World Darts Championship: Day One Betting Tips (2024/25)

Thibault Tricole vs Joe Comito

It is never easy being given the burden of opening up a World Darts Championship, but that responsibility has been handed to Frenchman Thibault Tricole and Joe Comito from Australia. 

Thibault Tricole has had a really solid season so far and will certainly be happy to have qualified for the Players Championship Finals and the World Championship in his first season as a professional. He has a seasonal average of 90.36 and a win percentage of 53%.

He became the first Frenchman to play at the PDC World Championship last year and won his first-round game on debut against Mario Vandenbogaerde. He is coming into this tournament on the back of a victory in the first round of the Players Championship Finals against Gerwyn Price 6-4.

He has also reached the final of the 2022 WDF World Championships narrowly losing out to Neil Duff 6-5 in sets, so he's not afraid of performing on the big stage.

Joe Comito had a sensational end to his campaign on the DPA Tour to qualify for this tournament, winning three of the last four events and being runner-up in the other. We saw him play at the Australian Darts Masters in the World Series, where he was well beaten 6-1 by Luke Humphries and averaged just 70.11. He will need a big improvement on his seasonal average of 83.81 to trouble Tricole. 

On paper, this match looks pretty straightforward, and I can't see any shocks, so I expect Tricole to come through this match unscathed, especially since it is Comito’s debut on the Alexandra Palace stage. 

Jermaine Wattimena vs Stefan Bellmont

Jermaine Wattimena has definitely recaptured his form and that shows in what's been a really good season for the Dutchman. He’s looked dangerous in most events he played this year and his TV performances have been really solid.

He had a fabulous run to the European Championship final and good runs in the Grand Slam and Players Championship Finals, all in the last few months. He has a seasonal average of 95.10 and a very impressive 63% win ratio. This is Wattimena’s 11th appearance at Ally Pally, with his best reaching the last 32 three times.

Stefan Bellmont came through the West Europe Qualifier to earn his debut at Ally Pally and will become the first Swiss player to play in a PDC World Championship. Impressively he beat players such as Jurjen Van Der Velde, Berry Van Peer and Jimmy Van Schie to qualify, all very capable players. Bellmont finished 12th this season on the Challenge tour and has also played a number of times on the Pro Tour this year, reaching 2 Quarter Finals. 

I don't think this game will be all plain sailing for Jermaine Wattimena because Bellmont clearly has a good solid game in him. With it being the Swiss’s debut, though, I always think that sometimes affects a player's game because of the unique atmosphere at Ally Pally.

Kim Huybrechts vs Keane Barry

Kim Huybrechts best days seem behind him now but he's still a very capable operator. He had a very serious injury earlier in the year, which looked at first like it could have ended his career, so just qualifying for this event will be a huge relief. He's a former Quarter finalist here albeit 12 years ago on debut.

The Belgian did reach the final on the Euro Tour at the Czech Darts Open this year and also beat the impressive Wessel Nijman in the first round of the most recent Major, The Players Championship Finals. This year will be his 14th appearance at Ally Pally so he certainly has plenty of experience to lean on.

Keane Barry was tipped to be a future superstar a few years ago, and for some reason, that hasn't quite happened for him yet. Still only 22, this is remarkably his sixth appearance at the World Championships, so it is clear he has fantastic ability. The Irishman has shown that at times this season with a run to a quarterfinal on the Players Championship floor events and a deep run to the last 16 of the UK Open. 

This is going to be a closely matched contest but I think Huybrechts will have a little too much for the young Irishman. Experience is key in darts, especially at the World Championship, so I expect the Belgian to come through this game and set up a fiery second-round match with Gerwyn Price.