Mitchell Lawrie leads Lakeside World Championship seeds as Deta Hedman prepares to defend women’s title

Mitchell Lawrie will return to Lakeside as top seed for the WDF World Championship after reaching last year’s final, while Deta Hedman heads the women’s field as defending champion.

The Scottish teenager leads the Open seedings ahead of Jenson Walker, Paul Krohne and Leonard Gates for the tournament at Frimley Green, which runs from Friday 27 November to Sunday 6 December.

Lawrie is also top seed in the youth competition, giving him another opportunity to challenge for two titles at the same championship.

Mitchell Lawrie returns after Lakeside final breakthrough

Lawrie reached the 2025 Open final before losing 6-3 to Jimmy van Schie. His run established him as one of the leading names on the WDF circuit, and he now returns at the head of the seeded field.

Walker is seeded second, with Dutch Open winner Krohne third and American Gates fourth, according to the confirmed field published by LiveDarts.

James Beeton and Matthew Edgar complete the top six. Scotland’s Ross Montgomery is seeded tenth, while former champion Neil Duff is fifteenth.

Deta Hedman heads women’s title defence

Hedman returns after beating Lerena Rietbergen 4-1 in the 2025 women’s final.

The women’s competition is one of four world titles contested during the ten-day event, alongside the Open, youth and girls’ championships. All four finals are scheduled for Sunday 6 December.

Final qualifiers complete the Lakeside field

The last available places were settled at Sunday’s qualifier at Lakeside, completing the fields ahead of the draw.

As Darts World reports, the Open field also includes World Masters winner Chris Lim and Hungarian Masters winner Edgar.

The draw was scheduled for 7pm GMT on Tuesday 3 November on the WDF’s YouTube channel, with secretary-general Nick Rolls, presenter Sioned Dafydd and former champion Scott Mitchell conducting it.

When is the WDF World Championship?

The tournament takes place at Lakeside Country Club in Frimley Green from 27 November to 6 December 2026.

The full playing schedule is due to be finalised by Monday 9 November. That will establish when each player begins their campaign and how the matches are divided between sessions.

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