Battle of the Lukes and history for Noa-Lynn – World Championship talking points

The World Darts Championship starts at Alexandra Palace on Sunday.

Two-and-a-half weeks of darting action awaits before the champion is crowned on January 3.

Here, the PA news agency looks at five competitors to keep an eye on during the tournament.

The year started with a battle of the two Lukes as Humphries beat Littler in the 2024 World Championship final and a strong rivalry has emerged.

They have been the best two players on the tour by some distance, winning six of the 11 televised major titles between them, while also contesting five finals.

The draw means that there will not be a repeat of the 2024 final as they are slated to meet in the semi-finals in what would be a mouth-watering battle.

Last month’s draw gave the tantalising prospect of a possible second-round clash between Littler and Fallon Sherrock.

Sherrock is back on the Ally Pally stage for a fifth time, five years on from her dream run to the third round, which earned her celebrity status.

She has not won a match at the World Championship since then but she will be eyeing victory over Ryan Meikle, which would set up a meeting with Littler in a battle between the two celebrities of the sport.

Noa-Lynn van Leuven will continue to break barriers as she becomes the first trans player to play on the Alexandra Palace stage.

The Dutchwoman, who transitioned in 2021, has qualified for the World Championship based on her performance in the Women’s Series. That also earned her entry into the Grand Slam of Darts last month, where she lost all three of her group games.

She plays Kevin Doets in the first round and if she can win it would be one of the greatest victories on the Ally Pally stage.

Christmas, darts and Ally Pally – they are three things that are synonymous with each other.

But whether this is the last time the famous north London venue holds the World Championship remains to be seen after PDC chief Barry Hearn hinted at moving away to satisfy demand.

The Littler effect has helped tickets sell out in record time for the 2025 tournament so a bigger venue could be on the cards, while the big financial rewards of moving to Saudi Arabia have also been mentioned.

While Humphries and Littler have dominated the sport over 2024, part of their success has been due to the decline of others.

Michael van Gerwen has had a surprisingly poor year while Michael Smith, Gerwyn Price and Peter Wright no longer challenge at the top of the game in the way they did when they became world champions.

They will be hoping they can recapture their best form on the biggest stage, but a host of lower ranked players in the other side of the draw to Humphries and Littler will be eyeing their chances of a run to the final.