The PDC World Darts Championship is on the horizon.

One of the hottest-anticipated tournaments on the entire sporting calendar in the United Kingdom, the World Championshipkicks off at Alexandra Palace on December 15 and runs until the grand finale on January 3.

The latest renewal looks set to be on a knife edge, with last year’s finalists Luke Littler and Luke Humphries inseparable in the PDC World Championship odds—both coming in as the 5/2 joint-favourites for the Sid Waddel Trophy.

Such is the nature of the tournament, with its electric atmosphere and extremely high stakes, that upsets can happen at any stage at Ally Pally. With that in mind, let’s take a look at three outsiders that could cause a stir at the upcoming World Darts Championship.

Michael Smith – 16/1

He might be second in the PDC’s Order of Merit, but Michael Smith is a 16/1 outsider to claim a second World Darts Championship this year.

The Englishman stunned three-time World Champion Michael van Gerwen with a 7-4 victory in the 2023 final, landing just his second Premier Event after winning the Grand Slam of Darts in the same year.

‘Bully Boy’, who won the World Cup of Darts alongside Humphries in the summer, has been runner-up in the World Championship on two occasions and could go on a good run this year if he can produce his best form.

Mike De Decker – 22/1

Ranked 25 by the PDC, Mike De Decker has potentially hit career-best form at the perfect time after picking up his first Premier Event recently.

The 28-year-old Belgian caused one of the upsets of the season when going all the way to the final of the World Grand Prix in October, ultimately defeating Humphries 6-4 in Leicester.

De Decker, who also beat his fellow countryman Dimitri Van den Bergh, James Wade, and Gary Anderson en route to his maiden major victory, has never progressed further than the second round in four World Championship appearances. But momentum could carry him this year.

Michael van Gerwen – 6/1

Not an outsider per se, but odds of 6/1 in the darts bettingmarket seem like exceptional value for a player of Van Gerwen’s calibre.

Indeed, ‘Might Mike’ hasn’t exactly been his indomitable self in recent seasons and hasn’t got his hands on the World Championship since completing the hat-trick in 2019.

However, Van Gerwen has knocked on the door in a couple of Premier Events this season, finishing runner-up in The Masters and World Matchplay and winning some silverware in the Dutch Darts Masters, as well as the Players Championship, bouncing back from defeat in the Grand Prix.

The Dutchman has a formidable record at Ally Pally, finishing runner-up on three occasions as well as his hat-trick of victories, and it would be foolish to rule him it.

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While Humphries and Littler are undoubtedly the players to beat at this year’s World Championship, an upset is never off the table at Ally Pally and Van Gerwen, Van De Decker or Smith could be this year’s dark horses.