Preview Winmau World Masters 2026 Thursday evening: Van Gerwen, Van Veen, Price, Aspinall and Anderson in action on night one
PDC
After yesterday’s qualifiers, the Winmau World Masters 2026 truly gets underway tonight. At Arena MK in Milton Keynes, the first eight matches of the opening round are on the schedule.
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Among the big names in action on night one of the Winmau World Masters include Michael van Gerwen, Gian van Veen, Jonny Clayton, Gary Anderson, Gerwyn Price and Nathan Aspinall.
First-round matches are played as best-of-five sets, with best-of-3 legs per set. Below you’ll find a preview of the ties being played on Thursday evening.
Chris Dobey v Jermaine Wattimena
The evening in Milton Keynes opens with Chris Dobey against Jermaine Wattimena. Dobey is a former winner of this event, though back in 2023 it was not yet a ranking tournament. The 35-year-old Englishman is the 13th seed this year and is a slight favorite in this match.
There are certainly chances for Wattimena, who sits only a few places lower in the world rankings and is coming off an excellent year. The pair met five times last season, with Wattimena winning three. The winner could face Van Gerwen in the next round.
Gary Anderson v Niels Zonneveld
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Niels Zonneveld battled his way through qualifying. The 27-year-old beat his good friend Kim Huybrechts 3-1 in the final round to make his Masters debut. Zonneveld enjoyed an excellent World Championship, reaching the last 32, and is building on the confidence gained there.
In the main draw he meets Gary Anderson in the opening round, a player who reached the Masters final back in 2017. Anderson made the World Championship semi-finals earlier this year and, at 55, has climbed back to sixth in the world. The Flying Scotsman and Zonneveld have met three times, with Anderson winning twice, though their last encounter was almost two years ago.
James Wade v Madars Razma
James Wade is chasing a second Masters title this year, having previously lifted the trophy in 2014. The Machine reached two major finals last season (UK Open and World Matchplay) but finished without a big title. As a result, he missed out on Premier League Darts selection. The combative Wade is out for revenge and will be highly motivated.
In his opener, Wade faces Latvia’s Madars Razma. Razma came through qualifying and makes his Masters debut this year. They met three times last season, with Wade winning twice.
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Nathan Aspinall v Shane McGuirk
Next up, Nathan Aspinall and Shane McGuirk take to the stage. The Asp has twice reached the Masters semi-finals and will be especially keen to go further this year. The 34-year-old Englishman was left out of the Premier League Darts lineup to his disappointment.
Aspinall opens against McGuirk, who booked his main-draw place via qualifying. McGuirk became WDF world champion in 2024 and, earlier this year, claimed his first-ever PDC Tour Card. The 30-year-old Irishman now gets to dive straight into the first major of the new season.
Jonny Clayton v Wessel Nijman
Last year’s runner-up — Jonny Clayton lost 6-5 in the final to Luke Humphries — opens this year against Wessel Nijman. Clayton is currently world number five and was also selected for Premier League Darts. He also won the Masters in 2021.
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Nijman impressed in qualifying to reach the main draw. The 25-year-old Dutchman has long been touted as a major talent, but results at majors have yet to truly flow. Will he break the duck at this Masters by finally making a deep run?
Wessel Nijman faces Jonny Clayton in the opening round
Gerwyn Price v James Hurrell
Gerwyn Price faces James Hurrell in the opening round. Price endured a disappointing World Championship, where he was surprisingly beaten by Wesley Plaisier in the second round. “The Iceman” has reached the Masters semi-finals twice before, but has been waiting for a new major title since 2022.
With Hurrell he meets a player in form, as the Englishman proved again in qualifying. At the recent World Championship he caused a stir by unexpectedly reaching the last sixteen. The pair have met four times, with Price winning on each occasion.
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Michael van Gerwen v Damon Heta
In the penultimate match of the evening, Michael van Gerwen takes on Damon Heta. “Mighty Mike” has won the Masters five times, although his last triumph dates back to 2019. Van Gerwen has started the new season superbly with victory at the Bahrain Darts Masters and a runner-up finish at the Saudi Arabia Darts Masters.
With Heta he faces a player who generally excels on the floor events, but finds it much tougher to deliver at the big TV tournaments. Van Gerwen and Heta have played each other sixteen times before, with Van Gerwen leading the head-to-head 10-6.
Gian van Veen v Ryan Joyce
The opening night of the Winmau World Masters concludes with the clash between Gian van Veen and Ryan Joyce. Van Veen fully broke through at the top last year by winning the European Championship and reaching the World Championship final. The 23-year-old Dutchman has now climbed to third in the world rankings and has also been selected for the Premier League Darts.
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Ryan Joyce is currently ranked 24th in the world and is therefore the lowest-ranked player to receive direct entry to the main event. Joyce and Van Veen have met three times before, with Van Veen winning on each occasion.
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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
