With eight players, there are more Germans at a Darts World Championship than ever before. An overview of the first round matches.
The German players have predominantly manageable opening tasks at the upcoming Darts World Championship in London (December 11 to January 3, live on SPORT1 ). Martin Schindler, ranked 13th in the world, will face Stephen Burton from England, ranked 67th, in the first round.
Meanwhile, the German number two, Ricardo Pietreczko, will face the Portuguese José de Sousa, whose biggest success to date is the 2020 Grand Slam title.
Germany’s number one: Martin Schindler
Dominik Grüllich drew the most difficult lot on paper, as the only German to face a seeded player in the first round. The 23-year-old from Wolnzach will duel with the Dutchman Jermaine Wattimena, ranked 19th in the world, at his debut in the “Ally Pally”. While Max Hopp celebrates his World Cup comeback against the Englishman Martin Lukeman, shooting star Niko Springer plays against Joe Comito from Australia.
Eight Germans at the Darts World Championship
Eight German players are taking part in the highlight, more than ever before. Lukas Wenig, who surprisingly reached the quarter-finals at the Grand Slam of Darts, will face the Dutchman Wesley Plaisier. Gabriel Clemens plays against the American Alex Spellman for a place in the next round, PDC World Championship debutant Arno Merk will face Belgium’s Kim Huybrechts.
English world number one Luke Littler starts his title defense mission against Darius Labanauskas from Lithuania. The World Championship, with 128 participants as big as never before, begins on December 11 and ends on January 3, 2026 with the final. With five million pounds, the prize money was doubled compared to the previous year, the winner receives one million pounds.
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