The double-start Boylesports World Grand Prix takes place in Leicester from October 6-13 - live on Sky Sports - and our expert Chris Hammer brings you his preview and best bets.
Darts betting tips: World Grand Prix
2pts Gerwyn Price to win the World Grand Prix at 10/1 (General)
0.5pts e.w. Jonny Clayton to win the World Grand Prix at 28/1 (bet365 1/2, 1,2)
0.5pts e.w. James Wade to win the title at 28/1 (General 1/2, 1,2)
0.5pts e.w. Chris Dobey to win the title at 40/1 (Ladbrokes 1/2, 1/2)
0.5pt Ryan Joyce to win the third quarter at 28/1 (General)
0.5pt Wade, Price & Clayton to win their quarters at 140/1 (Betfred)
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The PDC's double-start major returns in Leicester for its 28th staging as Mike de Decker bids to become only the third different player ever to defend the World Grand Prix title.
The rising Belgian star prevented Luke Humphries from joining Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen in that extremely elite club when springing a huge upset in the 2024 final and the fact he's priced up as a 66/1 outsider shows just how much he's struggled to contend for major honours since then.
Even if he had fared pretty well, defending this particular trophy has always been one of the hardest feats in darts.
Whereas 11-time champion Phil Taylor was able to successfully do so on five separate occasions, Michael van Gerwen only managed it once despite lifting the trophy six times from 2012 to 2022. In the years Taylor failed to win it, he didn't even reach the final - and MVG only finished runner-up once, to Robert Thornton.
This shows how even the best players of all time could be troubled by the notorious double-start format compared to the other majors, especially in the best-of-three sets opening round which is particularly dicey.
That said, the strongest all-round players historically tend to be the ones battling it out at the business end of the tournament and this year many expect Luke Littler to put himself in the mix for the first time after his debut 12 months ago ended in a shock first-round defeat to Rob Cross.
As usual, I'll run through each section of this year's draw, including my contenders for the title...
Is this one of the 'unbreakable' records in darts?
— Chris Hammer (@ChrisHammer180)
Not only has Alan Warriner-Little's ridiculous 106.45 World Grand Prix average record stood since 2001, but nobody has got remotely close for best part of 10 years!
Quarter one
- (1) Luke Humphries v Nathan Aspinall
- (16) Martin Schindler v Krzysztof Ratajski
- (8) Chris Dobey v Cameron Menzies
- (9) Rob Cross v Wessel Nijman
Odds to win the quarter: Humphries 13/8, Dobey 4/1, Nijman 7/1, Cross 7/1, Aspinall 7/1, Schindler 8/1, Menzies 16/1, Ratajski 16/1
Luke Humphries is the obvious favourite in this section given he's the world number one with eight major titles to his name since he broke his duck in the 2023 World Grand Prix.
Having reached the final here 12 months ago, he's clearly built a lot of confidence in double-start darts but there is a general feeling that he's not operating at the levels that helped him reach the summit of the sport.
After winning the Czech Darts Open back in early September, even Cool Hand himself said: "Since I’ve won the Premier League it’s been tough for me. I have been struggling. Now I feel dangerous again. This is when you need to be at your best, at the back end of the year."
He hasn't fared too well in the last eight tournaments he's entered with an array of inconsistent performances by his high standards and backing him at short prices doesn't hold too much appeal at the moment.
Nathan Aspinall, who reached the 2022 final, is not an easy opener despite his own struggles for form in recent months although neither of his potential second-round opponents in Martin Schindler and Krzysztof Ratajski have much pedigree in this tournament.
In the bottom section lurks Chris Dobey, who hails from the double-start 'hotbed' of the north east and he used that experience to reach the semi-finals back in 2019, while he's also enjoyed two other quarter-final runs in recent years.
A countdown of the top 10 highest prize money earners in darts history, but starting with Luke Littler climbing inside top 20 already! How many years before he gets to the top?
— Chris Hammer (@ChrisHammer180)
Although Hollywood's results on the major stages since reaching the World Championship semi-finals haven't been too good, his average of 96 since the start of July puts him around the top 10 in that time period and this could be the perfect time to remind everyone of why he commanded a place in the Premier League.
Cameron Menzies fell at the first hurdle on his debut 12 months ago and tends to struggle on the big stage so Dobey could have been handed tougher assignments.
Rob Cross is the only player in this quarter with a higher average (96.71) than Dobey in the second half of the season but I'm not convinced of his credentials in this format despite winning two matches last year, including taking the scalp of Littler.
Before that he'd only won two games in seven appearances and his general form isn't of a standard which suggests we should overlook this fact.
Wessel Nijman is highly talented and getting more used to the big stage but this is his double-start debut and apart from Dirk van Duijvenbode back in 2020, it's extremely rare for anyone to go far at the first attempt.
Backing Dobey at 4/1 is a decent enough price in the quarter betting but if he does reach the semi-finals, I don't think there's anyone in the second section that he'll find himself a huge underdog against so I'm opting to take him each-way for the title at 40s.
VERDICT: CHRIS DOBEY TO WIN THE QUARTER
Quarter two
- (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
Odds to win the quarter: Bunting 2/1, Anderson 10/3, Wade 5/1, Noppert 13/2, Wattimena 8/1, Springer 11/1, Cullen 16/1, van Barneveld 20/1
Stephen Bunting heads the betting in this quarter and it's easy to see why.
The Bullet has reached a whopping 10 tournament finals this season, winning six of them including his most recent at the Swiss Trophy at the end of September, while his average of 99.5 since the start of July is third only to Luke Littler and Jonny Clayton.
The only thing lacking for Bunting is a big major run but he's certainly producing the kind of performances that make him a genuine contender for this title.
Niko Springer will be a dangerous and confident opponent having recently won on the European Tour in Hungary where he overcame Gian van Veen, Damon Heta, Rob Cross, Luke Humphries, Josh Rock and Danny Noppert en route to the title.
His averages might not be off the charts but his consistency is improving and he Springer continues to show why he's expected to have an extremely bright future in this sport.
Noppert is arguably Bunting's biggest threat in the top part of this section given his ice cool demeanour, which helped him embark on a steely run to the World Masters semi-finals at the start of the season.
Those best-of-three leg sets did create a unique kind of pressure that we don't see in regular competition and the World Grand Prix obviously has its own.
If Bunting can clear those hurdles, you'd probably be expecting him to come up against either James Wade or Gary Anderson in the quarter-finals.
I know it seems strange to say the phrase 'James Wade has been rolling back the years' for a 42-year-old but considering he's been competing in this event since 2005, I think I can get away with it.
The Machine has reached the final of both the UK Open and World Matchplay this season and in the latter he produced four 100+ averages in five games to really silence those who feel he doesn't have the firepower to compete for major titles.
In very recent months he's reached a couple of semi-finals on the European Tour to maintain match-winning form while his checkout percentage in the second half of the campaign is the fifth highest on tour with 43.66%. That's a good sign ahead of this double-start event.
Anderson's is a fraction lower at 43.51% but unlike Wade, the Flying Scotsman hasn't enjoyed a big run in this event since making the quarter-finals in 2020 while he hasn't challenged for major honours since the Grand Slam of Darts 11 months ago.
His averages aren't as sparkling as they were last year when he was defying the ageing process and I just feel it's becoming more and more likely that we've seen him lift his last major title.
Overall I can sense a Bunting vs Wade quarter-final and purely on value grounds I'm going to give the nod to the latter, who is also a very tempting price of 28/1 to go the distance.
VERDICT: JAMES WADE TO WIN THE QUARTER
Quarter three
- (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
Odds to win the quarter: Littler 11/10, Rock 4/1, Price 4/1, van Veen 17/2, de Decker 10/1, Searle 18/1, Joyce 28/1, Wright 33/1
This is unquestionably the 'quarter of death'.
Luke Littler is chasing his first ever win at the World Grand Prix after his early exit on debut 12 months but he opens up against a player he's lost to three times out of four this season in Gian van Veen.
Since Littler's crushing 10-4 UK Open quarter-final triumph with an average of 107 back in March, the young Dutchman has hit back with two victories on the European Tour and one in a Players Championship event to underline his genuine star potential.
Van Veen has reached four finals this season, winning one of them against Luke Humphries back in March, while his average of 97.48 since the start of July in all competitions puts him well inside the top 10 on the circuit.
On top of that, his checkout percentage of almost 46% in this same period is third only to Damon Heta and Gary Anderson so that kind of doubling is bound to come in handy in this format.
He's getting more and more used to the pressures of the big stage as we saw with three fine runs to the quarter-finals of the Grand Slam, UK Open and World Matchplay in the past 11 months so if he causes a big upset against Littler, then you wouldn't be surprised to see him venture into the latter stages.
Defending champion Mike De Decker will be widely expected to be Littler or Van Veen's next opponent due to the fact Peter Wright has been struggling to average in the 90s in recent months, but he'll only be a threat if a return to the scene of his greatest triumph ignites his belief again.
De Decker has only managed to produce flashes of the form that we all expected to see much more of after his major breakthrough 12 months ago and it's no surprise to see him as one of the outsiders to get through this quarter.
Into the bottom section and most fans will be eagerly anticipating a potential second-round meeting between Gerwyn Price and Josh Rock.
Price, who won this event in 2020 before reaching two further finals in 2021 and 2023, has enjoyed another superb season with seven titles to his name across the European Tour, World Series and Players Championships, while he's also reached the semi-finals of the Premier League and World Series of Darts Finals.
Statistically his average of 98.51 since the start of July is in the top five on tour and although his healthy finishing of 42% is outside the top 10, I think it's more than fair to say that his excellent track record in this tournament shows how his nerve stands up to the double-start format better than most.
Ryan Searle, who comes into this event fresh from picking up his second Players Championship title of the year, is certainly no gimme but his track record in majors hasn't been spectacular and apart from a quarter-final run here in 2021, he's suffered three first-round exits in five appearances.
Rock is a slightly shorter price than Price to win the title but there's very little between them in my eyes.
The Northern Irishman has been one of the revelations of the season with a string of show-stopping performances that helped him reach the semi-finals of both the UK Open and World Matchplay, while he brilliantly won the World Cup of Darts alongside Daryl Gurney.
He did overcome Price 16-11 in Blackpool with both players averaging over 100 and it took a herculean effort from Littler in the last four to prevent him from reaching a landmark first major final.
Since July, Rock's average of 99.22 and checkout percentage of 42.18% are clearly very similar to those of Price and if they do meet, it may just come down to those starting doubles. And that's where I feel the Iceman has the edge.
I also believe Rock has the slightly more dangerous first-round opponent in Ryan Joyce, who beat him at this stage of the competition last year en route to the semi-finals.
Joyce, who has always been known for his lethal accuracy on double 16, boasted a starting double percentage of 51% 12 months ago and he could have gone further had Humphries not delivered one of the tournament's rare 100+ averages against him in the last four.
I am tempted enough to put a very small flutter on Joyce to come through this quarter due to his massive price and his ability to get away more cleanly than most, but he will probably need one or two of the very big names taken out for him.
To sum up this quarter overall, as much as we all say Littler has got a very tough draw, let's not forget that he's the last person everyone else wants to face.
The world champion is boasting an average of 101.50 since the start of July, which is two points higher than his nearest rival Bunting, and in that time he produced a string of stunning performances to win the World Matchplay as well as two World Series titles - one of which he averaged 115 in the final against Luke Humphries.
He's a strong favourite but on value grounds, I'm going to side with Price to shine again in an event he's grown to lov,e while I'm also keeping Joyce on side in the quarter betting.
VERDICT: GERWYN PRICE TO WIN THE QUARTER, BUT JOYCE ALSO ONE TO WATCH
Quarter four
- (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
Odds to win the quarter: MVG 2/1, Clayton 10/3, Heta 11/2, Smith 6/1, van Duijvenbode 10/1, Woodhouse 12/1, Gurney 12/1, Gilding 20/1
An emotional Michael van Gerwen ended his two-year wait for a big TV title at the World Series of Darts last month and some may feel this could be the start of a third wind in his remarkable career.
It may not be regarded as a 'proper' major, but he did have to defeat Luke Humphries, Josh Rock and Luke Littler to do it, let alone Rob Cross and Wessel Nijman in the earlier rounds.
I say 'third wind' because he did have a second one back in 2022 when he won the World Matchplay, Premier League, World Grand Prix and Players Championship Finals and following a lean patch in the Covid era.
This current barren spell where Littler and Humphries have hoovered up the lion's share of the majors hasn't exactly been terrible for MVG because he has reached six of the finals including twice at the World Championship - it's just for so many years we just became accustomed to him winning them.
His biggest threat in his top section is Ross Smith, who actually beat him twice in the most recent round of Players Championship events this week including a 6-0 triumph en route to a title.
The Englishman has been posting some superb numbers in the second half of the season and his average of 97.28 since the start of July is only fractionally less than MVG's 97.58.
However his record at double-start isn't great with four successive second-round exits in the World Grand Prix - despite the fact he became one of the few players to record a 100+ average during last year's first round - so I do expect to see MVG in the quarter-finals.
In the bottom section, it's all about Jonny Clayton for me.
The Ferret has enjoyed his own resurgence on the big stage this season having finished runner-up at the World Masters - which went right down to the wire against Humphries - as well as two semi-finals at the UK Open and World Matchplay, where he was eventually beaten 20-18 by Wade in an all-time epic.
Clayton lifted this trophy during his golden year of 2021 and also had a decent quarter-final run here 12 months ago in which he fell short to Cool Hand.
The Welshman has picked up a couple of titles this season - including one on the European Tour - while his consistently impressive numbers mean his average of 99.14 since the start of July puts him inside the top four.
Damon Heta, Luke Woodhouse and Andrew Gilding are all tough opponents but I do feel his all-round game will be more than enough to get through to set up a mouthwatering clash with MVG.
I'm going to give the nod to the Ferret and wouldn't be surprised at all if he went one step further and got himself in a second major final of the season.
VERDICT: JONNY CLAYTON TO WIN THE QUARTER
World Grand Prix: Best odds to win title
- 7/4 - Luke Littler
- 11/2 - Luke Humphries
- 8/1 - Michael van Gerwen
- 10/1 - Josh Rock
- 12/1 - Gerwyn Price, Stephen Bunting
- 20/1 - Gian van Veen
- 25/1 - Gary Anderson, Jonny Clayton
- 33/1 - Chris Dobey, James Wade, Rob Cross, Nathan Aspinall, Wessel Nijman
- 40/1 - Danny Noppert
- 50/1 - Dirk van Duijvenbode, Mike De Decker, Ross Smith, Damon Heta, Niko Springer
- 66/1 - Ryan Searle, Martin Schindler
- 100/1 - Jermaine Wattimena, Ryan Joyce, Joe Cullen, Peter Wright, Luke Woodhouse, Cameron Menzies
- 150/1 - Andrew Gilding, Daryl Gurney, Krzysztof Ratajski, Raymond van Barneveld
2025 World Grand Prix Schedule
Monday October 6 (1800 BST)
TV Channel: Sky Sports
First Round (Best of 3 sets)
- 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)
TV Channel: Sky Sports
First Round (Best of 3 sets)
- 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)
TV Channel: Sky Sports
Second Round matches (Best of 5 sets)
- Four matches
Thursday October 9 (1900 BST)
TV Channel: Sky Sports
Second Round matches (Best of 5 sets)
- Four matches
Friday October 10 (1900 BST)
TV Channel: Sky Sports
Quarter-Finals (Best of seven sets)
- Four matches
Saturday October 11 (2030 BST)
TV Channel: Sky Sports
Semi-Finals (Best of seven sets)
- Two matches
Sunday October 13 (2000 BST)
TV Channel: Sky Sports
Final (Best of nine sets)
- Winner SF 1 v Winner SF 2
What TV channel is the World Grand Prix on?
The World Grand Prix will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK, through the PDC's worldwide broadcast partners including DAZN and Viaplay, and on (excluding UK, Germany, Austria & Switzerland based subscribers).
World Grand Prix Prize Money
- Winner - £120,000
- Runner-up - £60,000
- Semi-finalists - £40,000
- Quarter-finalists - £25,000
- Second round - £15,000
- First round - £7,500
Tournament Format
- All Sets are the best of five legs. There will be no tie-break in any set.
- All legs must begin and end with a double, meaning that a player must hit a double before he can begin scoring in each leg.
- First Round - Best of three sets
- Second Round - Best of five sets
- Quarter-Finals - Best of five sets
- Semi-Finals - Best of seven sets
- Final - Best of nine sets
World Grand Prix History
- Final scores in sets
- 1998 - Phil Taylor 13-8 Rod Harrington
- 1999 - Phil Taylor 6-1 Shayne Burgess
- 2000 - Phil Taylor 6-1 Shayne Burgess
- 2001 - Alan Warriner 8-2 Roland Scholten
- 2002 - Phil Taylor 7-3 John Part
- 2003 - Phil Taylor 7-2 John Part
- 2004 - Colin Lloyd 7-3 Alan Warriner
- 2005 - Phil Taylor 7-1 Colin Lloyd
- 2006 - Phil Taylor 7-4 Terry Jenkins
- 2007 - James Wade 6-3 Terry Jenkins
- 2008 - Phil Taylor 6-2 Raymond van Barneveld
- 2009 - Phil Taylor 6-3 Raymond van Barneveld
- 2010 - James Wade 6-3 Adrian Lewis
- 2011 - Phil Taylor 6-3 Brendan Dolan
- 2012 - Michael van Gerwen 6-4 Mervyn King
- 2013 - Phil Taylor 6-0 Dave Chisnall
- 2014 - Michael van Gerwen 5-3 James Wade
- 2015 -
- 2016 -
- 2017 - Daryl Gurney 5-4 Simon Whitlock
- 2018 - Michael van Gerwen 5-2 Peter Wright
- 2019 - Michael van Gerwen 5-1 Dave Chisnall
- 2020 - Gerwyn Price 5-2 Dirk van Duijvenbode
- 2021 - Jonny Clayton 5-1 Gerwyn Price
- 2022 - Michael van Gerwen 5-3 Nathan Aspinall
- 2023 - Luke Humphries 5-2 Gerwyn Price
- 2024 - Mike de Decker 6-4 Luke Humphries
World Grand Prix Most Titles
- Phil Taylor - 11
- Michael van Gerwen - 6
- James Wade - 2
- Mike de Decker - 1
- Luke Humphries - 1
- Jonny Clayton - 1
- Gerwyn Price - 1
- Daryl Gurney - 1
- Colin Lloyd - 1
- Alan Warriner - 1
- Robert Thornton - 1
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