The 32-player field for the 2024 BoyleSports World Grand Prix has been confirmed ahead of next month’s event in Leicester.
The unique double-start tournament will take place at the Mattioli Arena from October 7-13, as reigning champion Luke Humphries defends the coveted title in the East Midlands.
The field of competitors has been confirmed following the conclusion of this weekend’s Swiss Darts Trophy, with Luke Woodhouse clinching the final qualification place via the ProTour Order of Merit.
Woodhouse had to wait until Sunday evening to discover his fate following his first round exit at the Swiss Darts Trophy, after he was whitewashed by a merciless Wessel Nijman in Friday’s first round.
The young Dutchman was one of three players vying for World Grand Prix qualification on Finals Day in Basel, with Latvia’s Madars Razma and Callan Rydz also amongst the chasing pack.
Nijman was beaten by a clinical James Wade in the last 16, while Ryan Searle defeated Razma at the same stage, before sweeping aside Rydz in the semi-finals to confirm Woodhouse’s qualification.
World number one Humphries and six-time winner Michael van Gerwen will headline next month’s showpiece, as Michael Smith and Rob Cross target maiden double-start success.
Former champions Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton will also be among the eight seeds, alongside 2022 runner-up Nathan Aspinall and two-time finalist Dave Chisnall.
Two-time World Champion Peter Wright will feature as an Order of Merit Qualifier, in a list which also includes UK Open champion Dimitri Van den Bergh and Masters winner Stephen Bunting.
Searle heads up the ProTour Order of Merit Qualifiers along with Swiss Darts Trophy winner Martin Schindler and teenage sensation Luke Littler, who has claimed five ranking titles in 2024 to confirm his double-start debut.
The 17-year-old will be joined by fellow newcomers Gian van Veen, Ricardo Pietreczko, Ritchie Edhouse and Cameron Menzies, as 2017 champion Daryl Gurney returns to the fold.
Two-time winner Wade will make his 20th consecutive World Grand Prix appearance in 2024, and the left-hander will be joined by a trio of former finalists in Gary Anderson, Raymond van Barneveld and Brendan Dolan.
The draw for the 2024 World Grand Prix will be made on Monday September 30, and will be available through BoyleSports’ social media channels.
The tournament will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK, through the PDC’s worldwide broadcast partners including DAZN and Viaplay, and on PDCTV (excluding subscribers based in the UK, Germany, Austria & Switzerland).
2024 BoyleSports World Grand Prix
PDC Order of Merit Top 16
Luke Humphries
Michael Smith
Michael van Gerwen
Rob Cross
Nathan Aspinall
Dave Chisnall
Gerwyn Price
Jonny Clayton
Damon Heta
Ross Smith
Peter Wright
Chris Dobey
Dimitri Van den Bergh
Stephen Bunting
Danny Noppert
Josh Rock
ProTour Order of Merit Qualifiers
Ryan Searle
Luke Littler
Martin Schindler
Gary Anderson
Gian van Veen
Daryl Gurney
Ricardo Pietreczko
Raymond van Barneveld
Ritchie Edhouse
Ryan Joyce
Cameron Menzies
James Wade
Mike De Decker
Joe Cullen
Brendan Dolan
Luke Woodhouse
——ENDS—–
Images: Simon O’Connor/PDC
