WDF Promotions are excited to announce that the World Championships will be returning to “the home of world darts, the Lakeside!”, with exclusive coverage available for fans across Europe, through Eurosport and discovery+
Set to feature the very best WDF players from around the globe, the Men’s, Women’s and Youth Lakeside World Championships will take place from Saturday 1st to Sunday 9th January 2022.
Viewers in more than 50 markets across Europe will be able to enjoy exclusive live and on-demand coverage through Eurosport, Discovery’s leading multi-sports brand, via its channels as well as streaming via the Eurosport App and discovery+.
Lakeside 2019 credits Tip Top Pics
Sanctioned by the World Darts Federation since the first World Championship in 1978, the Lakeside Country Club in Frimley Green first played host to the event in 1986. The now iconic venue provided 34 consecutive years of memorable moments, created by the players that went on to become legends of the sport. Household names such as Eric Bristow, Phil Taylor, Raymond van Barneveld, Trina Gulliver & Martin Adams have all lifted the trophy upon its famous stage.
The Lakeside continued to make history until 2019, when it saw England’s Leighton Bennett become the youngest ever Youth champion just 10 days after his thirteenth birthday, Japan’s Mikuru Suzuki take the world title to Asia for the first time, whilst England’s Glen Durrant completed his hattrick of championship wins.
With the implementation of a new WDF ranking system in January 2020 that includes regional tables for both men and women, plus “Gold” graded events where winners directly qualify, the 2022 WDF Lakeside World Championships will now feature 48 men and 24 women. The Youth event will also see its semi-finals added to the stage programme.
2020 World Champions Wayne Warren and Mikuru Suzuki will head the list of invitations to compete at Lakeside 2022. They will be joined by 2020 Dutch Open and Scottish Open winners Ross Montgomery, Aileen de Graaf, Jim Williams and Beau Greaves. With all the WDF points gained in early 2020 protected and over 50 ranking events already announced for the remainder of 2021, the race is now on to reach Lakeside 2022.
Mikuru Suzuki Lakeside 2019 credits Tip Top Pics
The WDF World Championship line up will be completed in December, following a spectacular new World Masters in the Netherlands. There, the World Championship playoffs for Men, Women and Youth will take place, giving players from over 70 countries the opportunity to qualify in Assen.
The WDF look forward to bringing you more details in the coming weeks, including the full qualification criteria, tournament schedule, format and prize fund. The Lakeside WDF World Championships take place at the Lakeside Country Club in Frimley Green, from Saturday 1st to Sunday 9th January 2022. Tickets and hotel packages will be announced in due course.
