Michael Smith and Michael van Gerwen will collide in a repeat of the World Championship final in Belfast on Thursday, with each night’s opening fixtures confirmed for the 2023 Cazoo Premier League.
This year’s tournament will see eight of the sport’s top stars contesting 16 mini-events during the season, with each league night comprising quarter-finals, semi-finals and a final over the best of 11 legs.
The Cazoo Premier League season gets underway at The SSE Arena in Belfast, with the opening night’s quarter-finals headlined by a blockbuster showdown between Smith and reigning champion Van Gerwen.
This will be the pair’s first meeting since their Alexandra Palace epic on January 3, which saw Smith land a history-making nine-darter en route to clinching his maiden World Championship crown.
Two-time World Champion Peter Wright plays newly crowned Masters champion Chris Dobey, who celebrated his first televised triumph in Milton Keynes on Sunday night.
Elsewhere, Dimitri Van den Bergh marks his Premier League return with a clash against 2021 champion Jonny Clayton, while 2020 runner-up Nathan Aspinall plays Gerwyn Price – who famously landed two nine-darters in Belfast last year.
Night Two will take place at Cardiff’s International Arena on February 9, with Price pitted against Dobey on his homecoming, while Clayton makes his return to home soil with a tie against World Champion Smith.
Wright will headline Night Three at Glasgow’s OVO Hydro when he takes on Van den Bergh, with six-time champion Van Gerwen up against Aspinall in a repeat of October’s World Grand Prix final.
The sport’s biggest roadshow rolls into Dublin’s 3Arena on Thursday February 23, as Smith and Wright lock horns in a repeat of the 2022 Cazoo World Championship final.
Night Five in Exeter will then see a repeat of two televised finals from 2022, with Van Gerwen meeting Price in a repeat of July’s World Matchplay decider, before Aspinall and Smith battle it out in a rematch of November’s Grand Slam showpiece.
Quarter-final fixtures for 14 of the 16 league phase nights are listed below in draw bracket order, with fixtures for Night Eight and Night 16 to be determined by league standings heading into each night.
All matches will be played over a best-of-11-legs format, with a £10,000 bonus on offer to each night’s winner.
Ranking points will also be awarded each night – with five to the winner, three to the runner-up and two to the semi-finalists – to form the league table from which the top four players will progress to the Play-Offs at The O2 in London on Thursday May 25.
Tickets for the Cazoo Premier League are now on General Sale – visit pdc.tv/tickets for more details.
The 2023 Cazoo Premier League will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK & Ireland, through the PDC’s worldwide broadcast partners including DAZN and Viaplay, and on PDCTV for Rest of the World Subscribers.
2023 Cazoo Premier League
Night One – Thursday February 2
The SSE Arena, Belfast
Quarter-Finals
Dimitri Van den Bergh v Jonny Clayton
Michael Smith v Michael van Gerwen
Peter Wright v Chris Dobey
Nathan Aspinall v Gerwyn Price
Night Two – Thursday February 9
Cardiff International Arena
Quarter-Finals
Michael Smith v Jonny Clayton
Nathan Aspinall v Peter Wright
Gerwyn Price v Chris Dobey
Michael van Gerwen v Dimitri Van den Bergh
Night Three – Thursday February 16
OVO Hydro, Glasgow
Quarter-Finals
Nathan Aspinall v Michael van Gerwen
Peter Wright v Dimitri Van den Bergh
Gerwyn Price v Michael Smith
Jonny Clayton v Chris Dobey
Night Four – Thursday February 23
3Arena, Dublin
Quarter-Finals
Michael Smith v Peter Wright
Gerwyn Price v Dimitri Van den Bergh
Jonny Clayton v Nathan Aspinall
Chris Dobey v Michael van Gerwen
Night Five – Thursday March 2
Westpoint Exeter
Quarter-Finals
Michael van Gerwen v Gerwyn Price
Nathan Aspinall v Michael Smith
Dimitri Van den Bergh v Chris Dobey
Jonny Clayton v Peter Wright
Night Six – Thursday March 9
M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool
Quarter-Finals
Gerwyn Price v Peter Wright
Michael van Gerwen v Jonny Clayton
Chris Dobey v Nathan Aspinall
Michael Smith v Dimitri Van den Bergh
Night Seven – Thursday March 16
Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham
Quarter-Finals
Dimitri Van den Bergh v Nathan Aspinall
Jonny Clayton v Gerwyn Price
Peter Wright v Michael van Gerwen
Chris Dobey v Michael Smith
Night Eight – Thursday March 23
Utilita Arena, Newcastle
Quarter-Finals
Fixtures based on the league table following Night Seven
Night Nine – Thursday March 30
Mercedes-Benz Arena, Berlin
Quarter-Finals
Dimitri Van den Bergh v Michael Smith
Nathan Aspinall v Chris Dobey
Jonny Clayton v Michael van Gerwen
Peter Wright v Gerwyn Price
Night Ten – Thursday April 6
Utilita Arena, Birmingham
Quarter-Finals
Michael van Gerwen v Chris Dobey
Nathan Aspinall v Jonny Clayton
Dimitri Van den Bergh v Gerwyn Price
Peter Wright v Michael Smith
Night 11 – Thursday April 13
The Brighton Centre
Quarter-Finals
Dimitri Van den Bergh v Michael van Gerwen
Chris Dobey v Gerwyn Price
Peter Wright v Nathan Aspinall
Jonny Clayton v Michael Smith
Night 12 – Thursday April 20
Rotterdam Ahoy
Quarter-Finals
Chris Dobey v Jonny Clayton
Michael Smith v Gerwyn Price
Dimitri Van den Bergh v Peter Wright
Michael van Gerwen v Nathan Aspinall
Night 13 – Thursday April 27
First Direct Arena, Leeds
Quarter-Finals
Michael Smith v Chris Dobey
Michael van Gerwen v Peter Wright
Gerwyn Price v Jonny Clayton
Nathan Aspinall v Dimitri Van den Bergh
Night 14 – Thursday May 4
AO Arena, Manchester
Quarter-Finals
Peter Wright v Jonny Clayton
Chris Dobey v Dimitri Van den Bergh
Michael Smith v Nathan Aspinall
Gerwyn Price v Michael van Gerwen
Night 15 – Thursday May 11
Utilita Arena, Sheffield
Quarter-Finals
Gerwyn Price v Nathan Aspinall
Chris Dobey v Peter Wright
Michael van Gerwen v Michael Smith
Jonny Clayton v Dimitri Van den Bergh
Night 16 – Thursday May 18
P&J Live, Aberdeen
Quarter-Finals
Fixtures based on league table following Night 15
Play-Offs – Thursday May 25
The O2, London
Semi-Finals & Final
The Cazoo Premier League format remains as per 2022 with the eight players competing down a winner on each league night, featuring matches over the best of 11 legs.
Players will face each other twice in quarter-final ties throughout the season, with the fixtures being balanced for players to be in opposite halves of the draw in an equal number of weeks following a review of the 2022 schedule.
The fixtures for Night Eight and Night 16 will be based on the league table following Night Seven and Night 15 respectively.
—–ENDS—–
Images: PDC and Taylor Lanning / PDC
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