Luke Littler and Luke Humphries are leading the way as favourites for the tournament (Image: Getty)
A dart hasn’t been thrown in anger at this year’s but the winner already feels inevitable.
The sensible money has been going one of two places so far. To either or reigning champion , with virtually nobody else having been given a chance.
Humphries took his first-ever Ally Pally crown last year, beating teenage sensation Litter in the process, with the duo sitting top of the pre-tournament odds list.
It’s for good reason too. As well as the Worlds, the , World Matchplay, Grand Slam and Players Championship titles have all gone to either Littler or world No.1 Humphries.
But according to James Wade, who is vying for World Championship supremacy himself, darts fans should be backing a different horse instead.
“Gary Anderson,” replied the Machine with a smirk on his face when speaking exclusively to Express Sport ahead of the World Championship.
“The player who could be potentially dangerous is Gary. He’s been touching on some form recently.”
Wade isn’t wrong. The two-time world champion looked back to his devastating best at the recent Grand Slam, narrowly missing out on a place in the final after a jaw-dropping contest with Littler.
Anderson averaged over a ton in the defeat, but Wade believes his nonchalant approach to the Worlds could help him spring a surprise in north London.
“I don’t think he’s that interested,” Wade continued. “I just think he goes through the motions, but Gary is a phenomenal player.
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Gary Anderson is being tipped by James Wade to win the Worlds (Image: Getty)
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“Any one of those players that are in the top five in the world right now cannot score like Gary Anderson. Luke Humphries at his best cannot outscore Gary Anderson when he’s at his best.
“He’s an older player though. I think people forget how good Gary can score.”
A defiant prediction from a player who has seen it and almost done it all before.
But Wade, now in his forties, admitted even the heavily-fancied Littler will need plenty of fortune if he’s to go one better this year.
“Players put themselves in these situations where they have luck, but he [Littler] has had the luck to win that tournament [the 2024 Grand Slam] and other players didn’t have as much luck.”
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James Wade is backing himself to show up on the Ally Pally stage (Image: Getty)
As a former UK Open, Matchplay and Grand Prix winner, Wade has never tasted World Championship glory. He’s never even made it to the final.
On his own chances of success, the former semi-finalist revealed he’s entering the tournament confident he can put together a solid run.
“Recently I can’t look at any game and go ‘Oh he’s outplayed me because I’m not good enough’. I look at it and think I’ve not done that right,” he added.
“I’m not at the point of my career where I don’t think I can win every TV tournament I go into. But I’m also not at a point where I don’t think I can beat people.
“It’s a nice balance. It’s not where it should be, my game, but I’ve won TV tournaments playing worse.”
Wade, hoping to make a splash at this year’s World Championship, gets his campaign underway on Monday against either Jermaine Wattimena or Stefan Bellmont.