Inside the PDC World Masters One of the most iconic darts tournament names makes its return to the calendar, as the Winmau World Masters takes place for the first time under the PDC umbrella in 2025. The PDC Masters has undergone a major revamp ahead of the new darts season, being renamed the Winmau World Masters and adopting the old tournament’s infamous best of three legs per set format. Previously a non-ranking event and restricted to just the world’s top 24 players, the PDC World Masters is now a ranking event and features a bumper line-up with all 128 PDC tour card holders invited along with representatives from the organisation’s secondary and affiliate tours and young stars from the Junior Darts Corporation (JDC). Now with a brand new identity, the 2025 PDC World Masters has captured the excitement of darts fans new and old. Stephen Bunting was the last winner of the PDC Masters in 2024, whilst all eyes are certain to be on the newly crowned PDC world champion Luke Littler, who makes his debut in this year’s tournament. Event Information Where is the World Masters held? Arena MK in Milton Keynes staged every PDC Masters event from 2015 to 2024 and will continue to be the host venue for the revamped PDC World Masters The 2025 PDC World Masters, known for sponsorship reasons as the Winmau World Masters, will be the 13th staging of a ‘PDC Masters’ competition and will take place from January 29 to February 2 at Arena MK, in Milton Keynes. Arena MK has played host to the PDC Masters since 2015, with the Royal Highland Centre, in Edinburgh, hosting the first two editions of the competition in 2013 and 2014. Discover more about Arena MK and other famous darts venues in our ‘Top 10 Best Darts Venues In The UK’ blog. The televised stages (January 30 to February 2) of the World Masters Darts 2025 will be broadcast live on ITV4 in the UK, as well as through the PDC’s various global broadcast partners. The non-televised stages (January 29) will be streamed live on PDCTV. World Darts Masters Full Schedule When does the darts World Masters start? The 2025 PDC World Darts Masters begins on Wednesday, January 29 at Arena MK, in Milton Keynes. As a top 24 ranked player, Michael van Gerwen (pictured) receives a bye to the last 32 The darts World Masters schedule has been released for the first round (last 32) of this year’s tournament. The top 24 players on the PDC Order of Merit will be in action between January 30-31, with eight players from the preliminary rounds (held on January 29) joining them in the televised stages. World number one Luke Humphries headlines the opening night of televised action on Thursday, January 30. The top seed will start his bid for a first World Masters title against the 2022 Masters champion Joe Cullen. On the same night, last year’s Masters winner Stephen Bunting kicks off his bid for another title in Milton Keynes against a qualifier from the preliminary rounds. One of the most hotly anticipated matches to come out of the World Darts Masters draw takes place on Friday, January 31 when Luke Littler begins his campaign against one of the preliminary round qualifiers. The fixture will mark the 18-year-old’s first appearance in a ranking event since becoming the youngest ever PDC world champion at the start of the year. The same session includes two mouth-watering contests between former major champions as 10-time major winner James Wade faces reigning World Grand Prix champion Mike De Decker, and two-time world champion Gary Anderson goes up against UK Open holder Dimitri Van den Bergh. Below is the list of darts World Masters fixtures for the first round:- Thursday January 30 (1900 GMT) – Match Schedule TBCLuke Humphries v Joe CullenJosh Rock v Qualifier 6Damon Heta v Ross SmithGerwyn Price v Qualifier 4Rob Cross v Qualifier 8Danny Noppert v Michael SmithStephen Bunting v Qualifier 5Peter Wright v Qualifier 1 Friday January 31 (1900 GMT) – Match Schedule TBCLuke Littler v Qualifier 3James Wade v Mike De DeckerJonny Clayton v Martin SchindlerChris Dobey v Ryan SearleMichael van Gerwen v Qualifier 2Gary Anderson v Dimitri Van den BerghDave Chisnall v Qualifier 7Nathan Aspinall v Andrew Gilding Saturday February 1Afternoon Session (1245 GMT)Second Round x4 Evening Session (1900 GMT)Second Round x4 Sunday February 2Afternoon Session (1245 GMT)Quarter-Finals Evening Session (1900 GMT)Semi-FinalsFinal World Darts Masters Format And Rules How many sets in darts World Masters matches? The preliminary round matches are played over the best of three sets, with the format increasing as the tournament progresses with the final contested over the best of 11 sets The PDC World Masters is made up of all 128 PDC tour card holders along with invited players from the organisation’s secondary and affiliate tours, as well as the top young prospects from the Junior Darts Corporation. The top 24 players on the PDC Order of Merit, which is the world rankings used on the professional tour, are seeded directly into the first round (last 32). The preliminary rounds of the competition will see players ranked 25-56 on the PDC Order of Merit seeded through to the last 64. Those 32 players will be joined by 32 group winners from the round-robin group stage. The rest of the field, which includes all PDC tour card holders ranked 57 and below, along with the secondary and affiliate tour players, start off in a group stage. The 2025 edition of the PDC World Masters marks a radical revamp of the tournament’s qualification criteria. From 2013 to 2020, the PDC Masters was restricted to only 16 players - the top 16 players on the PDC Order of Merit. In 2021, the competition was expanded from 16 to 24 players, with players ranked 17-24 in the world rankings also invited. Another change for the 2025 competition is the format moving from leg-play to set-play. The tournament has adopted the old World Masters format of the best of three legs per set, which was the same format used for many years in the World Masters that was run by the BDO up until 2019. The World Darts Masters format is set-play with each match a race to a predetermined number of sets. As the tournament progresses, the number of sets a player needs to win increases. The preliminary rounds are a race to two sets whilst the World Darts Masters final is a race to six sets. Find out more about how sets and legs work with our ‘What Are Darts Sets And Legs’ blog. Here is a breakdown of the World Darts Masters format:- Preliminary Rounds – best of 3 sets, best of 3 legs per set First Round (last 32) – best of 5 sets, best of 3 legs per set Second Round (last 16) – best of 7 sets, best of 3 legs per set Quarter-Finals – best of 7 sets, best of 3 legs per set Semi-Finals – best of 9 sets, best of 3 legs per set Final – best of 11 sets, best of 3 legs per set All To Play For: World Darts Masters Prize Money How much do players get paid for World Masters? Chris Dobey pocketed £65,000 for winning the 2023 edition of the PDC Masters. The 2025 winner of the revamped PDC World Darts Masters will take home £100,000 The winner of the 2025 PDC World Darts Masters is set to take home £100,000. During its previous guise as the PDC Masters, the tournament’s prize money increased many times. The first staging of the Masters in 2013 had a prize fund of £160,000, including £50,000 for the winner. The prize pot has jumped several times since then, with the latest rise in 2023 when the winner took home £65,000 from a total prize fund of £275,000. With an increased field of players for the PDC World Masters in 2025, the total prize fund will jump again to a bumper £500,000 – making it one of the most lucrative events on the darts calendar. Below is the World Darts Masters prize money breakdown for the 2025 edition:- Winner - £100,000 Runner-up - £50,000 Semi-finals - £30,000 Quarter-finals - £17,500 Round 2 (last 16) - £10,000 Round 1 (last 32) - £5,000 Preliminary round last 16 losers - £2,500 Preliminary round last 32 losers - £1,000 Preliminary round last 64 losers - £750 Who’s Competing At The 2025 World Darts Masters? The newly crowned PDC world champion Luke Littler, now 18, makes his debut in the PDC World Masters this year The 2025 Winmau World Masters features a stacked line up of the world’s best players. Amongst the 128 PDC tour card holders who have all qualified automatically via the tournament’s revamped format includes the 2025 PDC world champion Luke Littler, world number one Luke Humphries and the five-time Masters champion Michael van Gerwen. Former Masters winners James Wade, Peter Wright, Jonny Clayton, Joe Cullen, Chris Dobey and Stephen Bunting are also in the field. The list of qualifiers from the PDC’s secondary and affiliate tours includes the reigning World Seniors champion John Henderson, three-time and current women’s world champion Beau Greaves and the ‘Queen of the Palace’ Fallon Sherrock. The complete line up for the 2025 PDC World Masters has yet to be confirmed, with international stars from affiliate tours in North America, Asia and Australasia still to be determined. Below is a provisional list of players competing at the 2025 World Darts Masters: PDC Order of Merit players ranked 1-24 (receive byes to the first round)1. Luke Humphries2. Luke Littler3. Michael van Gerwen4. Rob Cross5. Stephen Bunting6. Dave Chisnall7. Jonny Clayton8. Damon Heta9. Gerwyn Price10. Chris Dobey11. Nathan Aspinall12. Peter Wright13. Danny Noppert14. Gary Anderson15. James Wade16. Josh Rock17. Michael Smith18. Dimitri Van den Bergh19. Ryan Searle20. Andrew Gilding21. Ross Smith22. Martin Schindler23. Joe Cullen24. Mike De Decker PDC Order of Merit players ranked 25-56 (receive byes to the preliminary round last 64)25. Daryl Gurney26. Dirk van Duijvenbode27. Gian van Veen28. Ritchie Edhouse29. Ryan Joyce30. Ricardo Pietreczko31. Brendan Dolan32. Krzysztof Ratajski33. Luke Woodhouse34. Raymond van Barneveld35. Jermaine Wattimena36. Scott Williams37. Gabriel Clemens38. Martin Lukeman39. Cameron Menzies40. Callan Rydz41. Kevin Doets42. Madars Razma43. Mickey Mansell44. Ricky Evans45. Jose De Sousa46. Kim Huybrechts47. Richard Veenstra48. Niels Zonneveld49. Ian White50. Keane Barry51. Jim Williams52. Willie O’Connor53. Matt Campbell54. Wessel Nijman55. Florian Hempel56. Alan Soutar All remaining PDC tour card holders and PDC secondary and affiliate tour qualifiers (start in the preliminary round group stage)72x PDC tour card holders8x PDC Challenge Tour players8x PDC Development Tour players8x PDC Women’s Series players8x PDC Nordic & Baltic ProTour players8x PDC Asian Tour players8x CDC ProTour players8x DPA ProTour players8x DPNZ ProTour players4x JDC players Players To Watch Beau Greaves has been the dominant force in the women’s game for the last three years winning a trio of WDF Women’s World Championship titles along with two PDC Women’s World Matchplay crowns The expanded field in this year’s PDC World Masters opens the tournament up to players beyond the top 24 in the PDC Order of Merit. All 128 PDC tour card holders are eligible to take part in the 2025 edition along with players invited from the PDC’s secondary and affiliate tours. Beau Greaves could make her debut in the event as one of the highest-ranked players on the 2024 PDC Development Tour Order of Merit. The 21-year-old has dominated the women’s circuit in recent years, winning title after title, including a hat-trick of Women’s World Championships in the WDF. The youngster recently bagged a brace of titles on the PDC Challenge Tour and sits top of that tour’s Order of Merit after five events. Headlining the crop of players to win two-year PDC tour cards at Q-School earlier this month was Bradley Brooks. The 2020 PDC world youth champion topped the UK Q-School Order of Merit with an unprecedented 16 points courtesy of a string of impressive performances. ‘Bam Bam’ won 25 out of his 29 matches and finished top of the overall averages with a 93.87 average for the week. From the list of provisional qualifiers from the PDC Asian Tour, Paolo Nebrida is a stand-out name. The Philippines thrower reached the third round of the 2024/25 PDC World Darts Championship, knocking out Ross Smith 3-0 en route, and also made the last eight of the recent Bahrain Darts Masters. Past Highlights From The PDC Masters Michael van Gerwen celebrates after winning a fifth consecutive PDC Masters title in 2018 Under its former name of the Masters, this tournament has produced countless memorable moments over its short history. Darts Corner has taken a trip down memory lane to pick out some of our favourite Masters moments. 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲?! James Wade produced the greatest comeback in Masters history from 9-2 down to defeat Mervyn King 11-10 in the 2014 final 🏆pic.twitter.com/UZQ1oBaolE— Live Darts (@livedarts) January 27, 2022 The 2014 PDC Masters final – the last match played at the Royal Highland Centre before the tournament moved to Arena MK – had everything. James Wade and Mervyn King faced off in the decider and the destiny of the title looked to be heading one way as King opened up a 9-2 lead in a race to 11 legs. However, Wade produced one of the most memorable comebacks in darts history as he won nine of the next 10 legs to prevail 11-10 in a last-leg decider! PETER WRIGHT IS THE MASTERS CHAMPION! 🏆On the back of his World Championship win, Peter Wright survives three match darts to take the deciding leg and win the 2020 Ladbrokes Masters! pic.twitter.com/JV0K8Xc4xp — PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) February 2, 2020 After the thrilling conclusion to the James Wade/Mervyn King final in 2014, darts fans would have to wait a whole six years before the Masters decider would go all the way to a last-leg shootout again. The 2020 PDC Masters final saw Peter Wright survive three match darts in a dramatic deciding leg to beat Michael Smith 11-10 and get his hands on the trophy. Whilst it would be yet more major final heartbreak for ‘Bully Boy’ on that occasion, he would eventually end his hunt for big silverware with victories in the 2022 Grand Slam of Darts and 2022/23 PDC World Darts Championship! BUNTING HAS FINALLY DONE IT! 🏆STEPHEN BUNTING DEFEATS MICHAEL VAN GERWEN TO WIN HIS FIRST EVER PDC TELEVISED TITLE! IT'S TIME TO GO BUNTING MENTAL! pic.twitter.com/umVO7RJ3jJ— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) February 4, 2024 Despite being a perennial title winner in the BDO, lifting back-to-back World Masters titles in 2012 and 2013 along with a Lakeside crown in 2014, Stephen Bunting went into last year’s Masters without PDC major silverware on his darting CV. That would change on an unforgettable weekend in Milton Keynes, as ‘The Bullet’ saw off the record five-time Masters champion Michael van Gerwen 11-7 in the final of the 2024 PDC Masters. Although it was a non-ranking event, Bunting would kick on from his maiden major success in the PDC, reaching a second Ally Pally semi-final and climbing up to number five in the world less than 12 months later! Play Like The Pros: Official Darts World Masters Equipment James Wade (pictured) is one of four players, along with Michael van Gerwen, Peter Wright and Dave Chisnall, to have played in all 12 editions of the PDC Masters The Winmau Blade 6 is the dartboard of choice for the PDC World Darts Masters, with the Winmau Blade 6 Triple Core Dartboard being used for every match in the tournament as part of the brand’s deal as the PDC’s official equipment supplier. Replicate a professional-like setup at home with a Winmau Blade 6 Dual Core Dartboard, made from the finest East African Sisal and designed to withstand plenty of use. Darts Corner also stocks many of the signature darts and accessories used by players competing in this year’s World Masters including Luke Littler, Michael Smith, Gary Anderson, Dave Chisnall and Damon Heta. Upgrade your darts equipment to help level up your own game and enhance your playing experience at home! Explore our ‘Professional Darts’ collection for a wide range of pro-level gear to take your game to new heights! Don’t Miss The Action At The 2025 PDC World Masters The 2025 edition of the PDC World Masters is just around the corner as an expected field of 150+ players get ready to battle it our for the trophy. The World Masters takes place from January 29 to February 2 at Arena MK, in Milton Keynes, and will be broadcast live on ITV4. Get in touch with the Darts Corner team and tell us your predictions for this year’s World Masters. Tweet us your predicted winner on X (Twitter) or leave a comment on our Facebook page. Pictures: PDC Alex Moss is a content creator for Darts Corner and the co-host of the Weekly Dartscast podcast. Alex co-founded the Weekly Dartscast in 2017 and has helped produce 350+ episodes of the podcast, with their list of previous guests on the show a who’s who in the world of darts. Alex also writes content for the Darts Corner blog, including the weekly darts news round-ups and how-to guides.
