Knockout darts with a difference The PDC UK Open
Often dubbed the “FA Cup of darts,” the PDC UK Open tournament features an unseeded open draw after each round, with the draw for all rounds from round 4 onwards taking place live on the mainstage. Just like the FA Cup in football, the darts UK Open is a unique tournament in the PDC calendar as it is the only tournament where no player is protected by their ranking and numbers 1 and 2 in the world can face each other as early as round 4. The tournament takes place at the Butlins Minehead Resort in England having moved to this location from the Reebok Stadium in Bolton in 2014.
Darting minnows can shine bright under the spotlights
A total of 160 players compete across eight stages, with the PDC’s Top 32 joining the fray in the fourth round. Longstanding tradition in this event is the opportunity for the casual player to qualify for the tournament through regional qualifiers offering darting minnows a chance to take on the world’s elite. If coming through their first round matches these qualifiers also win prizemoney and an official spot on the PDC world ranking. The qualifiers are joined in the draw by the top 8 of both the PDC challenge tour and PDC development tour of the previous season.
Elite shines through despite random draw
Much like the FA Cup, the UK Open darts has traditionally seen the world’s elite come through the tournament as winners despite it’s random draw. Phil Taylor with 5 titles, Michael van Gerwen and James Wade with 3 titles dominate the UK Open roll of honour.
Raymond van Barneveld, Gary Anderson, Peter Wright and Adrian Lewis are just a few of the household names in darts to lift the trophy but the lesser known names have dominated in recent years. The then little known Nathan Aspinall won the title back in 2019 and has since been followed by Danny Noppert (2022) and Andrew Gilding (2023) in coming out of the darting slugfest victorious.
Full draw and schedule of play for UK Open darts- rounds 1 to 3
The draw for rounds 1-3 takes place in advance of the tournament starting in order for all players travelling to the event to know their assignments. As you can see from the draw day 1 is a frantic first day of the tournament with players and their team needing to be fully aware of the schedule to ensure arriving at the match board in time. As mentioned above the draw for round 4 onwards takes place live on the mainstage after each previous round is completed.
2025 First Round Draw
Darryl Pilgrim vs Chris Hartrey
Wesley Plaisier vs Cam Crabtree
Adam Lipscombe vs Marc Dewsbury
Paul Rowley vs Karel Sedlacek
Greg Ritchie vs Jamie Kelling
Marvin van Velzen vs Tom Bissell
Simon Stevenson vs Jules van Dongen
Dennie Olde Kalter vs Andy Boulton
Christopher Wickenden vs Nathan Girvan
Oskar Lukasiak vs Thomas Lovely
Danny van Trijp vs Henry Coates
Cor Dekker vs Niko Springer
Tommy Lishman vs Kai Gotthardt
John Henderson vs Graham Usher
Danny Jansen vs Dominik Gruellich
Jimmy van Schie vs Adam Paxton
Tavis Dudeney vs Graham Hall
Christian Kist vs Daniel Perry
Maximilian Czerwinski vs Maik Kuivenhoven
Derek Coulson vs Darius Labanauskas
Mike Gillet vs Rusty-Jake Rodriguez
Leon Weber vs Alexander Merkx
Owen Roelofs vs Tom Sykes
Jurjen van der Velde vs Tytus Kanik
Lee Cocks vs Stefaan Henderyck
Scott Baker vs Andreas Harrysson
Beau Greaves vs Stefan Bellmont
Adam Warner vs Tommy Morris
Sebastian Bialecki vs Viktor Tingstrom
Shaun Fox vs Max Hopp
Charlie Manby vs Aden Kirk
Pero Ljubic vs Jim Long
2025 Second Round Draw
Coulson/Labanauskas vs Mario Vandenbogaerde
Joshua Richardson vs Van Velzen/Bissell
Weber/Merkx vs Wickenden/Girvan
Berry van Peer vs Van Trijp/Coates
Martijn Dragt vs Dudeney/Hall
Fox/Hopp vs Justin Hood
Lukas Wenig vs Rowley/Sedlacek
Baker/Harrysson vs Jansen/Gruellich
Chris Landman vs Kist/Perry
William Borland vs Brett Claydon
Henderson/Usher vs Gillet/Rodriguez
Andy Baetens vs Plaisier/Crabtree
Lukasiak/Lovely vs Cocks/Henderyck
Manby/Kirk vs Haupai Puha
Danny Lauby vs Tim Wolters
Adam Hunt vs Czerwinski/Kuivenhoven
Darren Beveridge vs James Hurrell
Ljubic/Long vs Nathan Rafferty
Lishman/Gotthardt vs Michele Turetta
Jitse van der Wal vs Pilgrim/Hartrey
Matthew Dennant vs Olde Kalter/Boulton
Thibault Tricole vs Roelofs/Sykes
Radek Szaganski vs Benjamin Reus
Van der Velde/Kanik vs Bradley Brooks
Jelle Klaasen vs Lipscombe/Dewsbury
Rhys Griffin vs Greaves/Bellmont
Warner/Morris vs Ritchie/Kelling
George Killington vs Owen Bates
Van Schie/Paxton vs Stevenson/Van Dongen
Dekker/Springer vs Patrick Geeraets
Steve Lennon vs Dom Taylor
Robert Grundy vs Bialecki/Tingstrom
2025 Third Round draw
Tricole/Roelofs/Sykes vs William O’Connor
Madars Razma vs Ryan Meikle
Van der Wal/Pilgrim/Hartrey vs Lauby/Wolters
Callan Rydz vs Alan Soutar
Weber/Merkx/Wickenden/Girvan vs Matt Campbell
Dennant/Olde Kalter/Boulton vs Lukasiak/Lovely/Cocks/Henderyck
Dragt/Dudeney/Hall vs Borland/Claydon
Richard Veenstra vs Coulson/Labanauskas/Vandenbogaerde
Manby/Kirk/Puha vs Landman/Kist/Perry
Fox/Hopp/Hood vs Beveridge/Hurrell
Rob Owen vs Niels Zonneveld
Jeffrey de Graaf vs Hunt/Czerwinski/Kuivenhoven
Jim Williams vs Martin Lukeman
Lishman/Gotthardt/Turetta vs Stephen Burton
Ian White vs Klaasen/Lipscombe/Dewsbury
Lennon/Taylor vs Cameron Menzies
Henderson/Usher/Gillet/Rodriguez vs Raymond van Barneveld
Jose de Sousa vs Van Schie/Paxton/Stevenson/Van Dongen
Mensur Suljovic vs Ljubic/Long/Rafferty
Szaganski/Reus vs Baetens/Plaisier/Crabtree
Wenig/Rowley/Sedlacek vs Kim Huybrechts
Jermaine Wattimena vs Florian Hempel
Griffin/Greaves/Bellmont vs Mickey Mansell
Van Peer/Van Trijp/Coates vs Connor Scutt
Nick Kenny vs Baker/Harrysson/Jansen/Gruellich
Scott Williams vs Wessel Nijman
Richardson/Van Velzen/Bissell vs Killington/Bates
Keane Barry vs Van der Velde/Kanik/Brooks
Ricky Evans vs Gabriel Clemens
Dekker/Springer/Geeraets vs Dylan Slevin
Kevin Doets vs Warner/Morris/Ritchie/Kelling
Grundy/Bialecki/Tingstrom vs Luke Woodhouse
Players 1-32 from PDC rankings entering in Fourth Round
1 Luke Humphries
2 Luke Littler
3 Michael van Gerwen
4 Rob Cross
5 Stephen Bunting
6 Jonny Clayton
7 Dave Chisnall
8 Chris Dobey
9 Gerwyn Price
10 Damon Heta
11 Nathan Aspinall
12 Peter Wright
13 Danny Noppert
14 James Wade
15 Gary Anderson
16 Dimitri Van den Bergh
17 Josh Rock
18 Ryan Searle
19 Ross Smith
20 Michael Smith
21 Andrew Gilding
22 Martin Schindler
23 Joe Cullen
24 Mike De Decker
25 Daryl Gurney
26 Dirk van Duijvenbode
27 Gian van Veen
28 Ritchie Edhouse
29 Ryan Joyce
30 Ricardo Pietreczko
31 Krzysztof Ratajski
32 Brendan Dolan
The PDC UK Open 2025 Schedule and format of play
The first three rounds listed above, plus the fourth round, will all take place on Friday 28th February. The fifth and sixth rounds follow on Saturday 1st March, before the final stages play out over an afternoon and evening session on Sunday 2nd March.
All matches in the first, second and third rounds are best of 11 legs of 501
All matches in the fourth (Last 64), fifth (Last 32), sixth (Last 16) rounds and quarter-finals are played as best of 19 legs
The semi-finals and final are played over the best of 21 legs
2025 UK Open darts prizemoney breakdown
Winner £110,000
Runner-Up £50,000
Semi-Finalists £30,000
Quarter-Finalists £15,000
Last 16 (sixth round) £10,000
Last 32 (fifth round) £5,000
Last 64 (fourth round) £2,500
Last 96 (third round) £1,500
Last 128 (second round) £1,000
Last 160 (first round) £0
Total Prize fund £600,000
The PDC UK Open 2025 players to keep an eye on
As I mentioned earlier this tournament has seen the elite often coming out on top but every year there is a story to be told. My picks for players to keep an eye on this year:
Charlie Manby, a 19 year old who recently smashed the PDC Development tour record for highest match average where he averaged 130,70 points in a 4-0 win. Simply astonishing from the youngster and his averages over the entire weekend will make his opponents wary.
Beau Greaves, at the time of writing she is top of the orders of merit for the Challenge tour, Development tour and Womens series and has a first win on the PDC Pro Tour under her belt. Showing the randomness of the draw she takes on Stefan Bellmont in the first round with Stefan currently second in the Challenge tour order of merit
Jules van Dongen. Currently suffering horrific dartitus it would be a huge boost for the likeable American Dutchman to put in some good performances.