Luke Littler faces another head-to-head showdown with former world champion Rob Cross after the pair were drawn together in the opening round of the Ladbrokes Players Championship Finals.
The £600,000 tournament – featuring the top 64 players on the Players Championship Order of Merit following the conclusion of the 30-event 2024 Players Championship season – will take place at Butlin’s Minehead Resort from November 22-24.
Littler qualifies as the eighth seed after winning three Players Championship titles in his first season on the PDC ProTour, with the Premier League champion being handed a tough start against the 2018 world champion.
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Luke Littler won the Premier League in his debut campaign after defeating world No 1 Luke Humphries 11-7 in the final
The tie is a repeat of their first-round clash at the World Grand Prix in October, where Littler – the pre-tournament favourite – suffered a 2-1 loss and an early exit on his debut in the double-start event.
World No 1 Luke Humphries will begin his title defence against Gabriel Clemens, 12 months on from his thrilling victory over Michael van Gerwen and ahead of his bid for back-to-back World Championships later this year.
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Highlights from the final of the World Grand Prix 2024, where Mike De Decker stunned Luke Humphries
Van Gerwen opens his challenge against 2019 semi-finalist Ian White, as the Dutch superstar eyes a record-extending eighth Players Championship Finals title, while top seed Chris Dobey faces world No 8 Nathan Aspinall – holder of the final qualification spot.
Stephen Bunting – a six-time Players Championship runner-up in 2024 – meets Belgium’s Mario Vandenbogaerde, with third seed Damon Heta taking on two-time finalist Mervyn King and Dave Chisnall playing Joe Cullen in a repeat of the 2022 Masters final.
De Decker goes up against Richard Veenstra, with former finalists Jonny Clayton and Gerwyn Price taking on Florian Hempel and Thibault Tricole respectively.
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Mike De Decker believes he needs more experience before he plays in the Premier League
Daryl Gurney and Peter Wright lock horns in a battle of the former Players Championship Finals winners, while world No 2 Michael Smith plays newcomer Dom Taylor and European Champion Ritchie Edhouse faces Luke Woodhouse.
Players Championship Finals: Full draw for first round
Seed number 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 Price 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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Speaking on Love The Darts, Richard Ashdown and Michael Bridge are not concerned about Michael van Gerwen’s performance at the World Grand Prix
How does the format work?
The first round will take place across a marathon opening day on Friday November 22, with Saturday’s double session featuring the second round in the afternoon and the third round later that evening.
Quarter-finals, semi-finals and final will then be held on Sunday November 24, with the Winmau World Youth Championship final taking place during a bumper evening session.
The Players Championship Finals is the last tournament before the 2025 PDC World Darts Championship, beginning on December 15 at the Alexandra Palace and exclusively live on Sky Sports.
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