The 2024 WDF World Championship is upon us, with ten days of action getting underway later today at Lakeside Country Club in Frimley Green. With four World titles available over the next 10 days.
The action gets underway on November 29, and runs until December 8. The controversial decision to move the event, and prevent clashes with the main PDC events, seems to have been quickly accepted.
With Men’s, Women’s, Boys and Girls glory up for grabs in Surrey, as well as a healthy winners’ prize pot, the competition is set to be fierce to crown the latest WDF World Champions.
This year’s edition in the men’s event has a fresh feel, with the 2023 winner, and six of the eight quarter finalists from last year, missing from the line-up.
Belgian ‘Beast from the East’ Andy Baetens, who thrashed Chris Landman 6-1 in last year’s final, departed for the PDC, winning his Tour Card at Q School, as did Landman, and fellow semi-finalist Jelle Klaasen. 2023 quarter finalist, and reigning WDF World Master Wesley Plaisier will also be missing here, as he participates in the PDC World Championship after a strong year on the PDC Pro Tour and Challenge Tour, where he has earned a two-year Tour Card.
The top seed this time around is Danny Porter, who becomes the first Australian WDF World number one heading to Lakeside since 2001 World Champion Tony David.
Porter has five titles on his CV this season, but all have come Down Under, and he begins his campaign in round two against Francois Schweyen or Michael Cassar.
Many feel that the dangerman in the tournament and real favourite for the £50,000 first prize is Jimmy van Schie, who enters as second seed after a superb 2024. ‘The Dutch Sequoia’…..
Full article available in Darts World Extra (20)
How to Watch:
The WDF confirmed broadcast arrangements for this year’s tournament:
Live coverage from Lakeside will be returning to UK terrestrial television thanks to a deal with BLAZE, Hearst Networks’ free-to-air channel.
BLAZE (Freeview 64/Sky HD 164/Freesat 161/Virgin 174/Sky Glass 169/BLAZE App) will air live and uninterrupted coverage of the semi-finals and finals of the Girls, Boys, Women’s and Men’s WDF World Championships on Saturday, December 7th and Sunday, December 8th from the iconic Lakeside Country Club in Frimley Green.
David McConachie, WDF Promotions Executive Producer, said: ‘’Ensuring UK TV coverage of the 2024 WDF World Championship finals was one of our most important objectives this year and everyone at the WDF is delighted that we’ve made that a reality thanks to the team at Hearst Networks.
“With more players than ever taking to the iconic Lakeside stage this year and a prize fund of £221,000 up for grabs, viewers on BLAZE are going to be treated to some terrific tungsten tussles this December!”
Dan Korn, VP of Programming at Hearst Networks UK, added:
‘’At a time when darts has never been more popular, and standards in the sport have never been higher, we’re delighted to be able to broadcast one of the world’s best-loved darts tournaments from Lakeside, live on BLAZE”.
Highlights of the 2023 WDF World Championships will air on BLAZE on Saturday, November 30th and Sunday, December 1st ahead of the live coverage the following weekend.
In addition to the final two days of action being broadcast live by BLAZE, we’re proud to say that every dart of the 2024 WDF World Championships will be streamed on the GREAT! game YouTube channel. This means that anyone with an internet connection will be able to see all 10 days of action for free from wherever they are in the world.
—–ENDS—–
Words: Paul Mason
Viewing details from WDF
Images: WDF
