Lisa Ashton will open her defence of the 2026 Betfred Women’s World Matchplay against Wales’ Rhian O’Sullivan, with the eight-player line-up for next month’s showpiece event now confirmed.
The fifth staging of the Women’s World Matchplay will be held on the afternoon of Sunday July 26 at Blackpool’s Winter Gardens, televised live on Sky Sports and through the PDC’s global broadcast partners.
Reigning champion Ashton will be among the star attractions at the Empress Ballroom in the £40,000 tournament, with two-time winner Beau Greaves and 2022 champion Fallon Sherrock also set to headline.
The field is comprised of the top eight players from the 12-month rolling Women’s Series rankings since last July, with Ashton returning to Blackpool as the number two seed.
The Lancashire trailblazer will kick off her title challenge against O’Sullivan, who will make her third Women’s World Matchplay appearance in this summer’s showpiece.
Top seed Greaves – who claimed back-to-back wins in 2023 and 2024 – will be aiming to reclaim the title following her unprecedented 114-match winning run on the Women’s Series circuit between April 2025 and March 2026.
The 22-year-old will renew her rivalry with Finland’s Kirsi Viinikainen in the opening match of the tournament, after the pair also went head-to-head at the same stage of last year’s event.
The draw bracket was confirmed following the conclusion of PDC Women’s Series Event 16 on Sunday, as Sherrock prepares to maintain her ever-present record at the Winter Gardens.
The Milton Keynes superstar prevailed in the tournament’s inaugural staging in 2022, while reaching back-to-back finals in 2024 and 2025 – succumbing to Greaves and Ashton in the respective deciders. Sherrock has been pitted against debutant Deta Hedman, after the 66-year-old icon captured her second Women’s Series title last month en route to sealing qualification.
The other quarter-final clash will see Gemma Hayter go head-to-head with Sweden’s Vicky Pruim – another newcomer in next month’s extravaganza.Hayter has enjoyed a consistent 2026 campaign to date, reaching a brace of finals and four semi-finals to record a fourth-place finish on the Women’s World Matchplay rankings.
Pruim, meanwhile, celebrated her maiden Women’s Series title in May, before finishing as runner-up in Event 13 on Saturday to confirm her Blackpool bow.
The winner of the Betfred Women’s World Matchplay will qualify for November’s Grand Slam of Darts and the 2026/27 World Darts Championship, with an increased top prize of £15,000 also on offer.
Betfred Women’s World Matchplay
Rankings Top Eight
Beau Greaves – £45,7002 – Lisa Ashton – £15,5503 – Fallon Sherrock – £13,1504 – Gemma Hayter – £9,8005 – Vicky Pruim – £8,2506 – Deta Hedman – £7,5007 – Rhian O’Sullivan – £6,3008 – Kirsi Viinikainen – £6,150
2026 Betfred Women’s World Matchplay
Sunday July 26
Draw Bracket
(1) Beau Greaves v (8) Kirsi Viinikainen
(4) Gemma Hayter v (5) Vicky Pruim
(2) Lisa Ashton v (7) Rhian O’Sullivan
(3) Fallon Sherrock v (6) Deta Hedman
Format
Quarter-Finals – Best of nine legs
Semi-Finals – Best of nine legs
Final – Best of 11 legs
Prize Money
Winner: £15,000
Runner-Up: £8,000
Semi-Finalists: £4,500
Quarter-Finalists: £2,000
Total: £40,000
—–ENDS——
Images: PDC
