UK Open Darts 2025 Predictions: Cool Hand to win ‘FA Cup of Darts’

The darts calendar continues its  relentless march and next up we have one of the best ranking events in the UK Open, which is affectionately referred to as the 'FA Cup of Darts'.

As always, we've asked our darts expert Sean Rafferty to preview this exciting tournament and give us his UK Open 2025 darts tournament predictions and he's done just that with eight picks and a bumper preview...

History, Location and Format

The 2025 UK Open is the twenty-third running of this PDC event, which quickly became one of the fan favourites on the PDC schedule, due to its unique 'FA Cup'-style draw format.

There is a fresh draw after each round, with no players seeded in the draw, meaning there are the potential for some huge ties early on in the competition. The field features 160 players with the players entering the competition gradually round-by-round. The top 32 automatically qualify straight into the fourth round.

The tournament will be held again at Butlins, Minehead, with this year's event running from Friday, 28th February to Sunday, 2nd March and will be shown live on ITV4 in the UK. The UK Open has been held in Minehead since 2014, other than one year during the COVID pandemic.

There has been several multiple winners of this event, with Phil Taylor a five-time champion, Michael van Gerwen and James Wade winning the title on three occasions and Raymond van Barneveld twice.

The defending champion is the Belgian Dimitri Van den Bergh, who defeated Luke Humphries 11-10 in last year's final.

Prize Money

There is a prize fund in of £600,000 on offer to the 160 participants.

UK Open Darts Odds

4 units Luke Humphries to win @ 6/1

One of the biggest outright prices I’ve seen for Humphries to win a tournament for a long time and I really can’t really figure out why.

Of course, the FA Cup-style draw can produce surprise blockbuster ties in earlier rounds, which can be a threat to the bigger players, but at the same time the draw can really work in a player’s favour. The 160-player field is far bigger than most events in the PDC, but Humphries doesn’t enter until the fourth round, so it’s essentially a 64-player field for him and over a longer format of first to 10 legs straight away for him, which more times than not benefits the best players.

The UK Open is one of the only missing pieces of the majors jigsaw for Humphries to complete, so I really do think he’ll have eyed this tournament up in 2025 as one he really wants to win, ahead of some others. He couldn’t have got any closer last year, where he lost out in a dramatic deciding leg to Dimitri Van den Bergh as he lost 11-10. This was the second time he finished runner-up at the UK Open, having lost out in the 2021 final to James Wade.

I will point to this a couple of times running through my selections, but there’s a bit of a correlation between the UK Open and Players Championship Finals, given they’re both placed at the same venue in Butlins Minehead and both tournaments are very similar format in legs. Humphries also boasts an amazing record at the Players Championship Finals over the last few years - he won the event in 2023 and 2024, on top of making the semis in 2022.

Cool Hand clearly likes the venue and the longer format from the off in the fourth round is going to make him really tricky to beat. He’s already won the Winmau World Masters a month ago and will look to stack up a few titles before the World Matchplay in the summer. He’s averaged 102+ in four of his last six matches so the form is there and he looks primed for another big run in Minehead. 6/1 for my headline pick Luke Humphries is brilliant value.

2 units Gerwyn Price to win @ 12/1

I couldn’t get away from backing Gezzy for this. He needed to up his form from 2024, which was a relatively quiet year by his standards. He’s done just that - reaching the Bahrain Masters final first off, which saw a return to form off the back of a decent run to the World Championship quarter-finals.

Since then, he’s managed to win a Players Championship event in fine style and followed that up with a weekly win in Premier League action in Dublin last Thursday. It’s fair to say his confident should be back to it’s best, which is always an important factor where The Iceman is concerned.

Price has done everything bar win a title in the UK Open, he’s managed to find some real consistency in his results which isn’t easy to do in this event. From 2017 to 2022, he managed to reach the QFs or further which is mightily impressive, making two finals in amongst those six appearances.

He went out early last year, losing in his opening match to Martin Schindler, which he’ll look to make up for and more this time round, albeit he still averaged just shy of a ton in that match.

The Welshman has found a good level of consistency this year - averaging 92+ in 31 of his 32 matches in 2025, which shows his B/C-game is looking good at the moment which he’ll need to fall back on at some point this weekend.

It’s fair to say Price is fitter than most of his fellow pro’s, these are long days in the UK Open and that fitness/stamina will stand him in good stead as they approach the latter stages of the event.

I would’ve took anything in double figures, so I’m happy with the 12/1 on The Iceman to win his first UK Open title.

1 unit Dimitri Van den Bergh each-way (1/4 - 4 Places) @ 50/1

I feel like I write this every time I tip up Dimitri, but yet again I feel his odds are too big. He may not be everybody’s cup of tea, but once again I don’t feel Dimi is getting the respect he deserves and has barely had a mention in terms of his chances of winning this weekend, especially when you consider the fact he’s defending champion.

The Dream Maker caused some controversy due to his “behavour, antics, demeanour” however you want to label it, especially in the latter stages of that 2024 final, in which he beat World number one Luke Humphries 11-10 in a tense final. But ultimately he showed again that he can get the job done in the biggest pressure situations in major competitions.

I’ve spoke highly in the past of Dimitri’s record in the World Matchplay, but his UK Open record runs it fairly close - winning the event last year, he also made the semis in 2023, on top of some decent runs in his earlier days in 2019 and 2020, with runs to the last 16 and QFs. Between this and the Matchplay, it’d be fair to presume that he’s a fan of the longer format in legs.

His averages are nothing to write home about, they rarely are to be honest. Dimi is definitely the type of player who raises his game at the biggest events, hence his impressive record in majors. He’s also not the easiest to play against - on his way to winning the UK Open last year, he didn’t average 100+ in any of his six matches, all his averages were in the 90’s, which just shows he can get the job done without posting massive averages. 50/1 is way too big and offers some good each way value for us too on The Dream Maker to win back-to-back UK Opens.

1 unit Danny Noppert each-way (1/4 - 4 Places) @ 50/1

Another previous winner of this event, Noppert appealed at decent each way odds again. He got off to a good start in 2025, reaching the semi finals of the Winmau World Masters. He raced into a 2-0 lead in that semi against Humphries but unfortunately lost the following five sets. It was an impressive run though which saw him defeat Michael Smith, William O’Connor and Stephen Bunting along the way, this should’ve given him some confidence after a disappointing World Championship campaign.

Danny Noppert isn’t really a name that springs to mind when you think of big scorers, so it may come as a surprise to some that Noppie actually sits at eighth in the world for averages over the past twelve months. This is mainly down to sheer consistency - this year is the perfect example, the Dutchman has averaged between 96-100 in 10 of his 16 matches in 2025.

He showed a similar level of consistency when he won the UK Open back in 2022, in fact you could say he was somewhat below par in his final couple matches but he still managed to get over the line - he averaged between 96-100 in his first four matches, before averaging 90 in the semis and just 85 in the final.

Sometimes he struggles to find the big 100+ averages on the big stages but if the draw is kind to him then I think there’s every chance Noppie will go deep in this. With him already having the experience of getting the job done before, it could stand him in good stead if he’s there in the business end on Sunday.

0.75 units Connor Scutt each-way (1/4 - 4 Places) @ 66/1

Scutt has talent in abundance and I do feel like his big moment or run in one of the majors can’t be far away now. He continues to consistently produce good averages/performances as he still searches for his first PDC title on the professional tour.

He’s reached the third round in his couple of previous appearances at the UK Open but would love to go a lot further this time. He enters at the third round stage where he’ll play one of Berry Van Peer, Danny Van Trijp or Henry Coates - I’d expect him to come out on top against any of these three.

The Sniper currently sits at 16th in the world for averages in 2025 at 96.48. If he can produce around that level or slightly higher then he’s a real contender for this UK Open, especially if he can avoid the two Luke’s before the latter stages.

It’s no secret that Scutt lives and breathes darts - he has great knowledge of the sport in general and prepares meticulously in terms of his practice, lifestyle, diet etc and is arguably ahead of almost all of his fellow pro’s in that regard. He’s ticking all the boxes away from the stage and it’s only a matter of time until it clicks as he has the game in him to compete with the best.

He’s proved already on the Pro Tour that he can post some crazy averages. The one good run he’s had in a televised event was the Players Championship Finals last November, which I earlier highlighted as a bit of a correlation due to the venue and format. He made the QFs, only narrowly losing 10-9 to Van Duijvenbode with a 99 average. I wouldn’t take any shorter than 66/1 but The Sniper is a ticking timebomb who’s ready to explode onto the winners’ circle in the PDC.

0.5 units Dom Taylor each-way (1/4 - 4 Places) @ 100/1

It’s fair to say that the last few months have been a bit of a rollercoaster for Dom Taylor, mainly brought on by himself away from the oche. He was suspended then later had to serve a one month ban after failing a drugs test. This meant after a promising debut year on the Pro Tour in 2024 that he ultimately ended up having to miss out on the Players Championship Finals and World Championship, despite having already qualified for both.

He returned to action a few weeks ago - he must’ve been keeping his game intact during his absence from the professional tour as there weren’t many signs of rust. He did need a couple of events to bed back in but was quickly back to putting in some cracking performances - he made a Pro Tour semi final last week, on that run he averaged 104-103-99-105-107-100. An absolutely incredible string of performances which would see him really cause a stir at this if he can mirror anywhere near that kind of standard.

Taylor enters the event in the second round and will have his work cut out making it into the hat for the last 64 draw - he faces Steve Lennon in the second round, a player I think he’ll get the better of but still poses a threat on his day. However if he wins that then he’ll face Cameron Menzies in the third round, again it’s a tough match on paper but Menzies has tended to struggle in the major events so it’s a chance for Taylor to cause somewhat of an upset early on.

He’s looked very comfortable in the couple appearances he made on the Euro Tour last year, confidence is no issue, so this is the kind of event The Tower could make a real impact in.

0.5 units Nick Kenny each-way (1/4 - 4 Places) @ 200/1

I’m backing another Welshman in Nick Kenny this time. I have to admit when he won his tour card originally I didn’t think he’d have much of an impact in the PDC.  It’s taken some time but it looks like he’s starting to make inroads.

An impressive World Championship campaign saw Kenny retain his tour card - he beat Stowe Buntz in straight sets before causing a slight upset when he defeated Van Barneveld 3-1, he then lost in straight sets to Luke Humphries but overall it was a successful couple weeks for The Last Minute Man.

In the opening four Pro Tour events this year, he’s already had two runs to the last 16 and made the semi finals of another, which included a 112.32 average in a 6-3 win over Wattimena. He’s already beat Wattimena and Van Barneveld multiple times over the last couple months and has plenty experience from his WDF/BDO days.

He’s no stranger to playing in front of crowds so could be well suited to a tournament like the UK Open, this is his fourth appearance in this so hopefully can use his previous appearances here as a stepping stone to kick on this year - if the draw is kind he really could go on a run at huge odds.

The Welshman doesn’t enter until the third round and the draw has been fairly kind in my opinion - he’ll face one of Baker/Harrysson/Jansen/Gruellich, I’d make Kenny considerable fav against any of them. If he comes through that then straight away he’s into the last 64 at 200/1, a couple kind draws and he could be in the latter stages. Well worth a punt.

0.5 units Ricky Evans each-way (1/4 - 4 Places) @ 250/1

I’d say of all my outright picks for the UK Open this is my more “rogue” selection. I can safely say this is one of the first times I’ve ever backed Ricky to win a tournament, but I feel there’s enough reason to get on him at tasty odds.

Rapid has already spoke in interviews of this being his best tournament and the stats back it up - he made the semi-finals here last year, which backed up a few solid runs in the past at Minehead, making the last 32 or better in three of his four most recent appearances before that semi final run. He receives a lot of backing around the side stages and I think he quite likes playing in that environment, his record certainly suggests he does.

Usually self-belief is a big stumbling block for Ricky but if he can get on a roll over on the smaller stages then who knows. He enters in the third round, where he actually plays on the main stage against Gabriel Clemens. Clemens hasn’t shown a lot of form in recent months so it could be an opportunity for Evans to see him off and go on another run, building his confidence along the way. 250/1 was too good a price to turn down for a player with the record Rapid has in this event.

Darts Odds

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