'The World Championship isn't supposed to be a walk in the park': PDC CEO Matt Porter confirms protection will cease for top names

Last month, the PDC announced that a cheque worth as much as one million pounds is waiting for the winner of the upcoming World Darts Championship. The World Darts Championship will also no longer be finished with 96 players, as in past years, but from now on with 128 players.

In past years, the top 32 of the official world rankings were exempted each time is the first round. The players who had qualified through the Pro Tour Order of Merit did have to play a match in the first round, specifically against qualifiers from around the world.

Starting with the upcoming edition, however, that will change. "It's a flat draw yeah," said Porter to Online Darts. "You want to win a million pounds it's not going to be given to you on a plate."

"What you're saying to a player in the top 32, you're saying you were playing for half a million before for six matches. You're now playing for a million, you've got to win one more match. The World Championship isn't supposed to be a walk in the park."