The Grand Slam of Darts will take place from November 8th to 16th. 32 players will compete for the title in Wolverhampton. SPORT1 will broadcast the tournament live on free TV and via livestream.
On November 8th, it’s finally time: The next major darts highlight is approaching. Until November 16th, the 19th edition of the Grand Slam of Darts will take place in Wolverhampton. SPORT1 will broadcast the event live on free TV , in the SPORT1 App , and selected sessions via free livestream on SPORT1.de .
After the end of the British Darts Organization (BDO), it is no longer a comparison between different associations. Only darts players from the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) are now considered.
In the first round at WV Active Aldersley, the 32 darts stars will be drawn into eight groups of four participants each. After each player has competed against every group opponent, the top two from each group qualify for the knockout round. There, the final 16 players will duel before the semifinals and the grand final are held in two sessions on November 16th.
From a German perspective, Martin Schindler and Niko Springer are already qualified due to their excellent performances on the European Tour. Eight additional spots will be contested in the last qualifying tournament (October 31st) among all non-qualified tour card holders. Thus, more German players could secure a ticket. Swiss player Stefan Bellmont, as the leader of the Challenge Tour, will make his debut.
Luke Littler wants to start as the defending champion at the Grand Slam. The 17-year-old won last year’s final convincingly with a 16:3 victory against Martin Lukeman, securing the Eric Bristow Trophy for the first time and a prize money of £150,000. For Lukeman, reaching the final and winning £70,000 was still the greatest success of his career. The total prize money this year remains at £650,000.
A unique feature of the tournament format is the so-called 9-Dart Shoot-Out. In the group stage, two points are awarded per win. If points are equal, the leg difference decides first, followed by the head-to-head record.
In case neither points, leg difference, legs against the throw, nor tournament average are sufficient to determine the group ranking, players attempt to score the highest possible value with nine darts – thereby advancing to the second round.