Luke Littler faces one other head-to-head showdown with former world champion Rob Cross after the pair had been drawn collectively within the opening spherical of the Ladbrokes Gamers Championship Finals.
The £600,000 event – that includes the highest 64 gamers on the Gamers Championship Order of Advantage following the conclusion of the 30-event 2024 Gamers Championship season – will happen at Butlin’s Minehead Resort from November 22-24.
Littler qualifies because the eighth seed after profitable three Gamers Championship titles in his first season on the PDC ProTour, with the Premier League champion being handed a tricky begin in opposition to the 2018 world champion.
The tie is a repeat of their first-round conflict on the World Grand Prix in October, the place Littler – the pre-tournament favorite – suffered a 2-1 loss and an early exit on his debut within the double-start occasion.
World No 1 Luke Humphries will start his title defence in opposition to Gabriel Clemens, 12 months on from his thrilling victory over Michael van Gerwen and forward of his bid for back-to-back World Championships later this yr.
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Highlights from the ultimate of the World Grand Prix 2024, the place Mike De Decker surprised Luke Humphries
Van Gerwen opens his problem in opposition to 2019 semi-finalist Ian White, because the Dutch celebrity eyes a record-extending eighth Gamers Championship Finals title, whereas prime seed Chris Dobey faces world No 8 Nathan Aspinall – holder of the ultimate qualification spot.
Stephen Bunting – a six-time Gamers Championship runner-up in 2024 – meets Belgium’s Mario Vandenbogaerde, with third seed Damon Heta taking over two-time finalist Mervyn King and Dave Chisnall enjoying Joe Cullen in a repeat of the 2022 Masters remaining.
De Decker goes up in opposition to Richard Veenstra, with former finalists Jonny Clayton and Gerwyn Worth taking over Florian Hempel and Thibault Tricole respectively.
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Mike De Decker believes he wants extra expertise earlier than he performs within the Premier League
Daryl Gurney and Peter Wright lock horns in a battle of the previous Gamers Championship Finals winners, whereas world No 2 Michael Smith performs newcomer Dom Taylor and European Champion Ritchie Edhouse faces Luke Woodhouse.
Gamers Championship Finals: Full draw for first spherical
Seed quantity in brackets
(1) Chris Dobey vs (64) Nathan Aspinall
(32) William O’Connor vs (33) Niels Zonneveld
(16) Mike De Decker vs (49) Richard Veenstra
(17) Michael van Gerwen vs (48) Ian White
(8) Luke Littler vs (57) Rob Cross
(25) Ritchie Edhouse vs (40) Luke Woodhouse
(9) Danny Noppert vs (56) James Hurrell
(24) James Wade vs (41) Stephen Burton
(4) Ryan Searle vs (61) Jeffrey de Graaf
(29) Gerwyn Worth vs (36) Thibault Tricole
(13) Wessel Nijman vs (52) Kim Huybrechts
(20) Gian van Veen vs (45) Scott Williams
(5) Dave Chisnall vs (60) Joe Cullen
(28) Andrew Gilding vs (37) Kevin Doets
(12) Ross Smith vs (53) Dimitri Van den Bergh
(21) Wesley Plaisier vs (44) Mensur Suljovic
(2) Stephen Bunting vs (63) Mario Vandenbogaerde
(31) Martin Lukeman vs (34) Connor Scutt
(15) Daryl Gurney vs (50) Peter Wright
(18) Michael Smith vs (47) Dom Taylor
(7) Josh Rock vs (58) Ricky Evans
(26) Alan Soutar vs (39) Jermaine Wattimena
(10) Jonny Clayton vs (55) Florian Hempel
(23) Dirk van Duijvenbode vs (42) Callan Rydz
(3) Damon Heta vs (62) Mervyn King
(30) Krzysztof Ratajski vs (35) Madars Razma
(14) Raymond van Barneveld vs (51) Chris Landman
(19) Luke Humphries vs (46) Gabriel Clemens
(6) Gary Anderson vs (59) Ryan Meikle
(27) Brendan Dolan vs (38) Martin Schindler
(11) Cameron Menzies vs (54) Jim Williams
(22) Ryan Joyce vs (43) Karel Sedlacek
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Talking on Love The Darts, Richard Ashdown and Michael Bridge are usually not involved about Michael van Gerwen’s efficiency on the World Grand Prix
How does the format work?
The primary spherical will happen throughout a marathon opening day on Friday November 22, with Saturday’s double session that includes the second spherical within the afternoon and the third spherical later that night.
Quarter-finals, semi-finals and remaining will then be held on Sunday November 24, with the Winmau World Youth Championship remaining happening throughout a bumper night session.
The Gamers Championship Finals is the final event earlier than the 2025 PDC World Darts Championship, starting on December 15 on the Alexandra Palace and solely dwell on Sky Sports activities.
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