UK Open 2026 Friday afternoon preview: Van Barneveld, Wright and Greaves among leading lights in frenetic opening session
PDC
The UK Open 2026 gets underway on Friday at the Butlin’s Minehead Resort, where three days of action will decide one of the most prestigious titles on the PDC calendar. A total of 158 players will take to the oche at the tournament, which runs from March 6 to March 8.
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The event is renowned for its unique format. Alongside the 128 PDC Tour Card holders, amateur players and talents from the Challenge Tour and Development Tour also compete. As a result, there are often intriguing matchups between established names and dark horses.
The opening day promises a marathon schedule. The first four rounds will be played across eight stages. The first matches start on Friday at 11:00 AM.
In the first round, the lower-ranked Tour Card holders (positions 97 to 128) enter the fray. They are joined by players who qualified via the Challenge Tour, Development Tour, the Riley’s Amateur Qualifiers, and the PDC in the Community qualifiers. In the second round, players ranked between 65 and 96 in the world join. Those ranked 33 to 64 then enter in the third round. All matches from these three rounds will be completed before the evening session begins.
World’s elite take to the stage in the fourth round
The Friday evening session sees the first matches featuring the absolute elite. In the fourth round, the top 32 ranked players in the world enter the tournament.
Defending champion Luke Littler is one of the headline acts on his Minehead bow. Michael van Gerwen also makes his first appearance, as do former winners Gary Anderson, James Wade, Danny Noppert, Nathan Aspinall, Dimitri Van den Bergh, and Andrew Gilding.
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A number of other well-known names start a round earlier. Two-time winner Raymond van Barneveld and the 2017 champion, Peter Wright, both begin in the third round. The same goes for the likes of Gian van Veen, Gerwyn Price, and Jonny Clayton.
In 2025 Luke Littler claimed the UK Open title
Who is in action on Friday afternoon?
Although the afternoon session starts at 12:00 PM, the program on the main stage begins at 1:00 PM. First up are Stefan Bellmont and Charlie Manby, two players who featured at the last World Championship. Later, Christian Kist, Jimmy van Schie, and Beau Greaves play their second-round matches on the main stage.
The third round follows at the end of the afternoon. Raymond van Barneveld then plays Karel Sedlacek, while Ricky Evans takes on Brendan Dolan. Peter Wright closes the afternoon on the main stage, although the Scot must wait to find out his opponent.
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No fewer than twelve matches will be played on Board 2. Kim Huybrechts faces Keane Barry for a place in the last 64. Joe Cullen also features on the second stage as well as Mervyn King, Max Hopp among others.
All other matches are played in Studio 36, a hall within the Butlin's Minehead Resort complex that houses boards 3 through 8. On these outside boards we see the likes of Mensur Suljovic, Callan Rydz, Jeffrey de Zwaan, James Hurrell and Ian White.
After the third round concludes, the draw for the fourth round will take place on the main stage. With its open draw and a field packed with established names and surprise contenders, the UK Open again promises a weekend of unpredictable matches and drama.
UK Open 2026 schedule
Friday, March 6
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Afternoon session (from 12:00 PM)
Main Stage (starts 12:00 PM)
| Stefan Bellmont | v | Charlie Manby | R1 |
| Sam Spivey | v | Kyle Gilding | R1 |
| Sebastian Bialecki | v | Christian Kist | R2 |
| Jimmy van Schie | v | Tom Bissell | R2 |
| Darryl Pilgrim | v | Beau Greaves | R2 |
| Rupprecht/Walker | v | Cam Crabtree | R2 |
| Karel Sedlacek | v | Raymond van Barneveld | R3 |
| Ricky Evans | v | Brendan Dolan | R3 |
| Peter Wright | v | Czerwinski/Labanauskas/Francis | R3 |
Board 2
| Pascal Rupprecht | v | Jenson Walker | R1 |
| Aden Kirk | v | Mervyn King | R1 |
| Michael Unterbuchner | v | Rusty-Jake Rodriguez | R1 |
| Adam Leek | v | David Sharp | R1 |
| Thomas Lovely | v | Shane McGuirk | R2 |
| Adam Gawlas | v | Tavis Dudeney | R2 |
| Tytus Kanik | v | Jim Long | R2 |
| Spivey/Gilding | v | Max Hopp | R2 |
| Kevin Doets | v | Ricardo Pietreczko | R3 |
| Gabriel Clemens | v | Bialecki/Kist | R3 |
| Kim Huybrechts | v | Keane Barry | R3 |
| Rupprecht/Walker/Crabtree | v | Joe Cullen | R3 |
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Board 3
| Filip Bereza | v | Rhys Griffin | R1 |
| Stephen Burton | v | Jake Eichen | R1 |
| Cristo Reyes | v | Graham Usher | R1 |
| Tyler Thorpe | v | Pero Ljubic | R1 |
| Kai Gotthardt | v | Daniel Lee | R1 |
| Robert Owen | v | Stefaan Henderyck | R2 |
| Maximilian Czerwinski | v | Labanauskas/Francis | R2 |
| Greg Ritchie | v | Leek/Sharp | R2 |
| Van der Velde/Tweddell | v | Leon Weber | R2 |
| Lukas Wenig | v | Mensur Suljovic | R3 |
| Niels Zonneveld | v | Van Schie/Bissell | R3 |
| Sparidaans/Waites/Potter/Landman | v | Connor Scutt | R3 |
| Spivey/Gilding/Hopp | v | Merkx/Barkhausen/Van Velzen | R3 |
Board 4
| Jack Todd | v | Carl Sneyd | R1 |
| Clive Langford | v | Stephen Rosney | R1 |
| Alexander Merkx | v | Jannis Barkhausen | R1 |
| Sean Ryan | v | Tom Sykes | R1 |
| Sietse Lap | v | Ted Evetts | R1 |
| Wesley Plaisier | v | Bates/Hofkens | R2 |
| Bereza/Griffin | v | Oskar Lukasiak | R2 |
| Wild/Coates | v | Adam Paxton | R2 |
| Bellmont/Manby | v | Thorpe/Ljubic | R2 |
| Meulenkamp/Price/Warner | v | Jeffrey de Graaf | R3 |
| Kanik/Long | v | Callan Rydz | R3 |
| Owen/Henderyck | v | Pilgrim/Greaves | R3 |
| Niko Springer | v | Ehlers/Kraft/Gotthardt/Lee | R3 |
Board 5
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| Samuel Whittaker | v | Jeffrey de Zwaan | R1 |
| Ryan Branley | v | Oliver King | R1 |
| Benjamin Pratnemer | v | Callum Goffin | R1 |
| Darius Labanauskas | v | Callum Francis | R1 |
| Meulenkamp/Price | v | Adam Warner | R2 |
| Dominik Gruellich | v | Van den Herik/Hall | R2 |
| Lap/Evetts | v | Reyes/Usher | R2 |
| Ryan Meikle | v | William O'Connor | R3 |
| Nick Kenny | v | Lipscombe/Todd/Sneyd | R3 |
| Boulton/Kirk/King | v | Williams/Stevenson/Dekker | R3 |
| Kuivenhoven/Unterbuchner/Rodriguez | v | Wild/Coates/Paxton | R3 |
| Mario Vandenbogaerde | v | Van der Velde/Tweddell/Weber | R3 |
Board 6
| Owen Bates | v | Yorick Hofkens | R1 |
| Lewis Pearse | v | Niall Culleton | R1 |
| Jamai van den Herik | v | Graham Hall | R1 |
| Jurjen van der Velde | v | Jack Tweddell | R1 |
| Williams/Stevenson | v | Cor Dekker | R2 |
| Dennie Olde Kalter | v | Scott Campbell | R2 |
| Merkx/Barkhausen | v | Marvin van Velzen | R2 |
| Sparidaans/Waites | v | Potter/Landman | R2 |
| Alan Soutar | v | Richard Veenstra | R3 |
| Ritchie/Leek/Sharp | v | Mickey Mansell | R3 |
| Thibault Tricole | v | Langford/Rosney/Burton/Eichen | R3 |
| Beeton/Merk/Ryan/Sykes | v | Lap/Evetts/Reyes/Usher | R3 |
Board 7
| James Beeton | v | Arno Merk | R1 |
| Ron Meulenkamp | v | Samuel Price | R1 |
| Jeffrey Sparidaans | v | Scott Waites | R1 |
| Andy Boulton | v | Kirk/King | R2 |
| Maik Kuivenhoven | v | Unterbuchner/Rodriguez | R2 |
| Pratnemer/Goffin | v | Whittaker/De Zwaan | R2 |
| Ehlers/Kraft | v | Gotthardt/Lee | R2 |
| Madars Razma | v | Gawlas/Dudeney | R3 |
| Gruellich/Van den Herik/Hall | v | Justin Hood | R3 |
| Branley/King/Brooks | v | Bereza/Griffin/Lukasiak | R3 |
| James Hurrell | v | Bellmont/Manby/Thorpe/Ljubic | R3 |
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Board 8
| Patrik Williams | v | Simon Stevenson | R1 |
| Matthias Ehlers | v | Marvin Kraft | R1 |
| Nathan Potter | v | Chris Landman | R1 |
| Neil Wild | v | Henry Coates | R1 |
| Adam Lipscombe | v | Todd/Sneyd | R2 |
| Branley/King | v | Bradley Brooks | R2 |
| Beeton/Merk | v | Ryan/Sykes | R2 |
| Langford/Rosney | v | Burton/Eichen | R2 |
| Lovely/McGuirk | v | Martin Lukeman | R3 |
| Ian White | v | Olde Kalter/Van Trijp/Campbell | R3 |
| Pearse/Culleton | v | Plaisier/Bates/Hofkens | R3 |
| Pratnemer/Goffin/Whittaker/De Zwaan | v | Scott Williams | R3 |
Samuel GillChief Content Officer
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
In his current role, Samuel works closely with editors and writers to ensure content meets clear journalistic standards, with a focus on source verification, editorial consistency, and timely updates when new, confirmed information becomes available.
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- Ultimately it is a bye for whoever draws Barney. It will be another stroppy and sulky performance once he goes behind. Barney was excellent but really must completely call it a day now.richieburnettrocks07-11-2026
- I'm disappointed he was not able to secure a spot at the Grand Slam. With Carl Sneyd taking care of Daryl Gurney, he would have had to beat Andy Boulton before facing the winner of Sneyd vs Mensur Suljović for a Grand Slam spot. Unfortunately, after beating Filip Bereza comfortably, he succumbed to Boulton, and the board would ultimately be won by the highly inconsistent Carl Sneyd. Since he could instead have been drawn against the likes of Cristo Reyes, Dirk van Duijvenbode and Stephen Bunting, I think once Gurney was out of the picture he would have been favourite to win his board, and it seems like a massive missed opportunity to put 5 grand on his ranking and seal another major TV appearance ahead of the Worlds. The highs and lows of following Raymond van Barneveld!Deduce635806-11-2026
- Probably i will receive a lot of backlash and hate for this reaction, but well, so be it. I am more than sick and tired of those lies of you Barry Hearn. How dare you defend yourself over the back of Fallon’s son! He has a disability and not an illness, so let me correct that for you! I know because I have the exact same disability. I have tried to reach out to Fallon in the past, and offered her to help her and her son, because I was struggling with the same problems, and I understood the boy. I wanted him to have finally someone who understood him. However she told me that she did not want my help, and I have respected Fallon’s choice. I have never asked Fallon for money. They don’t need money in that case. I only ever wanted the best for Fallon and Rory, but I have to be honest about the situation. Fallon should tell the true story and not be forced to tell lies. I don’t hate Fallon, and I don’t begrudge or envy a single penny that she gets, but this situation/case is just not fair. I hate the lies and the dishonesty and injustice. I don’t want Fallon to be hated because there is an unfair disadvantage created. Don’t proclaim your false lies over the back of Rory! I only stand for integrity and justice. I am precisely the one who always sticks up for Fallon. And you don't, you don't give a damn about them. You were never there for them, and now you only want to save your own position! You are just trying to talk your way out of your own bad behavior at the expense of someone with a disability. And to Fallon, I don’t know if this may ever reach you, and you read it, but I want you to know I love you and I love your son Rory very much, I am sorry how things developed and went. I hope you and Harriet are still friends. I am sorry if I were too persistent to you, or you experienced it that way, but it was never my intention. Please understand I have autism as well. As Barry Hearn would say, I am only just a human being too, and I also make mistakes and misjudge things sometimes. I promise you I did everything out of the deepest love and care for you and Rory. If I were you, I should just keep all the money, only please never be dishonest or tell lies anymore for Barry Hearn, or anyone else. I hope you have the best life, and I wish nothing more than the best for you. I have always loved the two of you. Farewell.Hiddo05-11-2026
- She is a professional. If darts is her income, she is a professional. Same as Adrian Lewis, Martin Adams. A tour card just means someone can play on the PDC tour. You could even make a case that Clayton wasn't a professional (until recently I believe) because he had employment elsewhere.BandB04-11-2026
- She's technically not a professional though as she doesn't hold a pro tour card.mr-pablo04-11-2026
- Such a shame that lakeside has been reduced to this. Fantastic venue,and previously a great tournament. Not any morerick6703-11-2026
- Seems to me that the top 16 players pick and choose whatever they want to play. Good,all the money will get spread out more. They get more money from exhibitions than tournaments so let them all withdrawrick6703-11-2026
- 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