The 2024 World Matchplay begins on Saturday July 13 with the latest edition of the prestigious tournament seen by many as on par or alongside the World Darts Championship as the biggest darting spectacle on the calendar.
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Our preview runs you through the runners and riders for the latest edition which promises perhaps to be the most exciting yet right from the get go.
First round classics expected as Littler faces Van Gerwen and Smith takes on Anderson
As ever with the open draw, it can either cover the seeds and help them through or it can do what happened this year in which two big ties were pulled out and at least two big names will be going home.
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Luke Littler will face off against Michael van Gerwen albeit a tie that has less glamour for the fact that we've seen it what seems like 50 times already this season. Nine in all according to Littler with them playing in the Premier League and World Series a lot. So perhaps doesn't have the showpiece element despite the likely overhyping on the coverage but is still a nasty draw for one of those players who will lose out.
Michael van Gerwen and Luke Littler will face off in the tie of the round.
The same can be said for Michael Smith v Gary Anderson. The latter of course having won the tournament before and will be hoping to recapture the form that has seen him firmly in the conversation again for major honours. Both will be played on Monday night.
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Whilst Jonny Clayton v Raymond van Barneveld also stands out with the former who reached the final last year winning a title recently. Barney also is always a big draw no matter where he plays. But perhaps the main man to watch is Luke Humphries.
Humphries favourite as Aspinall, Price and Van den Bergh in danger?
The World No.1 and World Champion alongside Luke Littler as the 'two Luke's' is seen as the outstanding favourite for the title. Having ascended a top the world of darts albeit only for his thunder to be slightly taken by Littler, he has proven time and again why he is the best player in the world and at times has been utterly unplayable. RIcardo Pietreczko who may not be well received over here after incidents at the World Championship and Grand Slam of Darts may be in for a long night.
While Luke Woodhouse who will make his debut alongside four others will aim to topple the defending champion. Nathan Aspinall has made no secret that he has another injury and is not having the best of times with his wrist. But can 'The Shed' knock down 'The Asp' and cause a seismic shock on opening night. Both matches could see shocks, but it is more likely Aspinall on upset watch.
With recent injury issues is Nathan Aspinall the most in danger?
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Another who will be on opening night is in the first match. Gerwyn Price has made no bones about the fact that he is not right and is still searching for answers when it comes to the health problems that took him out of the World Cup of Darts. He faces a resurgent Daryl Gurney who relishes the big stage and any sort of problems for Price will be magnified by Gurney.
Dimitri van den Bergh too faces on the Sunday afternoon session one of the best players in the world right now in Martin Schindler. Another upset. A Sunday that is now earlier due to the England game, but what effect will that have.
Rob Cross, Joe Cullen, Peter Wright and Ross Smith all start their campaigns, with upsets potentially all over a 50/50 draw. Smith gets a horrific draw in Josh Rock, while the same can be said for Cullen against the always game Brendan Dolan. Wright who has been woeful for some time faces Andrew Gilding who himself has not been the same since winning the UK Open. Dave Chisnall and Stephen Bunting also start their local tournament on the Sunday. The latter in particular is one to watch.
Then onto that Monday as Littler v Van Gerwen and Smith v Van Gerwen might be good but there is also two more games with the matter of Damon Heta v Ryan Searle which could be a scoring spectacle. While Ritchie Edhouse and Chris Dobey could be under the radar as tie of the round.
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Edhouse has spent most of the season in devastatingly good form hence his debut and 'Madhouse' who can score with the best of them faces one of the smoothest throws in darts in Chris Dobey. A true treat for the eyes and amid all of the lauding of the two ties in between, it will be potentially the other two that could steal the show.
With Humphries leading but others faltering such as Van Gerwen, Aspinall and others, it could be the most open World Matchplay in a number of years. Can any debutants pull any rabbits out of hats, will the lauded ties deliver and will the heat get to anyone? All those answers will be on a postcard as of Saturday.
The darting spectacle that we all love is upon us and picking a winner is very much tougher than ever as big time darts returns to Blackpool.
How much prize money can be earned at the World Matchplay
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After the World Darts Championship, the World Matchplay is the ranking tournament with the largest prize pool at the PDC. A total of 800,000 pounds of prize money is up for grabs at this event.
All 32 participants are guaranteed £10,000 in prize money. This could eventually add up to a check of as much as £200,000 for the darter who gets to lift the Phil Taylor Trophy on Sunday, July 21.
What is the format at the World Matchplay?
The World Matchplay is characterized by the long leg format. In the first round, ten legs (minimum) must be won to advance to the next round. This eventually increases to a format of best of 35 legs for the final.
Matches must be won with two legs difference. A match can be extended by up to six legs before a sudden-death leg breaks. For example: if there is an interval of 12-12 in the first round (normally best of 19 legs), the 25th leg brings the decision.
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First round: Best of 19 legs
Second round: Best of 21 legs
Quarterfinals: Best of 31 legs
Semifinals: Best of 33 legs
Final: Best of 35 legs
Previous Winners - World Matchplay
- 1994: Larry Butler 16-12 Dennis Priestley
- 1995: Phil Taylor 16-11 Dennis Priestley
- 1996: Peter Evison 16-14 Dennis Priestley
- 1997: Phil Taylor 16-11 Alan Warriner
- 1998: Rod Harrington 19-17 Ronnie Baxter
- 1999: Rod Harrington 19-17 Peter Manley
- 2000: Phil Taylor 18-12 Alan Warriner
- 2001: Phil Taylor 18-10 Richie Burnett
- 2002: Phil Taylor 18-16 John Part
- 2003: Phil Taylor 18-12 Wayne Mardle
- 2004: Phil Taylor 18-8 Mark Dudbridge
- 2005: Colin Lloyd 18-12 John Part
- 2006: Phil Taylor 18-11 James Wade
- 2007: James Wade 18-7 Terry Jenkins
- 2008: Phil Taylor 18-9 James Wade
- 2009: Phil Taylor 18-4 Terry Jenkins
- 2010: Phil Taylor 18-12 Raymond van Barneveld
- 2011: Phil Taylor 18-8 James Wade
- 2012: Phil Taylor 18-15 James Wade
- 2013: Phil Taylor 18-13 Adrian Lewis
- 2014: Phil Taylor 18-9 Michael van Gerwen
- 2015: Michael van Gerwen 18-12 James Wade
- 2016: Michael van Gerwen 18-10 Phil Taylor
- 2017: Phil Taylor 18-8 Peter Wright
- 2018: Gary Anderson 21-19 Mensur Suljović
- 2019: Rob Cross 18-13 Michael Smith
- 2020: Dimitri Van den Bergh 18-10 Gary Anderson
- 2021: Peter Wright 18-9 Dimitri Van den Bergh
- 2022: Michael van Gerwen 18-14 Gerwyn Price
- 2023: Nathan Aspinall 18-6 Jonny Clayton
Phil Taylor holds the record with 16 titles, making him the most successful player in the history of the tournament. The tournament has been held annually at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool since its inception in 1994, except for 2020 when it was moved to the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Schedule World Matchplay
Saturday, July 13 (from 7:30 p.m.)
First round
Gerwyn Price v Daryl Gurney
Jonny Clayton v Raymond van Barneveld
Luke Humphries v Ricardo Pietreczko
Nathan Aspinall v Luke Woodhouse
Sunday, July 14
Afternoon session (from 12 p.m.)
First round
Ross Smith v Josh Rock
Danny Noppert v James Wade
Dimitri Van den Bergh v Martin Schindler
Stephen Bunting v Ryan Joyce
Evening session (from 4:30 p.m.)
First round
Rob Cross v Gian van Veen
Joe Cullen v Brendan Dolan
Peter Wright v Andrew Gilding
Dave Chisnall v Krzysztof Ratajski
Monday, July 15 (from 7 p.m.)
First round
Damon Heta v Ryan Searle
Michael Smith v Gary Anderson
Michael van Gerwen v Luke Littler
Chris Dobey v Ritchie Edhouse
Tuesday, July 16 (from 7 p.m.)
Second Round
Wednesday, July 17 (from 7 p.m.)
Second Round
Thursday, July 18 (from 8 p.m.)
Quarterfinals (2x)
Friday, July 19 (from 8 p.m.)
Quarterfinals (2x)
Saturday, July 20 (from 8 p.m.)
Semifinals
Sunday, July 21 (from 8 p.m.)
Final
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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- And why should he listen to you?Deduce635807-11-2026
- 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