The draw for the PDC World Darts Championship was made on Thursday, with the highly-anticipated tournament set to start on December 15.
The PDC announced earlier in the week that up to 1,000 fans will be able to attend every session of the tournament, as the Alexandra Palace is in a tier two zone.
The top 32 players in the world receive a bye into the second round, but here are some of the most mouth-watering ties when the big boys come in.
Michael van Gerwen vs Ryan Murray/Lourence Ilagan
World Number One Michael van Gerwen will be looking to continue his fine form that saw him win the Players Championship, as he faces either Ryan Murray or Filipino Lourence llagan in his first match.
Van Gerwen has had a disappointing year, but his Players Championship triumph suggests that he’s somewhat back to his best.
The three-time World Champion could face Ryan Murray, who he famously once hit two nine darters in one game against.
Lourence ‘The Gunner’ Ilagan recently represented Philippines at the World Cup.
Gerwyn Price vs Luke Woodhouse/Jamie Lewis
Gerwyn Price will become World Number one if he wins his first world title. The Welshman has probably been the best player this calendar year, winning the World Grand Prix and the World Series Finals.
Price made the semi-finals of the tournament last year, losing to eventual winner Peter Wright in a pulsating game.
He will face either Luke Woodhouse or fellow Welshman Jamie Lewis in the second round. Woodhouse impressed at the World Championship last year when he reached the round of 32.
Lewis didn’t qualify for the Alexandra Palace last year, but he has had success at this event before, reaching the semi-finals in 2018.
Rob Cross vs Dirk van Duijvenbode/Bradley Brooks
2018 World Champion Rob Cross will face a tough opening game against either Dirk van Duijvenbode or World Youth Champion Bradley Brooks.
Van Duijvenbode has had an incredible year, reaching the final of the World Grand Prix, beating the likes of Gary Anderson and Dimitri van den Bergh before being defeated 5-2 by Price in the final.
The 28-year-old known as ‘Aubergenius’ also made the quarter-finals of the Players Championship last month, losing to eventual winner Van Gerwen.
20-year-old Bradley Brooks is the youngest player at this years tournament. He will be full of confidence after winning the World Youth Championship in November.
Cross fell at the first hurdle at the Alexandra Palace last year, losing in straight sets to Kim Huybrechts, and this tie looks like another potential banana skin for the world number five.
Dimitri van den Bergh vs Luke Humphries/Paul Lim
Dimitri van den Bergh has been on fine form this year. An 18-10 win over Gary Anderson in the World Matchplay final in July, aswell as a record-breaking 114.85 average against Ricky Evans in the Grand Slam has seen van den Bergh shoot up the rankings.
Last year he reached the quarter-finals of the World Championship, although the Belgian faces a difficult first match this time around.
‘Cool hand’ Luke Humphries comes up against 66-year-old Paul Lim in the first round. Humphries also made the quarter-finals last year, and he became the first ‘Challenger’ to win a Premier League game earlier this year when he beat Gary Anderson in Exeter.
Singaporean Paul Lim is the oldest player to feature at the Alexandra Palace and he is always popular with the crowd.
Nathan Aspinall vs Scott Waites/Matt Campbell
Nathan Aspinall will face a tricky second round game against Scott Waites or Matt Campbell.
Aspinall lost 6-3 to Van Gerwen in the semi-final in this event last year, and comes off the back of an impressive Grand Slam campaign, in which he knocked out Gerwyn Price.
Two-time BDO World Champion Scott Waites will be a tricky customer for ‘The Asp’ if he can get past Canadian Matt Campbell.
The ‘Ginga Ninja’ represented his nation at this year’s World Cup, and reached the quarter-finals alongside his fellow countryman Jeff Smith.
