The Lakeside floodlights are warming. The stage is being rebuilt. The banners are rising. And deep in the heart of Frimley Green, a legendary old beast is stirring again.
The 2025 WDF World Championship — the grand cathedral of grass-roots tungsten — is about to slam open its doors, calling the finest amateur and semi-pro gladiators on earth to the Lakeside Country Club for another bout of darting destiny. Titles, legacies, and lifelong dreams hang in the balance. The famous Lakeside roar will return. And the next chapter of darting folklore is preparing to write itself in fire.
Last year, Shane McGuirk crowned himself king, toppling the evergreen 70-year-old immortal Paul Lim, while Beau Greaves continued her rule of unmatched dominance, lifting the Women’s crown for a third straight year. This time, the Doncaster sharp shooter will try her luck at Ally Pally instead opening the door for a new champ. But that’s the past. A new army is coming.
Here’s your all-you-need, no-nonsense, big-energy guide to darts’ most historic battleground.
WHERE IS THE WDF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STAGED?
Forget modern arenas. Forget neon tunnels. For many, Lakeside is hallowed ground. Located in Frimley Green, Surrey, the Lakeside Country Club has been the spiritual home of the amateur World Championship since 1986 — a venue dripping with darting mythology. For 51 weeks of the year, it’s a vibrant complex of bars, restaurants, and live entertainment… but every winter it transforms into a ferocious amphitheatre, where legends are carved and careers redefined.
WHEN DOES THE 2025 CHAMPIONSHIP BEGIN?
28th November – 7th December 2025.
A ten-day, tungsten-fuelled marathon where every division — Men’s, Women’s, Youth, and Girls — marches toward a single climactic Sunday.
• First Rounds: 28–30 November
• Seeds Arrive: 30 Nov–3 Dec (Men), 1–4 Dec (Women)
• Youth Quarter-Finals: 4 Dec
• Men’s Last 8: 5 Dec
• Semi-Final Saturday: 6 Dec
• Finals Day: 7 Dec
QUALIFICATION — THE ROAD TO THE LAKESIDE STAGE
Men’s field:
Players fight for ranking points all year across WDF circuits.
• Top 16 = automatic qualification
• Gold/Platinum champs = automatic spots
• 14 regional qualifiers
• Remaining places filled by rankings
• Final four clash for the last slots
Women’s field:
• Top 8 ranked players
• Gold/Platinum winners
• 14 regional qualifiers
• Remaining ranking places
• Two final qualifiers
Youth & Girls:
Strict age limit of 18 or under by 31 December 2024.
• Boys: 8 players through rankings + playoffs
• Girls: 4 players total (rankings + playoffs)
GETTING TO LAKESIDE
Wharf Road, Frimley Green.
• By Car: M3 → A331 → follow the event signage
• By Train: Closest is Frimley (15–20 min walk)
• Nearby Stations: Farnborough & Ash Vale
• By Bus: Route 2 from Camberley or Frimley
• Parking: Free but limited
TICKETS
Available via Eventbrite.
• Early rounds: £27–£38
• From Quarter-finals: £43+
• Finals Day: from £54.49
PRIZE MONEY
Men (£146,000):
• Winner: £50,000
• Runner-up: £16,000
• Semi-finalists: £8,000
• Quarter-finalists: £4,000
• Last 16: £2,000
• Last 32: £1,250
• Last 48: £750
Women (£63,000):
• Winner: £25,000
• Runner-up: £8,000
• Semi-finalists: £4,000
• Quarter-finalists: £2,000
• Last 16: £1,000
• Last 24: £750
Youth/Girls:
• Youth Champ: £3,000
• Girls Champ: £1,500
• Prize money awarded down the ladder
PAST CHAMPIONS — WHO RULED THE ROOST
Men:
• 2022: Neil Duff (6–5 over Tricole)
• 2023: Andy Baetens (6–1 over Landman)
• 2024: Shane McGuirk (6–3 over Paul Lim)
Women:
A Beau Greaves dynasty — three consecutive titles.
• 2022: 4–0 over Hutchinson
• 2023: 4–1 over De Graaf
• 2024: 4–1 over McKinlay
Youth/Girls:
• Youth: Roes, Van der Velden, Self
• Girls: Cairns, Fochesato, Pauling (all whitewashes)
FORMAT CHANGES FOR 2025
Men:
• R1–R2–Last 16: Best of 5 sets
• QF: Best of 7
• SF: Best of 9
• Final: Best of 11
Women:
• R1 & Last 16: Best of 3
• QF & SF: Best of 5
• Final: Best of 7
Youth/Girls:
• Youth QF: Best of 3
• SF: Best of 5
• Final: Best of 7
• Girls SF: Best of 3
• Final: Best of 5
THE FINAL WORD — THE ORIGINAL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP RETURNS
This is the purest form of darts. Raw. Emotional. Unfiltered. The 2025 WDF World Championship isn’t just an event — it is the soul of the sport, igniting once again.
—–ENDS—–
Images: Chris Sargeant / WDF
