Opponents for Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis confirmed for comeback; English duo could face old acquaintances
MODUS
Phil Taylor will return to competitive darts next month. The 66-year-old Englishman, who decided two years ago to retire permanently from competitive darts, has reversed his decision. “The Power” will compete from 23 to 28 November at the MODUS Super Series international pairs tournament in Portsmouth. He will once again team up with Adrian Lewis, with whom he won the World Cup of Darts four times.
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The return of the 16-time world champion is one of the tournament’s biggest attractions. Twenty-four players from twelve countries will take part. The matches will be broadcast live on Pluto TV. On Saturday evening, the organisers announced the final five pairs, completing the field.
Taylor and Lewis are among the most successful duos in World Cup of Darts history. Between 2012 and 2016, the two Englishmen won four world titles for their country. Lewis, now 41, also became a two-time PDC world champion individually.
Whitlock father and son represent Australia
One of the tournament’s most eye-catching pairs will be Simon Whitlock and his son Mason. The 57-year-old Australian, who no longer holds a PDC Tour Card, will wear the Australian shirt alongside his son, born in 2003.
For senior Whitlock, the tournament could also bring a reunion with Taylor at the oche. The two faced each other in the 2010 PDC World Championship final at Alexandra Palace. Taylor won that match 7–3.
Mason Whitlock is meanwhile trying to follow in his father’s footsteps. The young Australian has already hit nine-dart finishes in both the MODUS Super Series and the PDC Development Tour. His ambition is to develop into a professional player in the coming years.
Simon Whitlock will team up with his son Mason Whitlock
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Scotland will also start with two familiar names. John Henderson and Robert Thornton will form the Scottish pair. Henderson, who won the World Cup of Darts with Peter Wright in 2021, will therefore have another chance to represent his country.
The Netherlands will be represented by Danny van Trijp and Ron Meulenkamp. Belgium will send defending champions Andy Baetens and Brian Raman to Portsmouth, while Andreas Harrysson and Anton Östlund will compete for Sweden.
Denmark, Germany, New Zealand, Switzerland, the United States and Wales will also take part.
“I train every day”
Taylor is eagerly anticipating his return. The Englishman stressed that he is taking his comeback seriously and has been preparing for the tournament every day.
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“I’m really looking forward to this. I’ve been practising every day and once you see the full line-up, you realise there are no easy games in this tournament," Taylor said.
The 16-time world champion has great confidence in his partnership with Lewis, although he knows there will be plenty of strong opponents.
“Adrian and I have a lot of history together and we know how to win as a pair, but there are plenty of familiar faces in there, too.”
Taylor is particularly excited about potentially facing some of his old rivals. “I’ve played some huge matches against Simon Whitlock and Robert Thornton over the years, so it’ll be good to see them back on the other side of the oche.”
At the same time, “The Power” is looking forward to facing players he has never previously encountered. “There are also a lot of players I haven’t faced before, which makes it even more interesting."
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Read also
Taylor and Lewis begin on 26 November
Taylor and Lewis will begin their tournament on Thursday, 26 November, in Group C. They will face Denmark, Switzerland and three pairs that qualify from Group A.
The English darts legend stressed that the opportunity to play again with his former teammate was the main reason he agreed to interrupt his retirement temporarily.
“I’m coming back because there is no one else I would want to be paired with other than Adrian.”
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Lucas MichaelDarts Journalist
Lucas Michael is a darts journalist and reporter based in Cambridge, UK, and has been part of the DartsNews team since 2025. He covers professional darts through reports, analysis, round-ups, and live coverage, with a focus on clear context and accurate reporting across the PDC calendar.
A key part of his work is liveblogging major tournaments throughout the year, providing real-time updates, match coverage, and contextual reporting across the professional circuit. He also reports regularly from events on site and has covered the PDC World Darts Championship from the venue, delivering first-hand insight throughout the tournament.
Within the newsroom, Lucas works closely with the editorial team and supports coverage alongside Chief Content Officer Samuel Gill and reporter Kieran Wood.
Lucas holds a BA (Hons) in Sports Journalism. In his work, he places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating content promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- Play all legs and the winners split the pot. Luke gets the lot of he wins them all. If your occupation is darts player you can't enter, regardless of ability.BandB01-11-2026
- I'm quite a jaded person all things considered, but to be honest I found Beat Luke Littler to be pretty entertaining. It certainly wasn't seamless, which is to be expected given the lack of precedence, but I actually think the pacing was pretty good, the production was impressive, and there was a good sense of humour and levity to it. I think it was a very ambitious undertaking but one that, for the most part, paid off. I liked the system with the four pots and I think it added to the drama and intrigue. I enjoyed seeing the diverse range of entrants and learning about their backstories. I think the interactivity was pretty clever and well-integrated. The panel was a little incoherent at times; Lee Mack shone however, and his improvisational skills were appreciated during some more awkward interstitial moments. As far as the darts is concerned, it was a shame that the format didn't allow Littler to get into full flow. You obviously don't want him to steamroll everyone but you want to feel like you're getting the full Littler package rather than seeing him struggling to get out of first gear. I will say that his leg against Jayden Walker was very impressive, but it was mostly downhill from there. The attraction revolves around Littler being this untouchable, indomitable force, yet the format doesn't really allow him to fulfil that characterisation. As for Fallon Sherrock, she was mightily impressive and deserved the victory. It is a testament to her unshakeable character that she was able to bang in a 14-darter under such mind-bending pressure. Everything that has been said about the misleading marketing is valid, though they were clear about their eligibility criteria and were able to offload the responsibility somewhat by bringing the viewers into the decision-making process in real time. What is clear though, is that Fallon played the game according to the rules, and she should not be criticised for that, much less abused. I will admit though that it is a kick in the teeth for those true amateurs who committed time and money to the course, and I would also question those who think pub players would have no chance, given that some of Littler's winning legs were dispatched in 7 visits to the board! The great thing about darts is that it isn't so much that amateurs cannot replicate the feats of brilliance pulled off by professionals of the sport, than it is that they simply cannot replicate the consistency of their output, something that this format almost entirely removes from the equation. It should also be noted that, financially, Fallon certainly stands to benefit much less in relative terms from the paycheque than would your average pub thrower, as I'm sure she nets a fair income from the lucrative exhibition circuit alone. What I do hope is that she might use this as an opportunity to really build up a head of steam heading into the new season, as it seems long overdue that she come through Q-School and really take it to the pros on a week-in week-out basis, but whatever she chooses to do, she has certainly achieved enough already for one if not several lifetimes, so who am I to dictate terms? To conclude though, I will state once again that I found Beat Luke Littler to be a pretty enjoyable evening of entertainment. I do feel for the contestants who never actually had the chance to try their luck against the world #1, although I suppose it comes with the format, but all which inevitably raises the question: will Netflix be tempted to do it all again next year? It's hard to say. Whether it would be financially viable, I can't weigh in there. One point I have been making though, and which I touched on earlier, is that the entire concept relies on a public perception that Littler is more or less unbeatable, and that certainly hasn't been the case of late. If the execs had been trying to pitch the show in recent months while Littler has seemed vulnerable, rather than when he was mopping up almost every major title on the calendar, it would certainly be a tougher sell. We will have to see in about 6 months' time whether Littler can still reliably command perception as a near-unstoppable force in darts, and then we'll have a clearer idea about whether we should expect a second helping. Even as a one-off experiment though, and with all the controversy taken into account, I still don't think they disgraced themselves by any means, and that will probably be my lingering assessment of the event when all is said and done.Deduce635801-11-2026
- Fair play to Fallon. But...shows the mockery when a professional players wins what was meant to be an amateur v Pro event, Littlers performance was poor, and what about the players who didn't get a game? Would have been better if the pot was split amoungst all the winners and they all got a leg.BandB31-10-2026
- Not even slightly interestedrick6730-10-2026
- And yet the PDC has decided to aggravate this problem by doubling the Players Championship Finals field from 2027. I can't imagine there will be fewer withdrawals next year with even less reason to turn up. I can only hope that a whole slew of Challenge Tour top-up players receive enough prize money in the absence of much of the elite, that some of the more complacent among them struggle to scrape into even a heavily diluted field! More semi-pro players will get to test their mettle, but the standard of competition will be much inferior. It could hardly be said that the Players Championship series will provide an opportunity for darts' second string to test their Tour Card credentials anymore, but at least it will underscore the achievements of those Challenge Tour players of current and previous years, who were able to prove themselves as more than capable of competing with, and beating, the elite of the sport on a consistent basis, and reaping the due rewards.Deduce635828-10-2026
- No point in being there? Champions want to win.Deduce635828-10-2026
- Littler lost to crabtree in the youth/junior/whatever you call it. He had no point in being there. He's unfortunately now got to the stage,he feels all he has to do is get on the stage to win. Well,I hope he realises part of his fear factor has gone. Happened to Taylor,then van gerwen,and it's causing him to realise pretty sharp,he isn't unstoppable. It's good for the sport,not 1 single player in my 60 years has ever,or will ever be, unbeatable.rick6725-10-2026
- I think it's great to see Mark Webster looking good,good ladrick6725-10-2026
- I agree,I can't believe the lack of coverage of this sad loss. Always enjoyed watching him,but I guess now it's all about littler,well it seems that way. Darts has sadly lost a good manrick6717-10-2026
- In the absence of a report regarding the death of Stefan Lord, I'll assist. An excellent player in the late 70s and early 80s, he actually won the now defunct 3rd place match at two World Championships and a couple of the News of the World Championships. A fabulous player and easily the best Swedish player ever. Rest peacefully Stefan.richieburnettrocks16-10-2026