Forget the Coca-Cola lorry advert, forget Hans Gruber falling from Nakatomi Plaza, and you can definitely forget Kevin the Carrot, the real way to tell it’s Christmas is when the PDC World Championship takes place at Ally Pally (Alexandra Palace).
Darts is a sport that has grown massively over the last year or so, thanks primarily to teenage sensation and current World Number One, Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler’.
Littler has won virtually every title there is to win in darts over the last 12 months, and with The Nuke currently in amazing form, he’ll be looking to retain his title. If you fancy a flutter, the smart money will surely be on him, but could we see any upsets? Here’s who the bookies think could do it.
Luke Littler
Not surprisingly, Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler is currently this year’s favourite to win the PDC World Championship and retain his title.
The atmosphere at Ally Pally is like nothing else in darts, and Littler thrives on this. He doesn’t just want to win, he wants to entertain and make a statement. Just look at his bull, treble 7, bull 121 checkout against Ricardo ‘Pikachu’ Pietreczko at the Players Championship Finals last month.
As of this writing, after a wobbly start, Littler comfortably beat David Davies to cruise into the third-round of the tournament.
Bet365 currently have Littler with 4/6 odds, while Ladbrokes are offering 8/13.
Luke Humphries
If there’s one man who can really give Littler a run for his money, it’s former World Number One, and current Number Two, Luke Humphries.
Cool Hand Luke and Littler have had quite the rivalry over the last couple of years. It was Humphries who narrowly defeated Littler in 2024, before The Nuke got his revenge a year later. Since then, they’ve met in countless tournaments and finals, with Humphries coming up short in their previous three meetings. The last time they met was in the final of the Grand Slam, in which Littler once again proved successful.
When he’s on form, Humphries looks unstoppable (he averaged 108.55) at the Grand Slam against Van de Velde.
Ladbrokes are offering odds of 9/2, while Bet365 have Humphries as 4/1 to win the tournament.
Gian Van Veen
Sometimes dubbed the ‘Dutch Littler’ Gian Van Veen is another outside favourite for the PDC World Championship this year.
During the youth tour, Van Veen and Littler had quite the rivalry. Since moving up, not a great deal has changed. They previously met at the World Grand Prix back in October, where Littler beat him with 2 sets.
This was an astonishing victory as Van Veen amassed an average of 106.46, which was the highest in the history of the tournament. Despite this, Littler still came out on top with an average of 105.58.
With the Dutch Giant looking to advance to the third round if he can overcome Alan Soutar, he’s certainly in with more than a shout of taking the title. If you’re looking to back Van Veen, Bet365 are offering odds of 12/1, while Ladbrokes have him as 14/1.
Wesley Plaisier
Finally, to keep things interesting and because the world loves a good upset, Wesley Plaisier could prove to be a dark horse in the tournament this year.
Another Dutchman, Wesley Plaisier perhaps carried out the upset of the tournament so far, when he knocked out Gerwyn Price on Sunday night, in the second round. Gezzy was a favourite for a lot of people, and for Plaisier to not only beat him, but to whitewash him, his odds will surely have improved massively.
Ladbrokes have Wesley with odds of 150/1, as are Bet365. With those kinds of odds, and with a performance like he enjoyed against Price, you’d be daft not to have a punt.