The 2025 Grand Slam of Darts, one of the Professional Darts Corporation's (PDC) premier events, is set to captivate fans this week as it kicks off in Wolverhampton. Running from Saturday, 8 November through to Sunday, 16 November, the tournament promises thrilling competition and intense drama across nine days of high-level darts action.
Distinct from many other major darts tournaments, the Grand Slam employs a unique format that starts with a group stage before moving into knockout rounds. The 32 qualifiers are divided into eight groups of four players each. Within these groups, every player faces the other three competitors, with matches played over a best-of-nine legs format—that is, the first player to win five legs claims the match. After these initial battles, the top two players from each group advance to the knockout phase, which begins with the last 16 and proceeds through to the final.
Luke Littler enters the 2025 tournament as the defending champion, having secured a commanding 16-3 victory over Martin Lukeman in the 2024 final. Littler’s dominant win last year set a high bar for the competition this year, and all eyes will be on him as he attempts to defend his title against a field of the game's best players.
The tournament’s schedule is structured to accommodate a total of 48 group stage matches spread across the first four days (8–11 November). Following this, the second round—the first knockout stage—takes place over two days (12–13 November), featuring eight matches. The quarter-finals are contested over 14 and 15 November, with four matches determining the semi-finalists. Both the semi-finals and the final occur on the final day, 16 November, with the semis held from 13:00 GMT and the grand final taking place in the evening, starting from 19:00 GMT.
As the tournament progresses beyond the group phase, the match formats lengthen significantly. The second-round matches are best of 19 legs (first to 10), while the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final all follow a best-of-31 legs format (first to 16). This escalation in match length tests players’ endurance and consistency, adding to the excitement and challenge of the event.
Qualification for the Grand Slam is fiercely competitive. The first ten players to secure their spots did so by reaching televised major finals in the previous twelve months, earning automatic places. The remaining 22 competitors come from a variety of avenues: winners of events on the PDC circuit, the Championship Darts Corporation (which covers players from the United States and Canada), the Women’s Tour, the European Tour, and a dedicated PDC Tour qualifying event. This diverse qualification system ensures a rich mix of talent and styles in the tournament.
For the group stage draw, players are seeded into four pots based on the PDC’s Order of Merit rankings, with the top eight players seeded to balance the groups competitively. Highlights from the group stage include strong showings from established stars and rising talents alike.
Group A saw Luke Humphries top the group undefeated, with Michael Smith also progressing after impressively edging out Nathan Aspinall and Alex Spellman. In Group B, Chris Dobey led the pack, with Jurjen van der Velde securing the second qualifying spot ahead of former finalist Martin Lukeman. Luke Woodhouse and Martin Schindler advanced from Group C, while Group D featured Gerwyn Price and Ricky Evans moving through after some fierce contests.
The defending champion, Luke Littler, dominated Group E alongside Connor Scutt, both advancing comfortably. Group F was topped by Josh Rock, with Wessel Nijman also making it through. Legendary Michael van Gerwen topped Group G, joined by Niko Springer, while Group H’s qualifiers were Lukas Wenig and Danny Noppert.
Moving into the knockout stages, the second round has already produced some nail-biting matches. Notably, Ricky Evans edged out Luke Woodhouse 10-9 in a tightly contested encounter, while Gerwyn Price overcame Martin Schindler 10-6. The remaining matches feature high-stakes showdowns such as Luke Humphries versus Jurjen van der Velde and Chris Dobey against Michael Smith, promising further excitement as the tournament intensifies.
The quarter-finals, scheduled for 14 and 15 November, will see matchups including the winner of Humphries/Van der Velde against Dobey/Smith, Ricky Evans