Preview Winmau World Masters 2026 Thursday evening: Van Gerwen, Van Veen, Price, Aspinall and Anderson in action on night one

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.