The World Matchplay tournament is less than a week away.
The field and schedule are both set.
All that is left is for the games to be played.
As always, some of the big names will be expected to go far and win, but people should be on the lookout for a few underdogs who could be threats in this tournament.
Underdogs who might go far at the 2025 World Matchplay
Fans who have watched ProTour events in 2025 know there are some key names to look out for.
Gian van Veen
This might come as a surprise since he is facing Luke Humphries in the first round.
Gian van Veen has rapidly moved up the world rankings over the past couple of years.
He’s just 23 years old and will play in his second career World Matchplay after debuting in 2024.
The World Matchplay tournament is known for its long-format style games, although the first round is shorter (first to 10 legs).
In 2025, he was a winner at Players Championship 6 and was a finalist at the German Darts Grand Prix on the European Tour.
He’s shown he can compete with the best, which is why doors can open up if he hangs around in his match with Luke Humphries.
Not having Michael van Gerwen, Gerwyn Price and Luke Littler on the top half of the bracket can really open up opportunities for van Veen as well, if he finds his rhythm next week and gets out of the first round.
MORE: These 3 major PDC stars didn’t qualify for the 2025 World Matchplay of Darts
Wessel Nijman
Nijman is in a very similar position to his fellow countryman, Gian van Veen.
He is also on the top half of the bracket, which is arguably ‘more open’.
He will play Nathan Aspinall in the first round, which won’t be an easy match by any means.
If he can advance against Aspinall, he would play the winner of Joe Cullen and James Wade.
Neither Cullen nor Wade has been too consistent, and even though Wade has had his moments in 2025, there’s no guarantee of what we will see from him this tournament.
Nijman himself is still trying to shrink the gap between his ‘A’ game and his ‘B and C’ games, so he’s a wildcard on any given day.
The fact that he’s a wildcard makes him an intriguing player headed into this tournament, with the success he’s already had in shorter format games.
MORE: Who qualified for the 2025 World Matchplay of Darts?
Josh Rock
Rock was Northern Ireland’s explosive scorer last month at the World Cup of Darts.
He’s been hitting 180s arguably better than any other player in the PDC.
He comes into the tournament unseeded, but has just as good of a shot to beat Ross Smith as Smith has against Rock.
Rock is still searching for his first career major PDC TV title, and was already a semifinalist at the UK Open a few months ago.
He’s been phenomenal at Players Championship events and on the Euro Tour, so it’s only a matter of time before he breaks through and goes on a run in a major title event.
MORE: Watch: Josh Rock pins nine-dart finish at Players Championship 20
Dirk van Duijvenbode
The Dutch players are taking up this list, but they have some intriguing names with high ceilings at this point in the year.
Dirk might not stand out as a threat the same way the previous players on the list do, but there are a couple of reasons why he deserves to be grouped with other underrated players.
The scoring power and high averages have been on display by Dirk when he can stay composed, as we saw at times this past weekend, at the Baltic Sea Darts Open.
Dirk might not make it all the way to the semifinals, but it is very possible that he wins a couple of games and reaches the quarterfinal round.
He will face 10 seed Rob Cross in the first round, who has been shaky in events recently.
MORE: 2025 World Matchplay of Darts: Draw, schedule, prize money and format explained
Cross played in very few events on the ProTour this year and hasn’t been great in majors like the World Championship and the World Masters.
He finished just 7th in the Premier League this year, which didn’t make the sacrifice worth it when it came to sitting out events.
He’s had a handful of strong performances in tournaments, but has also had shocking losses, like in New York when he was whitewashed by American Jason Brandon.
If Dirk can beat Cross, he will play the winner of Damon Heta and Andrew Gilding.
Neither of these players is necessarily weak, but Dirk should be able to hold his own and match the production of either player in a match.
Just like that, a spot in the quarterfinal could open up for the Dutchman if he gets a pair of wins.
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