What is the WDF World Darts Championship? Who is taking part at Lakeside Country Club and how to watch on TV

World Championship darts will return to the Lakeside Country Club for the first time in over three years, as the World Darts Federation host their inaugural men’s and women’s World Championship.

The tournament is set to replace the British Darts Organisation (BDO) World Championship which was historically held at the Surrey venue between 1986 and 2019.

That event, which was won by some of the biggest names in the game’s history such Phil Taylor and Eric Bristow, was played for the last time in 2020 before the BDO went out of business.

Now, the WDF have stepped in to fill that void and many of the BDO’s biggest names will return to the stage for the event.

Here is everything you need to know about the inaugural WDF World Darts Championship, including who is taking part and how to watch it:

What is the WDF World Darts Championship and What happened to the BDO?

The World Darts Federation has existed as a governing body in the sport since 1974 and has staged many notable competitions in both the men’s and women’s game.

2022 will see the first ever WDF World Championship being played as well as the WDF Masters later in the year.

The running of these tournaments was confirmed after the collapse of the British Darts Organisation in September 2020.

The BDO ran their World Championships at the Lakeside Country Club from 1986 to 2019 and the competition was considered the biggest event in the sport not organised by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC).

When is the WDF World Darts Championship being played?

The tournament will begin on Saturday, April 2 and run till Sunday, April 10 2022.

It was originally due to take place in January, the traditional month of the BDO World Championship at the Lakeside Country Club, but the organisers took the decision to postpone till April due to growing Covid-19 restriction concerns.

Who is taking part at the WDF World Darts Championship?

Many of the biggest names in darts outside of the PDC will return to the Lakeside Country Club for the inaugural event.

Wayne Warren, who won the final BDO World Championship at the Indigo at London’s O2 arena in 2020, will take part in the men’s championship.

Martin ‘Wolfie’ Adams, a three time BDO World Champion, will also take part, as will the WDF’s number one ranked player Brian Raman.

The women’s championship will also see the final BDO champion take part as two-time winner Mikuru Suzuki features.

England’s Deta Hedman, a three time BDO World Championship runner-up and two time BDO World Masters winner, is the current WDF number one and will also feature.

There is a £300,000 prize-fund for the event including a first prize of £50,000 for the men’s champion and £25,000 for the women’s champions.

How to watch the WDF World Darts Championship

All the action will be broadcast live on Eurosport and discovery+ while tickets for the event are also still available to purchase through Event Brite.

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