2025 Darts World Grand Prix: Preview, odds & predictions

• Luke Littler tipped to win the 2025 Darts World Grand Prix

• Defending champion Mike De Decker returns to Leicester

• Will someone produce a double-start nine-dart finish?

Ahead of the 2025 Darts World Grand Prix, Ladbrokes shares its tournament preview with odds, favourites and predictions for the upcoming competition.

This year's Grand Prix sees a host of the world's best players come together in Leicester, with the likes of Luke Littler - currently favourite to win the PDC World Championship - world number one Luke Humphries, six-time winner Michael van Gerwen and reigning champion Mike De Decker fighting it out for more silverware.

Below, Ladbrokes has put together a 2025 World Grand Prix preview, with a brief overview of the unique tournament, a look at the favourites, and our predictions ahead of what promises to be another unmissable week of darts - so read on!

• Date of opening match: Monday 6 October, 2025

• Date of final: Sunday 12 October, 2025

• Venue: Mattioli Arena, Leicester, UK

• Prize pool: £600,000

• Reigning champion: Mike De Decker (BEL)

Since the inaugural World Grand Prix in 1998, the tournament has continued to stand out in the darts landscape as a unique format, with this the only event on the PDC calendar to require a 'double start' - meaning players have to start and end their rounds by hitting a double (or the bull).

The competition runs from Monday 6 October - Sunday 12 October, with 32 players hoping for a chance to compete in Sunday's final, and has already drawn up some interesting matches for the likes of Littler and Humphries, who begin with difficult ties against Gian van Veen and Nathan Aspinall respectively.

Some big names miss out this year, with the likes of 2023 World Champion Michael Smith, two-time World Grand Prix runner-up Dave Chisnall, and last year's semi-finalist Dimitri Van den Bergh all failing to make the grade. This opens the door for new faces, however, with 25-year-olds Niko Springer and Wessel Nijman both making their tournament debuts.

Ahead of the 2025 Darts World Grand Prix, the usual players sit at the top of the bookies' standings - with Luke Littler the early favourite to win the event for the first time.

Despite a difficult first-round draw, Littler is priced at just 2/1 to win his seventh PDC title - and his fourth in 2025 - as he looks to put that World Series Finals defeat to Michael van Gerwen behind him.

MVG himself is third-favourite to take the crown in Leicester, with Luke Humphries sandwiched between the pair. Josh Rock is the only other player to be priced at 10/1 or shorter as the tournament approaches, but Gerwyn Price, Stephen Bunting and Jonny Clayton are all given an outside chance.

The opening-round draw has produced some unmissable matches to kick-off the tournament, with the world's top two facing real tests straight off the bat. World number one Luke Humphries takes on Nathan Aspinall in arguably the standout tie of the round, while Luke Littler faces 23-year-old Gian van Veen - who has won the last three meetings between the pair.

Elsewhere, six-time winner Michael van Gerwen plays against fellow Dutchman Dirk van Duijvenbode, defending champion Mike De Decker faces Peter Wright, and Gerwyn Price takes on Ryan Searle.

Below is the full set of opening-round matches, to be played on Monday 6 October, and Tuesday 7 October.

Monday 6 October, 2025

• Rob Cross v Wessel Nijman

• Martin Schindler v Krzysztof Ratajski

• Chris Dobey v Cameron Menzies

• James Wade v Joe Cullen

• Danny Noppert v Jermaine Wattimena

• Luke Humphries v Nathan Aspinall

• Gary Anderson v Raymond van Barneveld

• Stephen Bunting v Niko Springer

Tuesday 7 October, 2025

• Damon Heta v Luke Woodhouse

• Ross Smith v Daryl Gurney

• Jonny Clayton v Andrew Gilding

• Gerwyn Price v Ryan Searle

• Luke Littler v Gian van Veen

• Michael van Gerwen v Dirk van Duijvenbode

• Peter Wright v Mike De Decker

• Josh Rock v Ryan Joyce

To round off this 2025 Darts World Grand Prix tournament preview, we're making a couple of predictions ahead of the opening round - starting with a bold shout for Sunday's final.

Before a dart has even been thrown, we're predicting that the World Grand Prix will see an all-UK final, with the likes of Littler (ENG), Humphries (ENG), Rock (NIR), Price (WAL), and Bunting (ENG) all having an excellent chance of making it to the weekend's action. Serial winner MVG and a host of other players will certainly have something to say about that, but a home crowd always plays a part.

We're also predicting that somebody will produce a double-start nine-dart finish at some point throughout the tournament, with the unique format forcing players to think differently and adding a whole new level of pressure. The calibre of players on display in Leicester means a nine-darter is never out of the question - and we're expecting one to raise the roof.

View the latest Darts odds.

All odds and markets are correct as of the date of publication.