Michael van Gerwen does not start the World Darts Championship as a top favourite

However, this time it cannot be a repeat of the previous World Cup final between the two Lukes. As number 1 (Humphries) and number 4 (Littler) on the placement list, the finalists from the previous World Cup are on the same side of the schedule, meaning they can meet each other in the semi-finals.

If everything goes according to schedule, number 2 on the seeding list will meet Michael Smith, also from England, in the other semi-final. However, there are 92 other players who will have a shot at the coveted title over the next sixteen days. The Brabant red-white checkered is not only defended by Van Gerwen, but also by Alexander Merkx. To everyone’s surprise, this 30-year-old darts player and caravan salesman from Hapert recently won a World Cup ticket.

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Both Van Gerwen and Merkx will play for the first time at the World Cup on Friday, December 20. Merkx will then take on Englishman Stephen Burton in the opening match of the day, while Van Gerwen will close the darts match that evening. His opponent will be the Englishman James Hurrell or the Canadian Jim Long. They will first play a first round match, while Van Gerwen will only enter as a top player in the second round.

The Darts World Cup lasts a total of sixteen days. The first and second rounds will be completed before Christmas. The third and fourth round matches will be played from December 27 to 30. After which immediately in the new year – on January 1, 2 and 3 – it will be time for the quarter- and semi-finals and of course the final.

Van Gerwen last reached the final in 2023. He then lost the final battle to Michael Smith. It was a repeat of the 2019 final, when Van Gerwen last won the title. It was his third World Cup title after he was also the strongest in 2014 and 2017. Van Gerwen has played in six World Cup finals so far; three times he left the podium as champion.

READ ALSO: In 2019, Michael van Gerwen won his third World Cup title

The route to this World Cup was anything but smooth for the darts player from Vlijmen. In the run-up to the tournament of the year, he had to accept a painful defeat in the first round of the Players Champions Finals at the end of November. Van Gerwen had to admit his superior in the Englishman Ian White, 6-1. This after he was also eliminated early in the Grand Slam of Darts tournament in Wolverhampton in mid-November. There he did not survive the group stage for the first time in thirteen editions.