The most important and prestigious darts tournament of the year is coming up. The winner at Alexandra Palace in London will receive 500,000 pounds (around 580,000 euros), the huge Sid Waddell Trophy and the biggest award in this sport. Rarely has the list of favorites been so broad. An overview.
Luke Humphries (28/England)
“Cool Hand Luke” is by far the best player of the year. Since the last World Cup, he has earned more than twice as much prize money as any other professional. Humphries recently won the Grand Prix, the Grand Slam and the Players Championship Finals and is therefore the top favorite for the World Cup. Expert Elmar Paulke is still skeptical. “He won’t make it to the World Cup. Life isn’t that easy, and sport isn’t that easy for me to win everything,” predicted Paulke.
Michael van Gerwen (34/Netherlands)
In the last decade, van Gerwen was on his way to emulating record world champion Phil Taylor (16 titles). But the dominance has waned significantly. “Mighty Mike” was the favorite to lose the World Cup finals in 2020 and 2023 and was thwarted by a positive corona test in 2022. A semi-final between him and Humphries is considered an early final.
Gerwyn Price (38/Wales)
He says he buys two houses every year and used to be a professional rugby player. The “Iceman” is one of the attractions of the darts tour. Last year, muscleman Price lost his number one status with a 1:5 loss to Gabriel Clemens at the World Cup. The game became famous not for its result, but for Price’s action of suddenly coming onto the stage after a break with huge hearing protection and continuing to play.
Peter Wright (53/Scotland)
Colorful clothes and colorful hair are the trademarks of “Snakebite” Wright, who is hairdressed and advised by his wife. The Scot was close to the end of his career a few years ago. He is now a two-time world champion and two-time European champion. At the World Cup, Wright traditionally wears particularly strange outfits, usually with a Christmas theme.
Michael Smith (33/England)
The Englishman, who had been without a title for a long time, crowned his career by winning the title last year. The final against van Gerwen, in which Smith managed a rare nine-darter, went down as one of the most spectacular games in World Cup history. Smith is still number one, but his status is shaky. He has had a weak year. Since the World Cup, 14 other professionals have made more money than the “Bully Boy”.
Old hands and secret favorites
Scottish former world champion Gary Anderson and Stephen Bunting from England are highly rated among the experienced professionals. By reaching the World Cup semi-finals, Clemens from Saarland and Dimitri van den Bergh (Belgium) have proven that they can hold their own on the biggest darts stage in the world. Josh Rock (22) from Northern Ireland is considered an insider tip.
