The schedule of play for the opening day of the 2024 Ladbrokes Players Championship Finals has been confirmed, as Luke Humphries bids to retain the coveted title in Minehead next weekend.
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.
Friday's opening day will feature a double session of action across two stages, as reigning champion Luke Humphries begins his bid for back-to-back titles against German number two Gabriel Clemens.
Humphries’ showdown against Clemens will be one of seven first round ties on the Main Stage on Friday evening, as six PDC World Champions headline a blockbuster opening night.
Michael van Gerwen has lifted the Players Championship Finals title a record seven times, and the Dutchman will kick off his challenge against Stoke-on-Trent veteran Ian White.
Elsewhere, newly-crowned Grand Slam champion Luke Littler faces 2022 runner-up Rob Cross in a heavyweight showdown, as two of the sport’s top five on the PDC Order of Merit lock horns.
Top seed Chris Dobey - a winner of three Players Championship titles in 2024 - will also take centre stage when he plays former World Matchplay champion Nathan Aspinall for a place in round two.
2014 champion Gary Anderson meets Ryan Meikle in his opener, while Daryl Gurney and Peter Wright go head-to-head in a battle of the Players Championship Finals winners.
Former finalists Dave Chisnall and Ryan Searle will be amongst the stars in action on the Main Stage on Friday afternoon, as they take on Joe Cullen and Jeffrey de Graaf respectively.
Grand Slam of Darts runner-up Martin Lukeman will play Challenge Tour Order of Merit winner Connor Scutt, while ten-time TV title winner James Wade faces Stephen Burton in his opener.
European Champion Ritchie Edhouse renews his rivalry with Luke Woodhouse, as Dutch star Gian van Veen opens this year’s tournament against World Championship semi-finalist Scott Williams.
The Stage Two action in Reds - which will be streamed worldwide through PDCTV - will begin as 2023 UK Open champion Andrew Gilding makes his Minehead return against Kevin Doets.
Emerging Dutchman Wessel Nijman has been pitted against 2012 runner-up Kim Huybrechts in his opener, with Scottish star Cameron Menzies and European Championship finalist Jermaine Wattimena also in action.
Third seed Damon Heta will kick off Friday evening’s Stage Two action against two-time runner-up Mervyn King, before 2017 finalist Jonny Clayton takes on Germany’s Florian Hempel.
World number three Michael Smith will also be among the high-profile names in action, alongside Dutch stalwart Raymond van Barneveld and Masters champion Stephen Bunting.
Belgian duo Dimitri Van den Bergh and Mike De Decker will also star on Stage Two, and they face tough tests against Ross Smith and Richard Veenstra respectively.
Friday's first round winners will progress to compete in Saturday’s double session, with the second round in the afternoon followed by the third round later in the evening.
The tournament then concludes on Sunday November 24, with the afternoon's quarter-finals followed by the semi-finals and final in a bumper evening session.
The Winmau World Youth Championship final will take place between the semi-finals and final on Sunday night, as Van Veen faces Jurjen van der Velde in an all-Dutch affair.
The 2024 Ladbrokes Players Championship Finals will be broadcast live on ITV4 in the UK, and through the PDC's worldwide broadcast partners including DAZN and Viaplay.
Coverage will also be broadcast on PDCTV (excluding subscribers in the UK, Germany, Austria and Switzerland), while action from Stage Two will be broadcast worldwide on PDCTV on Friday and Saturday.
2024 Ladbrokes Players Championship Finals
Draw Bracket
(1) Chris Dobey v (64) Nathan Aspinall
(32) William O'Connor v (33) Niels Zonneveld
(16) Mike De Decker v (49) Richard Veenstra
(17) Michael van Gerwen v (48) Ian White
(8) Luke Littler v (57) Rob Cross
(25) Ritchie Edhouse v (40) Luke Woodhouse
(9) Danny Noppert v (56) James Hurrell
(24) James Wade v (41) Stephen Burton
(4) Ryan Searle v (61) Jeffrey de Graaf
(29) Gerwyn Price v (36) Thibault Tricole
(13) Wessel Nijman v (52) Kim Huybrechts
(20) Gian van Veen v (45) Scott Williams
(5) Dave Chisnall v (60) Joe Cullen
(28) Andrew Gilding v (37) Kevin Doets
(12) Ross Smith v (53) Dimitri Van den Bergh
(21) Wesley Plaisier v (44) Mensur Suljovic
(2) Stephen Bunting v (63) Mario Vandenbogaerde
(31) Martin Lukeman v (34) Connor Scutt
(15) Daryl Gurney v (50) Peter Wright
(18) Michael Smith v (47) Dom Taylor
(7) Josh Rock v (58) Ricky Evans
(26) Alan Soutar v (39) Jermaine Wattimena
(10) Jonny Clayton v (55) Florian Hempel
(23) Dirk van Duijvenbode v (42) Callan Rydz
(3) Damon Heta v (62) Mervyn King
(30) Krzysztof Ratajski v (35) Madars Razma
(14) Raymond van Barneveld v (51) Chris Landman
(19) Luke Humphries v (46) Gabriel Clemens
(6) Gary Anderson v (59) Ryan Meikle
(27) Brendan Dolan v (38) Martin Schindler
(11) Cameron Menzies v (54) Jim Williams
(22) Ryan Joyce v (43) Karel Sedlacek
Friday November 22
Afternoon Session (1245-1700 GMT)
First Round Schedule of Play
Main Stage
Gian van Veen v Scott Williams
Brendan Dolan v Martin Schindler
Ritchie Edhouse v Luke Woodhouse
James Wade v Stephen Burton
Ryan Searle v Jeffrey de Graaf
Martin Lukeman v Connor Scutt
Dave Chisnall v Joe Cullen
Saturday November 23
Afternoon Session (1245-1700 GMT)
Main Stage - Second Round x8
Stage Two - Second Round x8
Evening Session (1900-2300 GMT)
Main Stage - Third Round x4
Stage Two - Third Round x4
Sunday November 24
Afternoon Session (1245-1700 GMT)
Quarter-Finals
Evening Session (1900-2300 GMT)
Semi-Finals
Final
PDC Winmau World Youth Championship Final
(To be held between semi-finals & final of Cazoo Players Championship Finals)
Gian van Veen v Jurjen van der Velde– Best of 11 legs