PDC World Darts Championship 2024: Dates, start times, talkSPORT commentary, tournament format and c

The PDC World Darts Championship is set to take centre-stage over the next few weeks as darts' best players compete for the Sid Waddell Trophy.

This is the event that all darts fans pencil into their calendars as 96 competitors flock to north London for the festival atmosphere at Alexandra Palace.

Michael Smith, aka 'Bully Boy', defeated Dutchman Michael van Gerwen earlier this year in the final with a 7-4 win, and he will be back to defend his title.

However, Van Gerwen and 94 other players are set to step up to the oche and bid to gain the biggest prize in darts.

And the action will be live on talkSPORT as we prepare for a festive feast of darts.

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PDC World Darts Championship 2024: Dates and start times

The event got underway on Friday, December 15 at 7pm.

It is being held in north London at the famous Alexandra Palace, or Ally Pally as it's commonly known.

There will be seven rounds until the final on Wednesday, January 3.

PDC World Darts Championship 2024: How to follow

talkSPORT will have live commentary of the World Darts Championship action across the network.

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Our team consists of Ian Danter, Mark Wilson, Paul Nicholson, Chris Mason and Sian Price.

Price will also share regular updates throughout the tournament.

To tune in to talkSPORT or talkSPORT 2 through the website, click HERE for the live stream. You can also listen via the talkSPORT app, on DAB digital radio, through your smart speaker and on 1089 or 1053 AM.

Sky Sports Main Event and Arena will show the action live.

PDC World Darts Championship 2024: Tournament format

There are set to be 96 players at the Alexandra Palace this year, all competing to lift the Sid Waddell Trophy and take home £2.5million in prize money.

The 32 players in the PDC Tour Order of Merit and the 32 qualifiers from around the world will enter in the first round.

The 32 PDC Order of Merit players [top-ranked players] will enter the competition in the second round.

This means there will be no first-round upsets involving Gerwyn Price, Peter Wright, Smith and Van Gerwen.

All matches will be played as single in, double out – requiring players to score 501 points to win a leg, finishing on either a double or the bullseye.

For all rounds except the first, the deciding set has to be won by two clear legs unless the set score goes to 5–5, in which case a sudden-death leg will be played. There would be no throw for the bull in any sudden-death legs.

The matches will get longer as the tournament progresses, with the first and second rounds being best of five and working up to the final - which will be best of 13.

PDC World Darts Championship 2024: What has been said?

Defending champion Smith is determined not to let his crown go without a fight.

"When I won the World Championship, I said I had completed darts.
"I literally thought about it for six or seven months – I hadn't been practising, I was going to Vegas on holiday. I thought, what else can I do?

"Now it's about adding a second, a third and a fourth [World Championship] title. I want to win every major that the PDC has to offer. Then I really can say that I've completed darts!
"I cannot wait to get to Ally Pally now because I will finally see myself holding that trophy on the [champions] wall.

"If I am struggling, I can just look up and see it. I think that is going to give me the inspiration that I need.

"I'll be very proud when John McDonald announces me as the reigning and defending champion, but I'll also be sad as well because I don't want it to end.

"I'm not quite ready to be called the former World Champion yet!"

PDC World Darts Championship 2024: Remaining competitors

Order of merit - Second round [seeded]

Michael Smith (England)
Michael van Gerwen (Netherlands)
Luke Humphries (England)
Gerwyn Price (Wales)
Nathan Aspinall (England)
Rob Cross (England)
Jonny Clayton (Wales)
Damon Heta (Australia)
Dave Chisnall (England)
Joe Cullen (England)
Ross Smith (England)
Chris Dobey (England)
Stephen Bunting (England)
Ryan Searle (England)
Gary Anderson (Scotland)
Gabriel Clemens (Germany)
Josh Rock (Northern Ireland)
Krzysztof Ratajski (Poland)
Martin Schindler (Germany)
Daryl Gurney (Northern Ireland)
Brendan Dolan (Northern Ireland)
Raymond van Barneveld (Netherlands)
Madars Razma (Latvia)

Pro Tour Order of Merit - First round

Ricardo Pietreczko (Germany)
Ryan Joyce (England)
Jim Williams (Wales)
Richard Veenstra (Netherlands)
Matt Campbell (Canada)
Scott Williams (England)
Ricky Evans (England)

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