WDF 2023 World Championship field confirmed.

The 2023 WDF World Championship field has been finalised ahead of the draw on Wednesday.

The WDF’s signature tournament will be held from December 2 to 10 at the Lakeside Country Club in Frimley Green, with 48 men and 24 women competing for the respective titles and a total prize pool of £257,000.

Neil Duff won the men’s title after defeating France’s Thibault Tricole in a dramatic final in April 2022, while Beau Greaves defeated Kirsty Hutchinson 4-0 to win the women’s title for the first time.

Both will defend their titles this year, with Greaves turning down a place in the PDC World Championship to do so.

The draw will be made on YouTube at 7 p.m. GMT on Wednesday, November 1, with the schedule of play to follow on Friday.

The men’s field is led by Andy Baetens of Belgium, who is one of 16 seeded players who will compete in the Last 32, along with 2006 Lakeside winner Jelle Klaasen, World Masters winner Wesley Plaisier, American ace Danny Lauby, and defending champion Duff.

Leonard Gates, a three-time World Seniors televised tournament champion, is among players seeded 17-32 who will begin in the First Round, along with former PDC World Championship semi-finalist Jamie Lewis, former PDC Tour Card holder James Richardson, and Germany’s Liam Maendl-Lawrance.

Among those ranked 33 to 48 are former UK Open semi-finalist David Pallett, Polish youngster Sebastian Biaecki, and Swedish veteran Dennis Nilsson.

Berry van Peer, who won the PDC Challenge Tour, declined the invitation to compete at Lakeside in order to compete in the PDC World Championship, while Brandon Weening and Ky Smith declined their invitations for personal reasons.

Top seed and defending champion Greaves, second seed Aileen de Graaf, and four-time World Champion Lisa Ashton lead the women’s draw.

Deta Hedman, Rhian O’Sullivan, and Lorraine Winstanley are among the eight seeds who will compete in the Round of 16.

Kirsty Hutchinson, last year’s runner-up, is among those placed 9-16 who will compete in the First Round, alongside Kym Mitchell, Lorraine Hyde, and Jo Clements.

Paula Jacklin, Veronika Ihász of Hungary, Priscilla Steenbergen, and Laura Turner are among the players ranked 17-24.

The WDF has revealed a new ‘hybrid strategy’ for broadcasting the tournament, which will see all bouts streamed live on YouTube, as well as Ayozat TV in the UK, Fubo TV, and Swerve Sports in the USA.

The final three days of the event, which aired live on Eurosport and Discovery+ in 2022, are set to be carried on other channels, which the WDF has yet to confirm.

The format will be the same as last year’s, with First Round ties being played over the best of three sets.

WDF World Championship 2023 – Men’s Field

Seeded players

1. Andy Baetens (BEL)
2. Neil Duff (NIR)
3. Jelle Klaasen (NED)
4. James Hurrell (ENG)
5. Wesley Plaisier (NED)
6. Danny Lauby (USA)
7. Chris Landman (NED)
8. Barry Copeland (NIR)
9. Mark Barilli (SCO)
10. Kai-Fan Leung (HKG)
11. Thibault Tricole (FRA)
12. Peter Machin (AUS)
13. Alexander Merkx (NED)
14. Darren Johnson (ENG) – replacing Luke Littler as a seeded player
15. Martyn Turner (ENG) – replacing Ben Robb as a seeded player
16. Gary Stone (SCO) – replacing Haupai Puha as a seeded player

Players ranked 17-32

17. Liam Maendl-Lawrance (GER) – replacing Robert Owen
18. Danny Porter (AUS) – replacing Richard Veenstra
19. Laszlo Kadar (ROM)
20. Patrik Kovacs (HUN)
21. Jonny Tata (NZL)
22. Leonard Gates (USA) – replacing Nick Kenny
23. Moreno Blom (NED)
24. Antony Allen (ENG)
25. Benjamin Pratnemer (SLO)
26. James Richardson (ENG)
27. Thomas Junghans (SWI) – replacing Luke Littler
28. Jamie Lewis (WAL)
29. Jordan Brooks (ENG) – replacing Aaron Morrison
30. Aaron Turner (ENG) – replacing Ben Robb
31. Dave Prins (ENG)
32. Scott Marsh (ENG)

Players ranked 33-48

33. Dennie Olde Kalter (NED)
34. Edwin Torbjörnsson (SWE) – replacing Raymond Smith
35. Mike Gillet (WAL)
36. Dennis Nilsson (SWE)
37. Brian Corbett (NZL) – replacing Haupai Puha
38. Jim Widmayer (USA)
39. Shaun McDonald (SCO)
40. Davie Kirwan (SCO)
41. Gábor Takács (HUN)
42. David Pallett (ENG)
43. Ricky Nauman (SWE)
44. Reece Colley (ENG)
45. Sebastian Białecki (POL)
46. Arjan Konterman (NED)
47. Jarno Bottenberg (NED)
48. Christian Goedl (AUT)

WDF World Championship 2023 – Women’s Field

Seeded players

1. Beau Greaves (ENG)
2. Aileen de Graaf (NED)
3. Lisa Ashton (ENG)
4. Deta Hedman (ENG)
5. Rhian O’Sullivan (WAL)
6. Wendy Harper (NZL)
7. Lorraine Winstanley (ENG)
8. Anca Zijlstra (NED)

Players ranked 9-16

9. Kym Mitchell (AUS)
10. Aletta Wajer (NED)
11. Kirsty Hutchinson (ENG)
12. Paula Murphy (USA)
13. Nicole Regnaud (NZL)
14. Suzanne Smith (ENG)
15. Lorraine Hyde (SCO)
16. Jo Clements (ENG)

Players ranked 17-24

17. Veronika Ihász (HUN)
18. Victoria Monaghan (NZL)
19. Paula Jacklin (ENG)
20. Anna Forsmark (SWE)
21. Priscilla Steenbergen (NED)
22. Laura Turner (ENG)
23. Mayumi Ouchi (JPN)
24. Almudena Fajardo (SPA)