The Winmau World Masters is upon us as some of the best players in the PDC look to claim the first major tournament of the year.
The Milton Keynes event is revamped for 2025 and will conducted under set play and with ranking money on the line.
Last year, Stephen Bunting claimed his first-ever major to kickstart his 2024 and finally brushed shoulders with the top 10 on a regular occasion.
After the seeds found it tough at the World Darts Championship, they’ll be looking to bounce back in Milton Keynes.
Here are five players who could win the Winmau World Masters.
Luke Littler
Luke Littler’s 2025 got off to a flying start as he became the youngest World Darts Champion at Alexandra Palace on January 3, but it’s not gone to plan since for The Nuke.
The 18-year-old crashed out to Gerwyn Price in the quarterfinals of the Bahrain Darts Masters and the semi-finals to Bunting at the Dutch Darts Masters.
Nevertheless, The Nuke has proved he knows how to get the job done in set play and the longer formats will suit the star who usually takes a couple of legs to truly hit top form.
There’s every chance Littler could be adding to his ever-growing collection at the Milton Keynes event.
Dave Chisnall
Dave Chisnall is arguably the best player on the PDC Tour yet to win a major tournament, but that could all change at the Masters.
Chizzy opens his account against an unknown qualifier but then could find his draw opening up for him as he enters the latter stages.
Nathan Aspinall, who has been marred by injury, and Andrew Gilding would await in the second round and Chisnall will fancy his chances against either of those.
Should he come through probably either Gary Anderson or Michael van Gerwen, Chizzy would be just two matches away from that long-awaited major tournament.
Stephen Bunting
While Littler rightly gained all the plaudits at the start of the year for his World Darts Championship victory, Bunting has started 2025 in sensational form.
A semi-final appearance at Ally Pally was followed up with a Bahrain Darts Masters win and a final appearance in the Dutch Darts Masters.
Although the format has changed for 2025, Bunting has tasted victory in the MK Arena and that could help him massively as he looks to retain his title.
Luke Humphries
Luke Humphries currently finds himself in his biggest downturn of form for over a year, but Cool Hand certainly has the raw talent to bounce back.
Humphries crashed out in the first round of the Dutch Darts Masters to Jermaine Wattimena but made it to the final four in Bahrain so there are signs of a turnaround in form.
Much like Littler, Humphries flourishes in longer formats and knows how to get the job done in set play so he’s definitely one to watch heading into Milton Keynes.
Rob Cross
Rob Cross may not have turned up for the big majors in the last few months, but his performances in the World Series will give him the confidence to kick on.
The star won the Dutch Darts Masters after toppling Bunting, Price, and Wattimena to claim his second World Series title in the space of nine months.
Outside of his shock loss to Scott Williams at Ally Pally, Voltage tends to be good in set play and his draw looks favorable.
He’ll play a qualifier and then either Danny Noppert or Michael Smith to earn a place in the last eight.