Darts World Matchplay – The Favorites and The Underdogs
by Geoffrey Ejiga | by Cydias Aujard
The World Matchplay tournament is upon us and SportyTrader will be covering all the best matchups from the tournament in our comprehensive darts predictions. Be sure to check them out before the first round of games takes place at Blackpool.
Luke Littler and Luke Humphries lead the pack among World Matchplay favorites
Luke Littler is the favorite to lift the World Matchplay title according to the best online bookmakers. 2024 saw Littler's debut at the event, but it is one he would like to forget after being eliminated in the opening round by Michael van Gerwen.
Despite the loss, our SportyTrader betting experts think Littler will bounce back stronger and potentially conquer the tournament this year. He is heading into the next match as the number two-ranked darts player, with 3 wins in his previous five matches.
Adding to that, Littler has landed a favorable opening draw against Ryan Searle, which he is already a -700 favorite to win. The second favorite to win at -400 is namesake and Premier League Champion Luke Humphries - the man who denied Littler of two consecutive Premier League titles. See our upcoming World Matchplay predictions for who our experts think will emerge victorious.
Since lifting the Sid Waddell Trophy in January, Humphries has made four finals on the Euro Tour, winning two, and has the best tournament average in majors this year at 100.94. However, he meets Gian van Veen, the World Youth Champion, straight away in the opening round posing the risk of an early upset.
The big question now is whether Humphries can play his cards right if he wants to join the small circle of players to win back-to-back Matchplay titles.
Underdogs who might outperform
Some underdogs that could cause an upset in this year's World Matchplay include:
Michael van Gerwen
Although three-time champion MVG is no longer the dominant force that he once was, he opened 2025 as a finalist in the World Champions. Furthermore, Gerwen has proven on countless occasions that he can make clutch runs when it matters most.
Gary Anderson
Gary Anderson is coming off a strong performance in Germany on the Euro tour. He most recently made it to the Baltic Sea Darts Open finals, averaging over 98.00 in three of five games. On top of that, Anderson finds himself in a favorable side of the draw. He plays Luke Woodhouse, then potentially Ryan Joyce or Stephen in the second round.
Jony Clayton
Another wildcard in this year's event is Jonny Clayton. Despite not winning a major trophy since 2021, Clayton was one leg away from the World Masters title in February. He also made it to the semifinal at the UK Open, suggesting an improvement in his recent form.
