The 2024 Ladbrokes Players Championship Finals begins on Friday, as reigning champion Luke Humphries kicks off his bid for back-to-back titles at Butlin’s Minehead Resort.
The £600,000 tournament – featuring the top 64 players on the Players Championship Order of Merit – will take place across three days of action from November 22-24.
Day One will be split across the Main Stage and Stage Two, with all players competing in Friday’s first round, which will be held across an action-packed double session.
Humphries produced a memorable comeback to defeat his great rival Michael van Gerwen in last year’s showpiece, and the world number one will headline Friday evening’s Main Stage action.
The 29-year-old has been pitted against German number two Gabriel Clemens in his opener, and following an early exit at last week’s Grand Slam of Darts, he’s looking to bounce back in style.
“I’m feeling nice and refreshed, and I’m actually looking forward to playing darts again now,” claimed Humphries, who defeated Van Gerwen 11-9 in last year’s showpiece.
“My last three appearances in Minehead have led to a semi-final, a win and a final; I’ve made the final session of the last three events down there, which is a really good feeling for me.“It gives me great confidence to know that this is a certain place where I go and will always perform.”
Newly-crowned Grand Slam champion Luke Littler will play 2022 runner-up Rob Cross in a heavyweight first round showdown, as the teenager targets back-to-back TV ranking titles.
Littler – a winner of three Players Championship titles in 2024 – succumbed to Cross at the same stage of last month’s World Grand Prix, but he’s hopeful of making amends in Minehead.
“The win at the Grand Slam has given me a lot of confidence,” declared Littler, who has climbed to world number five following his Grand Slam heroics.
“I can relax a bit now I’ve won my first ranking title. I know my game is there, and I know I can come back if I am trailing in matches.
“I’ve let my darts do most of the talking this year, but there’s still another two titles up for grabs, so hopefully it can get even better.”
Michael van Gerwen – eyeing a record-extending eighth Players Championship Finals title – plays Ian White for a place in round two, with 2014 champion Gary Anderson up against Ryan Meikle.
Top seed Chris Dobey will also take centre stage on Friday evening, as he renews his rivalry with former World Matchplay champion Nathan Aspinall in one of the day’s stand-out ties.
Dobey claimed a hat-trick of Players Championship titles in 2024 to clinch top spot on the Order of Merit, and he’s aiming to transfer his eye-catching ProTour form to the sport’s biggest stages.
“My floor form has been impeccable this season,” reflected Dobey, who has featured in five Players Championship finals this year – a record only bettered by Stephen Bunting.
“After a year in the Premier League, I found it tough to perform on the ProTour, but I’ve worked hard to get my game back to where it should be.
“I’ve had no luck on the stage so far this year, but that isn’t going to last for a lifetime. I will get my stage game back, and hopefully it will turn against Nathan [Aspinall].”
Former Players Championship Finals winners Daryl Gurney and Peter Wright will also go head-to-head on Friday evening, as 2019 runner-up Gerwyn Price plays French trailblazer Thibault Tricole.
Friday afternoon’s Main Stage action will feature former finalists Dave Chisnall and Ryan Searle, as well as ten-time TV title winner James Wade and European Champion Ritchie Edhouse.
Grand Slam runner-up Martin Lukeman makes his return to action against Challenge Tour Order of Merit winner Connor Scutt, while 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 – includes a host of high-profile names, including 2023 World Champion Michael Smith and second seed Bunting.
World number three Smith will take on debutant Dom Taylor, while Masters champion Bunting plays Belgian veteran Mario Vandenbogaerde for a place in Saturday’s second round.
Belgian duo Dimitri Van den Bergh and Mike De Decker meet Ross Smith and Richard Veenstra respectively, with Damon Heta, Jonny Clayton, Danny Noppert, Josh Rock and Raymond van Barneveld also in action.
2023 UK Open champion Andrew Gilding kicks off Friday afternoon’s Stage Two action, which concludes with an encounter between emerging Dutchman Wessel Nijman and 2012 runner-up Kim Huybrechts.
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.