Darts World Grand Prix: Dates, schedule, how to watch, streaming, format, venue & more

Everything you need to know ahead of the 2024 Darts World Grand Prix as the eyes of the darting world turn towards the Mattioli Arena for a third consecutive year.

The Leicester-based venue will once again stage the £600,000 tournament, which is one of the highlights of the PDC's annual calendar. 

The tournament is the third ranking major event of the season, with the Englishman Luke Humphries hoping to retain his title and lift the trophy for a second time.

Darts World Grand Prix - Date

The World Grand Prix will be held between Monday 7th October and Sunday 13th October. 

The week-long festival of darts invites 32 of the world’s best players to compete in set-play matches, with World Championship runner-up Luke Littler set to be amongst the field for the first time.

Darts World Grand Prix - Session times

Each day holds one evening session each, with the action getting underway at 19:00 (GMT).

For the first two days (Monday 7th and Tuesday 8th October), there are eight matches to complete the first round.

Both second round dates (Wednesday 9th and Thursday 10th October) hold four matches each, as do the subsequent two days leading up to finals day on Sunday, which will stage the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final.

Darts World Grand Prix - Venue & location

The World Grand Prix is staged at the 3,000 capacity Mattioli Arena in Leicester, which has been its home since 2021. 

The tournament was held at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry during the Covid-19 pandemic, with a further three venues playing host to the event in previous years, including its iconic former home, the CityWest Hotel in Dublin.

Darts World Grand Prix - How to watch & live streaming

The World Grand Prix will be available to watch live and exclusively on Sky Sports Arena and Sky Sports Main Event to customers in the UK and Ireland.

Darts World Grand Prix - Format and Rules

The World Grand Prix is considered one of the hardest events to qualify for and follows a similar qualification structure to the World Matchplay.

The top 16 players on the PDC Order of Merit and the next top 16 players on the PDC ProTour Order of Merit make up the 32 player line-up each year. 

The 32 players then consist of eight seeds who all join in the first round.

The competition differs from any other on the PDC Tour given the fact that it is played under the unique double-start format, where players must start each leg by hitting a double.

A player will only start scoring points in a leg once they hit a double, with the points value of the double counting as the first scoring dart.

Darts World Grand Prix - Odds

Top performers Luke Humphries, Luke Littler and Michael van Gerwen are all expected to be installed amongst the betting favourites.

World number one Humphries reigned supreme in Leicester in 2023, and will be keen to successfully defend his title this time around.

Odds for the 2024 World Grand Prix will be available in due course.

Darts World Grand Prix - History

The World Grand Prix was first introduced into the darting calendar back in 1998, with Phil Taylor capturing the title in its inaugural year.

The Power went on to win a record-setting 11 titles over the following 15 years with his final victory coming in 2013. 

In recent years the champions have come with slightly more variation, with four winners in the last four years featuring names such as van Gerwen, Johnny Clayton, Gerwyn Price and defending title-holder Humphries.

Famously, Brendan Dolan made darting history in 2011 as he became the first player to throw a televised nine-dart leg in the double-start format.

This came in a semi-final game against James Wade with the Northern Irishman adopting the nickname of ‘The History Maker’.

Similarly, in 2014, history was made when James Wade and Robert Thornton both threw nine-dart legs in their second round clash.

This remains the only time in World Grand Prix history in which two players have thrown a nine darter in a televised match.