This evening the 2026 Betfred World Matchplay kicks off, as Luke Littler hunts down back-to-back titles at the iconic Winter Gardens.
This year’s standout summer darting event, with a newly-boosted £1,000,000 prize fund, will see 32 of the sport’s finest players battle for the Phil Taylor Trophy in Blackpool.
Seven former champions – including reigning champion Littler, world number two Luke Humphries and three-time winner Michael van Gerwen – will go head-to-head for the £225,000 top prize at the Empress Ballroom over nine days of darting drama from July 18-26.
The first round will pit the world’s top 16 players against the 16 top-performing ProTour qualifiers from the one-year rankings, with Littler beginning his title defence on Saturday evening against German debutant and Hungarian Darts Trophy champion Niko Springer.
The two-time World Champion averaged north of 105 across a staggering campaign last year to claim his maiden title in Blackpool, and comes into his third World Matchplay having won every Premier ranking event on offer in 2026.
Only Rod Harrington, Phil Taylor and most recently Van Gerwen have bagged consecutive World Matchplay titles, and the 19-year-old phenom is looking to join yet another exclusive club in the sport.
“Last year, I turned all the wrongs into rights,” assessed Littler, who fell at the first hurdle on debut in 2024 to eventual runner-up Van Gerwen.
“I’d love to put myself in the category of players to go back-to-back at the Matchplay.
“Last year, there were quite a few times I was 5-0 down but I found a way to get myself out of it, crawl back into the game and get over the line.
“As soon as you get the first two games out of the way, the format gets longer and longer, and being on stage for ages it gets hotter and hotter.
“But I like that. I can grow into the game, get better as the game goes on.
“As the tournament goes on, hopefully I can reach another final and defend it again.”
Northern Irish number one Josh Rock will take on the top-performing ProTour qualifier Luke Woodhouse in a tantalising opening fixture in Blackpool, while former Masters winner Stephen Bunting faces Dutch debutant Niels Zonneveld.
2023 World Matchplay champion Nathan Aspinall will play former Premier League runner-up Joe Cullen for the right to play Littler or Springer in round two, before Sunday’s afternoon action is headlined by Van Gerwen.
The three-time champion faces former UK Open champion Andrew Gilding in the opening round, with the winner taking on either Dirk van Duijvenbode or former Masters winner Chris Dobey.
2018 winner Gary Anderson returns to Blackpool to take on Ryan Joyce, while Welsh number one Jonny Clayton will do battle with Australia’s Damon Heta.
On Sunday evening, Dutch number one Gian van Veen – entering Blackpool as a seed for the first time – will lock horns with Poland’s premier player Krzysztof Ratajski, while fellow Dutch seed Wessel Nijman takes on Dave Chisnall.
Nijman enters his second World Matchplay having won a staggering eight ProTour titles in 2026 – a feat only achieved by Taylor, Van Gerwen and Peter Wright in one year – while only Littler has pocketed more prize money so far this season.
“I did not expect to win this many titles, especially two European Tour titles as well,” confessed Nijman, who has surged from 29th to 14th in the world since the turn of the year.
“My confidence is very high, not only for the World Matchplay but for the next six months.
“I think the Winter Gardens in Blackpool is the best venue we have. The venue itself is very special, the fans are fantastic, and it’s so hard to qualify for an event like this.
“I enjoyed it very much last year, and I’m looking forward to playing here again. I believe I can make a big impact.”
Irish darting stalwart William O’Connor will make his long-awaited World Matchplay debut against World Championship semi-finalist Ryan Searle, while 2007 champion James Wade has been pitted against Jermaine Wattimena.
Last year’s runner-up Wade returns to the stage where he shot into the forefront of the sport, reaching the final on debut in 2006 before claiming glory in 2007, and the 43-year-old is relishing another World Matchplay campaign.
“Twenty years… It’s still my favourite tournament and my favourite venue,” revealed Wade, with only Taylor’s 24 appearances in Blackpool topping Wade’s 21.
“It’s a small intimate crowd in Blackpool, but they’re genuinely passionate darts fans and that’s a refreshing recipe for darts players.
“I think the first time I played here I was 23. I feel more relaxed nowadays, and I’m more confident than the young man who first started.
“I would love to lift this title again and I think I will in the next few years.”
2024 champion Humphries will begin his bid for his second title on Monday evening against Scottish World Cup star Cameron Menzies, who recently picked up his third ProTour title at the start of the month.
2019 winner Rob Cross enters the fray against former UK Open champion Danny Noppert, while former World Champion Gerwyn Price takes on Martin Schindler, with the German number one still searching for his first win in Blackpool on his fifth appearance.
Emerging star Kevin Doets will make his Winter Gardens debut against former European Champion Ross Smith in a potentially explosive contest, and the Dutchman cannot wait to get started at the Empress Ballroom after a stellar 12 months.
“These are the sorts of moments I’ve been working for since I won a Tour Card,” said Doets, a winner on the Players Championship circuit for the first time in May.
“I won my first title, I made my first European Tour final and I pushed Luke Littler very close at the UK Open, so I’m in a really good place right now and hopefully I can continue that.
“I really enjoy playing on the big stages, and I really enjoy playing in front of a big crowd. I think it brings the best out of me.
“I’m looking forward to the World Matchplay, and hopefully I’m going to produce some good results.”
Following the conclusion of round one, round two will take place across Tuesday July 21 and Wednesday July 22, with the quarter-finals being staged on Thursday and Friday.The semi-finals will take place on Saturday July 25, before the final will be held on the evening of Sunday July 26, preceded by the fifth staging of the Betfred Women’s World Matchplay on Sunday afternoon.
Littler is the 11/10 pre-tournament favourite with title sponsor Betfred, with Humphries deemed second-favourite at 9/2.The in-form Nijman is 10/1 while former runner-up Price is 12/1, as Dutch duo Van Gerwen and Van Veen priced at 16/1 and 20/1 respectively.
Event tickets will be issued to fans through the PDC Tickets App from Thursday July 16 onwards. Fans with queries relating to their ticket booking can contact SeeTickets via pdc.seetickets.com/customerservice.
The Betfred World Matchplay will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK & Ireland, through the PDC’s worldwide broadcast partners including DAZN, CANAL+ and Viaplay, and on PDCTV (excluding UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria & Switzerland based subscribers).
2026 Betfred World Matchplay
Session Schedule
Saturday July 18 (1900 BST)
Round One x4
Josh Rock v Luke Woodhouse
Stephen Bunting v Niels Zonneveld
Luke Littler v Niko Springer
Nathan Aspinall v Joe Cullen
Sunday July 19 (1300 BST)
Round One x4
Chris Dobey v Dirk van Duijvenbode
Gary Anderson v Ryan Joyce
Michael van Gerwen v Andrew Gilding
Jonny Clayton v Damon Heta
Sunday July 19 (1900 BST)
Round One x4
Ryan Searle v William O’Connor
James Wade v Jermaine Wattimena
Gian van Veen v Krzysztof Ratajski
Wessel Nijman v Dave Chisnall
Monday July 20 (1900 BST)
Round One x4
Ross Smith v Kevin Doets
Gerwyn Price v Martin Schindler
Luke Humphries v Cameron Menzies
Danny Noppert v Rob Cross
Tuesday July 21 (1900 BST)
Round Two x4 – Match Order TBC
Littler/Springer v Aspinall/Cullen
Rock/Woodhouse v Bunting/Zonneveld
Van Gerwen/Gilding v Dobey/Van Duijvenbode
Clayton/Heta v Anderson/Joyce
Wednesday July 22 (1900 BST)
Round Two x4 – Match Order TBC
Humphries/Menzies v Smith/Doets
Price/Schindler v Noppert/Cross
Van Veen/Ratajski v Nijman/Chisnall
Wade/Wattimena v Searle/O’Connor
Thursday July 23 (2000 BST *)
Quarter-Finals x2
Friday July 24 (2000 BST *)Quarter-Finals x2
Saturday July 25 (2000 BST *)
Semi-Finals
Sunday July 26
Afternoon Session (1300-1700)
Betfred Women’s World Matchplay
Evening Session (2000 BST*)
Betfred World Matchplay Final
*For the evenings session on July 23-26, Sky Sports will be on air from 1930 BST, with play commencing from approximately 2005 BST.
Format
Round One – Best of 19 legs
Round Two – Best of 21 legs
Quarter-Finals – Best of 31 legs
Semi-Finals – Best of 33 legs
Final – Best of 35 legs
Each game must be won by two clear legs, with up to a maximum of five additional legs being played before the sixth “extra” leg is sudden-death.
Prize Fund
Winner – £225,000
Runner-Up – £125,000
Semi-Finalists – £65,000
Quarter-Finalists – £35,000
Round Two Losers – £22,500
Round One Losers – £12,500
Total – £1,000,000
ENDS
Images: PDC
