Live Darts on Saturday | World Darts Championship 2025/26 Day Three Preview and Order of Play

Former World Champions Luke Humphries and Gary Anderson commence their 2025/26 World Darts Championship campaigns at Alexandra Palace on Saturday.

The first round action continues in the capital with a star-studded double session on Saturday as a host of big names look to avoid a shock early exit.

A decade on from securing back-to-back world titles, Scottish icon Anderson looks to roll back the years and become his country’s all-time most decorated World Champion.

Anderson, who defeated Phil Taylor in the 2015 final and landed a nine-darter a year later before overcoming Adrian Lewis in the final, is one of only six multiple PDC World Champions.

The 54-year-old remains firmly among the sport’s elite but has enjoyed his best results away from the major stages this season, claiming both a European Tour and Players Championship title.

Last year marked Anderson’s first opening round exit at Ally Pally to date, and he will be determined to make amends when he faces his former protégé Adam Hunt in Round One.

World number 84 Hunt, a two-time Challenge Tour event winner, came through the Tour Card holder qualifier last month to clinch his first appearance at Ally Pally since 2021/22.

The afternoon session also sees Swiss Darts Trophy finalist Luke Woodhouse take on Croatian star Boris Krcmar.

Woodhouse enjoyed a fine run to the Last 16 here 12 months ago and has qualified for every major ranking tournament this season for the first time in his career, climbing to 25th in the Order of Merit as a result.

Former Tour Card holder Krcmar came through the South-East Europe Qualifier to seal his sixth World Championship appearance, having reached the third round two years ago.

Former UK Open champion Andrew Gilding faces a tough opener against Development Tour Order of Merit winner Cam Crabtree.

Gilding finished runner-up in this year’s European Darts Grand Prix, as well as reaching a further four Players Championship semi-finals and the quarter-finals of the World Matchplay.

The 55-year-old is making his seventh World Championship appearance, with his best run to date coming last year when he made the third round.

Crabtree romped to five Development Tour titles to finish top of this year’s rankings and is making the short trip from his home in Croydon for a dream debut at Ally Pally after also featuring in last month’s Grand Slam.

The opening match of the afternoon sees Belgian veteran Mario Vandenbogaerde take on Welsh newcomer David Davies.

Vandenbogaerde is a former BDO World Championship semi-finalist and was runner-up at Players Championship 28 this season, while Davies qualified courtesy of winning the UK & IRE Tour Card Holder & Associate Member Qualifier.

Evening Session

World number two Humphries begins his quest to reclaim the Sid Waddell Trophy when he takes on three-time Challenge Tour event winner Ted Evetts.

Humphries lifted the sport’s ultimate prize two years ago with an historic 7-4 triumph over Luke Littler in the final, but has since been usurped by his rival as world number one in recent months.

Humphries added his eighth major title inside two years by winning the Premier League back in May but has lost in his last three major finals – two of which to Littler.

Winner of the US Masters and Czech Open this season, Humphries returns to Ally Pally looking to avenge last year’s shock Last 16 exit at the hands of a resurgent Peter Wright, but faces a tricky opener against a capable opponent.

Evetts, a Tour Card holder until 2023, finished third in this season’s Challenge Tour Order of Merit and is gearing up for his fifth World Championship campaign since 2017/18.

Arguably the stand-out session of the opening round also sees Dutch sensation Wessel Nijman take on Czech ace Karel Sedlacek.

Nijman, the number 31 seed, picked up two Players Championship titles towards the back end of the season, having also reached a further four semi-finals, as well as two semis on the European Tour.

The power-scoring 25-year-old reached the Last 16 of both the World Matchplay and Grand Slam and will be out to atone for last year’s disappointing straight sets defeat to Joe Cullen in Round Two at Ally Pally.

Sedlacek was one of the stand-out performers at this year’s World Cup of Darts as he guided Czechia to the quarter-finals, and he has also reached four Players Championship quarter-finals in 2025 as well as the quarter-finals of the International Open.

Another unmissable tie sees Sweden’s Jeffrey De Graaf take on Singapore legend Paul Lim.

De Graaf has given a superb account of himself in his last two outings at Ally Pally, reaching the third round two years ago before defeating Anderson en route to the Last 16 in 2024.

A landmark season for the Dutch-born Swede also saw him land a maiden Players Championship title in August after reaching his first final back in March.

Lim, 71, will make further history as the first player over the age of 70 to compete in the PDC World Championship, having broken his own record as the oldest competitor set four years ago.

Nine-dart legend at Lakeside back in 1990, Lim rolled back the years once again to finish fifth on the Asian Tour, marking his return to Alexandra Palace for the first time since 2022.

This marks his 15th appearance in the PDC World Championship and a return to the big stage after sensationally reaching the final of last year’s WDF World Championship at Lakeside.

Rounding off the night is a showdown between German star Gabriel Clemens and Alex Spellman of the USA.

Clemens made history by becoming the first German to reach the semi-finals here in 2022/23 but has failed to hit the heights since and is now languishing in 47th position in the Order of Merit.

Spellman suffered three straight defeats on his Grand Slam debut last month and is back for a second World Championship appearance courtesy of winning the CDC Continental Cup in October.

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 Three Schedule

Saturday December 13

First Round

Afternoon Session (12.30pm-5pm)
Mario Vandenbogaerde v David Davies
Andrew Gilding v Cam Crabtree
Luke Woodhouse v Boris Krcmar
Gary Anderson v Adam Hunt

Evening Session (7pm-11pm)
Jeffrey de Graaf v Paul Lim
Wessel Nijman v Karel Sedlacek
Luke Humphries v Ted Evetts
Gabriel Clemens v Alex Spellman