awaited return to the sport’s biggest stage after a three-year absence, during which time she has gone unbeaten in the Women’s World Championship at Lakeside before surrendering her crown this year in order to compete in this event.

The 21-year-old has claimed the last 13 Women’s Series titles in a row, winning a record-breaking 86 matches in a row and also sealed a brace of Challenge Tour titles, whilst finishing second on the Development Tour Order of Merit.

The Doncaster star has already secured a two-year Tour Card and is now vying to become the first female to win a match on the Ally Pally stage since Fallon Sherrock in 2019.

The opening match of the evening sees Irish stalwart William O’Connor, runner-up in a Players Championship event this season, face Poland’s Krzysztof Kciuk – who came through the Polish qualifier to secure a third Ally Pally appearance.

O’Connor’s World Cup team-mate Keane Barry gets his campaign under way with a tie against Australian debutant Tim Pusey.

Barry, a former UK Open semi-finalist, is making his seventh consecutive appearance as he bids to reach the second round for the fourth time, while Pusey finished top of the order of merit in the Australia Darts Association (ADA) tour after winning back-to-back titles on the final weekend.

The action gets under way from 12.30pm GMT, with first round ties to be contested over the best of five sets.

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World Darts Championship 2025/26 Day Nine Schedule

Friday December 19

Afternoon Session (12.30pm-5pm)
Kevin Doets v Matthew Dennant
Ryan Meikle v Jesus Salate
Mickey Mansell v Leonard Gates
Josh Rock v Gemma Hayter

Evening Session (7pm-11pm)
William O’Connor v Krzysztof Kciuk
Daryl Gurney v Beau Greaves
Nathan Aspinall v Lourence Ilagan
Keane Barry v Tim Pusey