Reigning champion Luke Littler will kick off his title defence at the 2025 Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts in Wolverhampton, landing in a tasty group alongside Daryl Gurney, Connor Scutt, and Czech powerhouse Karel Sedláček.
The 32-player showdown returns to WV Active Aldersley from November 8–16, with the teenage darting prodigy gunning for back-to-back titles in the West Midlands. Seeded second, Littler headlines Group E – a line-up that promises fireworks.
His campaign begins against Sedláček on opening day, Saturday, November 8, when the 17-year-old World Champion sets out to keep hold of the Eric Bristow Trophy he claimed in stunning fashion on debut last year.Saturday’s action will feature a full double session as the big names roll in.
World number one Luke Humphries, the 2023 Grand Slam winner, kicks off his campaign in Group A against CDC Continental Cup champ Alex Spellman. If that wasn’t enough, Nathan Aspinall and 2022 champion Michael Smith also lurk in the same group – talk about a group of death.
Over in Group G, Michael van Gerwen leads what might be the pick of the bunch. The three-time Grand Slam king will face off against two-time runner-up Gary Anderson, Germany’s breakout star Niko Springer, and Women’s Series champion Beau Greaves.And it’s Greaves who gets the early spotlight, as she faces Van Gerwen in Saturday’s standout opening tie. The teenage phenom will be hoping to turn heads (and averages) as she aims to reach the knockout rounds for the first time.
Fresh from his European Championship triumph, Gian van Veen finds himself in Group F alongside fellow Dutchman Wessel Nijman, World Cup winner Josh Rock, and Women’s World Matchplay champion Lisa Ashton. Expect some high-octane tungsten there.
Stephen Bunting, now the world number four, opens his campaign against PDC Asian Tour champ Alexis Toylo in Group C – a pool that also features Germany’s number one Martin Schindler and Tour Card Holder Luke Woodhouse.
Three-time Grand Slam runner-up James Wade returns for another crack at glory, heading Group D. Joining “The Machine” are former treble winner Gerwyn Price, the ever-rapid Ricky Evans, and Swiss ace Stefan Bellmont.
Meanwhile, Jonny Clayton faces a tricky test in Group H, opening against Development Tour sensation Cam Crabtree before taking on Dutchman Danny Noppert and German debutant Lukas Wenig.Elsewhere, eighth seed Chris Dobey will have his hands full in Group B, where he’s joined by Aussie number one Damon Heta, 2024 runner-up Martin Lukeman, and World Youth finalist Jurjen van der Velde.
The full schedule for Saturday’s double session is still to come, but play gets underway at 1pm GMT in Wolverhampton. After the round-robin phase, the top two players from each group will march into the last 16, with the knockout drama starting Wednesday night.
The stage is set, the draw is done, and the tension’s brewing. Littler, Humphries, Van Gerwen, and a few dozen others are all ready to battle for tungsten supremacy – but as we’ve learned before, at the Grand Slam, reputations mean nothing once those doubles start wobbling.
Group A(1) Luke Humphries, Nathan Aspinall, Michael Smith, Alex Spellman
Group B (8) Chris Dobey, Damon Heta, Martin Lukeman, Jurjen van der Velde
Group C(4) Stephen Bunting, Martin Schindler, Luke Woodhouse, Alexis Toylo
Group D(5) James Wade, Gerwyn Price, Ricky Evans, Stefan Bellmont
Group E(2) Luke Littler, Daryl Gurney, Connor Scutt, Karel Sedlacek
Group F(7) Gian van Veen, Josh Rock, Wessel Nijman, Lisa Ashton
Group G(3) Michael van Gerwen, Gary Anderson, Niko Springer, Beau Greaves
Group H(6) Jonny Clayton, Danny Noppert, Lukas Wenig, Cam Crabtree
Saturday Fixtures – Schedule of Play TBC
Luke Humphries v Alex Spellman (A)
Nathan Aspinall v Michael Smith (A)
Chris Dobey v Jurjen van der Velde (B)
Damon Heta v Martin Lukeman (B)
Stephen Bunting v Alexis Toylo (C)
Martin Schindler v Luke Woodhouse (C)
James Wade v Stefan Bellmont (D)
Gerwyn Price v Ricky Evans (D)
Luke Littler v Karel Sedlacek (E)
Daryl Gurney v Connor Scutt (E)
Gian van Veen v Lisa Ashton (F)
Josh Rock v Wessel Nijman (F)
Michael van Gerwen v Beau Greaves (G)
Gary Anderson v Niko Springer (G)
Jonny Clayton v Cam Crabtree (H)
Danny Noppert v Lukas Wenig (H)
—–Ends—–
Images: PDC
