Overview
- Opening-night order of play lists four first-round ties: Kim Huybrechts vs Arno Merk, Michael Smith vs Lisa Ashton, Luke Littler vs Darius Labanauskas, and Madars Razma vs Jamai van den Herik.
- The evening session starts at 7pm UK time, with outlets guiding that Littler’s match is the third of the night and expected around 9pm depending on progress of earlier games.
- UK coverage is live on Sky Sports (with streaming via Sky Go and NOW), while U.S. viewers can stream through Peacock or subscribe to PDC TV.
- This year’s event features all players entering in round one under set play and offers a record £1m to the winner, with £15,000 guaranteed for first-round participants.
- Michael Smith, seeded 28 after a difficult 2025, returns on opening night against Lisa Ashton as the championship runs from December 11 to January 3 at Alexandra Palace.