The World Grand Prix draw never disappoints. Once again, like a wonderfully prepared salad, it’s tossed all the names up in the air and created a handful of tantalising first-round ties – and with that devilish double-in format lurking, expect a few big names sweating buckets and nervously just to clear the opening hurdle no matter how attractive the leap looks.
First up: it’s only right we start with the reigning champion Mike De Decker, unseeded, versus Peter Wright. On paper, drawing a two-time World Champion should feel like pulling out the short straw. But this isn’t quite the same Snakebite who once lit up Ally Pally like a disco ball. De Decker actually goes in as favourite – though if Wright fancies one of his rare “on” nights, anything could happen.
Then there’s the world No.1 Luke Humphries, the 2023 winner, thrown straight in against Nathan Aspinall. Premier League teammates, both box office names – frankly, this could have been a final. Instead, it’s a brutal round-one clash where one big gun will pack their bags before the week’s barely begun.
On the subject of mantelpieces, Luke Littler’s is already groaning under the weight of silverware. But the World Grand Prix is one shiny thing he doesn’t yet own. Last year he bombed out early to Rob Cross, and this time he’s got fellow prodigy Gian van Veen – the kind of tie that makes darts lovers rub their hands – and Sky Sports too.
Of course, we can’t talk Grand Prix without Michael van Gerwen. This is the event where he announced himself back in 2012, when he beat Mervyn King and basically launched a decade of dominance. Six titles later (only Phil Taylor’s got more), MVG is desperate to reclaim old ground. But before dreaming of glory, he’s got to get past Dirk van Duijvenbode in what looks certain to be a 180-fest.
There are six former champions in the field. We’ve already mentioned Humphries, De Decker and MVG. Add in Wales’ Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton, plus Daryl Gurney – who, in case you’d forgotten, actually won this thing in Dublin back in 2017. For Superchin to rekindle the magic, he’ll have to dispatch Ross “Smudger” Smith first.
Price begins against Ryan Searle, while Clayton takes on Andrew “Goldfinger” Gilding. Clayton’s win here was especially sweet – after making a habit of picking up titles that made him rich but didn’t elevate him up the rankings, this baby finally gave his placing on the Order of Merit clout. Naturally, his compatriot Gezzy has already cleared that final from his memory bank – quite the emphatic victory for Mr Ferret.
And then there’s the old-school glamour tie: Gary Anderson v Raymond van Barneveld. Two giants of the game, two legends in the twilight, and two players who’ve provided more classics between them than you can shake a pint of lager at. Yes, they’re not at their peaks anymore – although Gary seems to always find the odd breathtaking performance. But if both can rewind the clock for one night to their ultimate peak, it could be special.
The truth is, every match-up carries danger. This format is built for upsets. De Decker himself proved it last year – and let’s be honest, not many, including Mike himself, had the Belgian’s name on their betting slip.
So buckle in. The draw’s spicy, the format cruel, and there’s every chance we could see a brand-new name etched onto the trophy. Rock, Van Veen, Heta – they’re all lurking looking for that elusive maiden PDC major. The Grand Prix starts soon on Sky Sports. Miss it at your peril.
2025 BOYLE Sports World Grand Prix
Draw Bracket
(1) Luke Humphries v Nathan Aspinall
(16) Martin Schindler v Krzysztof Ratajski
(8) Chris Dobey v Cameron Menzies
(9) Rob Cross v Wessel Nijman
(4) Stephen Bunting v Niko Springer
(13) Danny Noppert v Jermaine Wattimena
(5) James Wade v Joe Cullen
(12) Gary Anderson v Raymond van Barneveld
(2) Luke Littler v Gian van Veen
(15) Peter Wright v Mike De Decker
(7) Gerwyn Price v Ryan Searle
(10) Josh Rock v Ryan Joyce
(3) Michael van Gerwen v Dirk van Duijvenbode
(14) Ross Smith v Daryl Gurney
(6) Jonny Clayton v Andrew Gilding
(11) Damon Heta v Luke Woodhouse
2025 BOYLE Sports World Grand Prix
Schedule of Play
Monday October 6 (1800 BST)
8x Round One matches
Rob Cross v Wessel Nijman
Martin Schindler v Krzysztof Ratajski
Chris Dobey v Cameron Menzies
James Wade v Joe Cullen
Danny Noppert v Jermaine Wattimena
Luke Humphries v Nathan Aspinall
Gary Anderson v Raymond van Barneveld
Stephen Bunting v Niko Springer
Tuesday October 7 (1800 BST)
8x Round One matches
Damon Heta v Luke Woodhouse
Ross Smith v Daryl Gurney
Jonny Clayton v Andrew Gilding
Gerwyn Price v Ryan Searle
Luke Littler v Gian van Veen
Michael van Gerwen v Dirk van Duijvenbode
Peter Wright v Mike De Decker
Josh Rock v Ryan Joyce
Wednesday October 8 (1900 BST)
4x Round Two matches
Thursday October 9 (1900 BST)
4x Round Two matches
Friday October 10 (1900 BST)
Quarter-Finals
Saturday October 11 (2000 BST)
Semi-Finals
Sunday October 12 (2000 BST)
Final
—–ENDS—–
Images: PDC
