Alexandra Palace is one of the most iconic venues in London, and as well as offering stunning panoramic views of the city’s skyline, it has also become synonymous with providing top class entertainment on a regular basis. The Grade II listed building, which is located in the borough of Haringey, hosts live concerts, stand-up comedy and festive theatre productions, as well as major sporting events.
?The World Darts Championship is to remain at Alexandra Palace until at least 2024/25, with a new four-year deal confirmed today with @OfficialPDC ?https://t.co/KGefQalXWd pic.twitter.com/P8oASLHK0O
— @yourallypally (@Yourallypally) July 29, 2021
As well as hosting the Masters Snooker in January, Ally Pally has also been home to the PDC World Darts Championship since 2008, with thousands of darts fans descending upon N22 on an annual basis. It is regarded as the most prestigious event on the darts calendar and it gives fans the chance to see the world’s best players go head-to-head as they compete for the iconic Sid Waddell Trophy including fan-favourite Michael Van Gerwen and reigning champion Gerwyn Price. The latter is the 4/1 favourite in the latest darts betting and is aiming to become the first back-to-back winner since 2016.
When is the 2022 PDC World Darts Championship?
The PDC World Darts Championship is traditionally staged throughout the festive period and this year’s competition gets underway on December 15th 2021. With 96 players competing for the sizeable prize purse of £2.5million, there will be plenty of matches to keep fans entertained across the 19 days. With around 3,000 spectators expected to attend each session, a terrific atmosphere is virtually guaranteed.
The tournament will conclude on January 3rd 2022 with the line-up for next year’s much-anticipated Premier League of Darts expected to be announced upon completion.
Which players are competing?
The World Darts Championship always attracts a high-quality field and the top 32 players from the PDC Order of Merit are automatically entered into the competition at the second round stage. The first round will comprise of the 32 highest ranked players on the PDC Pro Tour Order of Merit as well as 32 qualifiers.
The World Darts Championship tends to throw up a number of interesting and fascinating narratives and history will be made at this year’s tournament when Australian duo Raymond and Ky Smith will become the first father and son duo to compete at the same event.
Trailblazing duo Lisa Ashton and Fallon Sherrock have also qualified for this year’s tournament with the latter hoping to build on her historic appearance two years ago in which she beat both Ted Evetts and Mensur Suljovic.
Hear from Fallon Sherrock and Lisa Ashton after they both secured their spots at Alexandra Palace for the 2021/22 World Darts Championship.
More dominance from the pair throughout the day, with some expert darts on show! pic.twitter.com/maxfDbGkmL
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) October 23, 2021
Which players could be this year’s surprise packages?
Chris Dobey, Kim Huybrechts and Damon Heta will all be seeded at this year’s event for the first time and the talented trio will be hoping to make the most of this opportunity. Dirk Van Duijvenbode chalked up a couple of impressive 170 finishes at last year’s event and will be hoping to improve upon his quarter-final appearance.
Martijn Kleermaker will be aiming to make up for lost time after illness prevented the Dutchman from making his debut at the tournament twelve months ago, whereas Florian Hempel and Scott Mitchell will both be hoping to make an impression in their maiden appearance at Alexandra Palace.
