Luke Littler will begin his World Darts Championship title defence against Darius Labanauskas at Alexandra Palace. The 18-year-old world number one won his maiden title in January by defeating Michael van Gerwen in the final.
Littler has enjoyed a stellar year, winning the UK Open, World Matchplay, World Grand Prix, Grand Slam of Darts and Players Championship. He aims to become only the fourth player to retain the world title, following Phil Taylor, Adrian Lewis and Gary Anderson.
The tournament runs from December 11 to January 3, with a record 128-player field competing for the Sid Waddell Trophy and £1 million prize. All players will enter in the first round, a change from recent years.
Labanauskas, a two-time world championship quarter-finalist, reached the last eight at the 2017 BDO and 2020 PDC editions. Luke Humphries faces Ted Evetts, while Van Gerwen meets Mitsohiko Tatsunami as he targets a fourth Ally Pally title.
