Josh Rock and Mike de Decker will make their World Series of Darts debut on the Australian and New Zealand Darts Masters in August with World No 1 Luke Humphries and reigning world champion Luke Littler.
The former world’s youth champion Rock – Fresh from steering Northern Ireland to a historic World Cup with Dartse victory in June – has earned its first world series call after a Superb 2025 so far, which included reaching its first TV -ranking semi -final in the UK Open in March.
The World Grand Prix Master De Decker will also make his World Series of Darts Bow after recently unsurpiced Dimitri van den Bergh to become the Belgian No. 1.
Rock and De Decker will compete in Australia and New Zealand with Littler, last year’s NZ Darts Masters -winner Humpries, Australian defense champion Gerwyn Price as well as Stephen Bunting, Chris Dobey and Australian No. 1 Damon Heta.
Prize claimed last year’s title in Wollongong and defeated Littler 8-1 in the final before Humphries became NZ Darts Masters Champion with an 8-2 win over Heta.
PDC’s annual trip down under the beginning with the Australian Darts in Wollongong on 8-9. August, before New Zealand Darts Masters returns to Auckland a week later.
Each event will see a 16-player field competing over two days of action, with the eight PDC superstars going head-to-head with eight oceanic representatives.
The oceanic representatives are overwritten by Australian icon Simon Whitlock, with New Zealand’s No. 1 Haupai Puha and Jonny Tata starring in both events.
World Matchplay Darts: All you need to know
The 2025 Betfred World Matchplay takes place from 19 to 27 July at the iconic conservator of Blackpool, with men’s and women’s tournaments live on Sky Sports.
The first round of the sport’s summer showpiece sees the world’s top 16 seeded men’s players set against the top 16 qualifications from one-year protour rankings.
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Check out the best action from 2024 World Matchplay from Winter Gardens, Blackpool.
Humphries raised Phil Taylor Trophy for the first time 12 months ago and begins his defense against Gian van Veen, the world’s youth champion, Saturday.
Teenage Superstar and reigning world champion Littler will step up to OCHE on Sunday to take on Ryan Searle, a matchplay quarter finalist from 2023.
Dutch icons will go head-to-head when Michael van Gerwen and Raymond van Barneveld meet in Blackpool on Monday.
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Beau Greaves successfully retained its Women’s World Matchplay title in 2024 with a 6-3 win over Fallon Sherrock.
Women’s World Matchplay takes place in the afternoon Sunday 27 July, with eight of the best women’s players in the world struggling to be crowned to master of what is the fourth edition of Women’s Event.
Two-time reigning champion Beau Greaves returns to Blackpool, along with Fallon Sherrock, Kirski Viinikainen, Lisa Ashton, Robyn Byrne, Noa-Lynn van Leuven, Lorrain Winstanley and Gemma Hayter.
Watch the World Matchplay Live on Sky Sports from 19 to 27 July or stream without a contract.