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.
Seeded players
Players ranked 17-32
Players ranked 33-48
Seeded players
Players ranked 9-16
Players ranked 17-24
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