World rating: 11 First match: Gemma Hayter (Afternoon session – Friday, 19 December) Greatest World Championship end: Final-16 (2023)

Ever since he burst onto the scene when he received the World Youth Championship in 2022, Josh Rock has been tipped as a participant to win a few of the greatest occasions in darts.

The 24-year-old made his World Championship debut in 2023 and reached the fourth spherical, however was shocked by qualifier Berry van Peer in his opening match in 2024 and he confronted a third-round exit by the hands of Chris Dobey final 12 months.

Whereas Rock has not managed as many particular person titles in 2025 as he did in 2024 – when he received his first European title on the Dutch Masters and two Gamers Championship Sequence titles – he did win the World Cup of Darts in June alongside Daryl Gurney for Northern Eire after a dramatic last with Wales.

The Broughshane participant additionally reached the semi-finals of the World Matchplay, World Sequence Finals and UK Open, so the potential is there.

He heads into the 2025 World Championship because the eleventh seed, and faces debutant Gemma Hayter within the opening spherical.

Drawn within the fourth quarter, Rock has a difficult path that might see him face Niko Springer within the second spherical, after which both Gurney, highly-rated Beau Greaves or Callan Rydz if he could make it to the third spherical.

Former world champions Michael van Gerwen, Gary Anderson and Peter Wright are all in the identical bracket, as is in-form Dutch participant Danny Noppert – one of many darkish horses for the event.

It is a tough draw, however is it lastly his time to take it to Littler and Luke Humphreys?