American Duo Tops 2025 Men’s WDF World Championship Race Amid Rising New Challengers

The ranking system differs slightly from the PDC’s approach, featuring a points structure based on a variety of WDF tournaments held worldwide. While players still need to defend points, this happens more regularly than in the PDC, meaning they have something at stake every year. The rankings consider a player’s best ten results over the calendar year. The top 16 players in the race will qualify for Lakeside.

At the top, it’s an American one-two, with Spellman leading on 540 points, narrowly ahead of Leonard Gates, who has 485. Spellman’s recent USA Darts Classic victory earned him a crucial 90 points, extending his lead after a period of less successful results. Gates, having played fewer tournaments, secured a major 180-point win in Toronto, putting him in a strong position to qualify. He also finished runner-up at the DPFL Live Event 2025, losing to Stowe Buntz in the final.

Trailing just five points behind is James Beeton, followed by David Fatum in fourth with 428 points, and Matt Clark fifth with 420. Jimmy van Schie, the main ranking leader after an impressive 2024, currently sits sixth with 402 points, having experienced a slight dip in form. However, his recent victories at the Antwerp and Belgium Open have helped him regain ground.

Rounding out the top ten are Benjamin Pratnemer (379), Corne Groeneveld (368), Jason Brandon (357), and Marko Kantele, who moved up after finishing runner-up to Brian Raman at the Swedish Open last weekend. Raman’s strong performance pushed him up to 14th in the rankings. Andy Davidson (331), Jonny Tata (326), and Dennis Nilsson (319) all hold positions just above Raman, who has 308 points.

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Neil Duff’s recent triumph at the Timisoara Darts Grand Prix catapulted him to 15th place with 306 points. Thomas Junghans claims the final qualifying spot in 16th with 298 points, narrowly ahead of Englishman Vince Tipple, who despite winning the USA Darts Open, still needs additional strong results to secure his place at Lakeside.

Lakeside Race