Luke Littler will begin the defence of his BOYLE Sports World Grand Prix darts title on Monday 28 September in Leicester, as the full schedule for the opening round of the unique double-start event was confirmed.
The 32-player tournament returns to the Mattioli Arena and runs to 4 October, with a newly increased top prize of £150,000 on offer. Play gets under way at 18:00 BST, with the first round split across the opening two evenings.
The world number one faces an immediate test against the in-form Luke Woodhouse as he attempts to become only the third player, after Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen, to retain the World Grand Prix crown.
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Van Gerwen himself features on the opening night, taking on 2024 semi-finalist Ryan Joyce in what promises to be an intriguing contest.
Elsewhere on Monday, former champions Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton face Polish opposition in Sebastian Bialecki and Krzysztof Ratajski respectively, while 2022 runner-up Nathan Aspinall meets Kevin Doets in another eye-catching first-round tie.Tuesday’s session is equally stacked.
World number two Luke Humphries, the 2023 champion, opens against two-time finalist Dave Chisnall, while an all-Dutch clash sees European Champion Gian van Veen lock horns with 2020 runner-up Dirk van Duijvenbode. Two-time winner James Wade begins his campaign against 2023 semi-finalist Joe Cullen, and Scottish legend Gary Anderson faces Australian number one Damon Heta.
Following the conclusion of the first round, the last 16 will be played across Wednesday and Thursday evenings. The quarter-finals take place on Friday 2 October, with the semi-finals scheduled for a blockbuster Saturday night before the final brings the event to a close on Sunday 4 October.
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With several former champions in the field and a host of compelling early match-ups, the 2026 World Grand Prix looks set to deliver another week of high drama in Leicester.
2026 BOYLE Sports World Grand Prix Darts
Monday September 28 (1800 BST)
Round One x8
Danny Noppert v Niko Springer
Ross Smith v Cameron Menzies
Nathan Aspinall v Kevin Doets
Jonny Clayton v Krzysztof Ratajski
Gerwyn Price v Sebastian Bialecki
Michael van Gerwen v Ryan Joyce
Luke Littler v Luke Woodhouse
Wessel Nijman v Rob Cross
Tuesday September 29 (1800 BST)
Round One x8
Chris Dobey v Jermaine Wattimena
Ryan Searle v William O’Connor
Josh Rock v Niels Zonneveld
James Wade v Joe Cullen
Gary Anderson v Damon Heta
Gian van Veen v Dirk van Duijvenbode
Luke Humphries v Dave Chisnall
Stephen Bunting v Andrew Gilding
Wednesday September 30 (1900 BST)
Round Two x4 – Order of Play TBC
Littler/Woodhouse v Aspinall/Doets
Noppert/Springer v Van Gerwen/Joyce
Price/Bialecki v Smith/Menzies
Clayton/Ratajski v Nijman/Cross
Thursday October 1 (1900 BST)
Round Two x4 – Order of Play TBC
Humphries/Chisnall v Dobey/Wattimena
Rock/Zonneveld v Anderson/Heta
Van Veen/Van Duijvenbode v Searle/O’Connor
Wade/Cullen v Bunting/Gilding
Friday October 2 (1900 BST)
Quarter-Finals
Saturday October 3 (2000 BST)
Semi-Finals
Sunday October 4 (2000 BST)
Final
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Images: PDC
