The new year is here, and that means the conclusion of the 2025/26 World Darts Championship is upon us. On Thursday, 1 January, all four quarter-final matches at Alexandra Palace will take place, and for the final time, we will have darting drama in the afternoon.
While everybody expected Luke Littler and Luke Humphries to still be in the competition at this stage, the other six players wouldn't necessarily have been predicted, perhaps with the exception of the high-flying Gian van Veen.
The story of the tournament so far has been Justin Hood. Ranked 86th in the world, Hood has cruised to the quarter-finals with his standout performance of the tournament to date being his fourth round demolition job on Josh Rock.
Ahead of the action getting underway at the Palace, check out our quarter-final tips below.
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World Darts Championship quarter-final tips
Ryan Searle to beat Jonny Clayton – 8/13
Ryan Seale has had an excellent World Championship so far, cruising through to the quarter-finals without dropping a set, something that no other player left in the competition can boast.
Searle has always had the tools to become an elite player, but things are now finally starting to come together, and he has averaged more than 100 in his two most recent matches, illustrating that he is only getting better as the format gets longer.
Jonny Clayton hasn't exactly been bad, either, but he has dropped sets in each of his three matches at the tournament and has only averaged more than 93 once.
Gary Anderson to score more 180s than Justin Hood – 1/2
Gary Anderson is having a sensational campaign, and there are many people who now believe he is the greatest threat to the two Lukes.
Anderson will feel that he should get past Justin Hood on Thursday, but he will be conscious of how well his opponent has hit his doubles this week, so he will want to dominate him in the scoring to ensure he is at least first to the doubles in most legs.
Anderson's scoring has been impressive all week, and he has hit 40 180s across his four matches at an average of 1.9 180s per set. By contrast, Hood has hit 31 180s at an average of 1.82 per set.
Luke Humphries vs Gian van Veen over 7.5 sets – 5/6
The clash between Luke Humphries and Gian van Veen has all the makings of an Ally Pally classic as it puts together two of the most in-form players of the year together on the biggest stage of them all.
Humphries goes out as the favourite to win the match, but the former World Champion has shown some frailties, dropping sets in three of his four matches so far. A similar can be said for Van Veen, and both men have dropped a combined total of eight sets to the point.
The last three clashes between the two players have been incredibly tight affairs, too, which suggests we are in for a long match on Thursday. Interestingly, all three were won by Van Veen, with the last two being won by a solitary leg and the one prior being won by two.
World Darts Championship quarter-final treble
- Ryan Searle to beat Jonny Clayton – 8/13
- Gary Anderson to score more 180s than Justin Hood – 1/2
- Luke Humphries vs Gian van Veen over 7.5 sets – 5/6
- Treble: 9/2 @ Bet365
Andy is tipster who has been calling Golf tournaments for several years across many different platforms. He has covered all tournaments from the Asian Tour to the Masters. He's also a keen football fan and is an expert on European football.
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