Bradford arrowsmith Joe Cullen will face either Jules van Dongen or Darren Penhall in his PDC World Darts Championship opener.

As one of the top 32 players from the PDC Order of Merit, Cullen is seeded straight through to round two, alongside the other best players in the world.

The first round match between van Dongen and Penhall, for the right to face Cullen, is an intriguing one.

The former, who was born in the Netherlands but currently resides in America, only began playing darts in 2020, but is already up to number 80 in the world, and has a last-32 appearances at the WDF World Championship to his name from 2022.

This game will mark van Dongen’s debut at the PDC World Darts Championship, which also the case for Cornwall-born veteran Penhall.

The 51-year-old is a long-time Australian resident who played on the PDC ProTour in 2020 and 2021.

After losing his Tour Card, he returned to Australia and took part in the DPA Tour from this year, winning his first title Down Under in February.

The second-round game between Wyke native Cullen and either van Dongen or Penhall will take place on Sunday, December 17, the third day of the prestigious tournament at Alexandra Palace.

It will be Cullen’s first chance to bounce back after his disappointing display in the Players Championship Finals at the end of November.