PREVIEW Winmau World Masters Finals Night: Littler v Van Veen headlines semi-final line-up as champion crowned

At Arena MK in Milton Keynes, the Winmau World Masters 2026 enters its final phase. On Sunday evening the semi-finals are played first, followed by the final.

The Winmau World Masters has been a ranking event since last year. The first edition of the revamped tournament was won by Englishman Luke Humphries. The defending champion still has a chance to retain his crown, as he faces Gian van Veen in the semi-finals.

In the other semi-final, Luke Littler chases his first Winmau World Masters title. “The Nuke” takes on Gerwyn Price.

The semi-finals are played over five winning sets, with best-of-3 legs per set. The final follows immediately after and is played over six winning sets.

The first semi-final is between Luke Littler and Gerwyn Price. The Winmau World Masters is one of the few majors Luke Littler has never won. However, “The Nuke” is well on course to erase that blind spot on his résumé this weekend. He made a big statement in his quarter-final against Josh Rock. Helped by an average of over 105, he cruised to a whitewash victory. The longer the format, the harder Littler usually is to beat.

Littler will still need to be at his best to overcome Price. “The Iceman” has impressed throughout the event, just like Littler, and isn’t fazed by the 19-year-old Englishman. Price is also desperate to finally land another major, with his last dating back to 2022. The pair have already met twice this year. At the Bahrain Darts Masters, Price ended Littler’s 21-match winning streak. A week later, Littler got his revenge by winning 7-5 in the semi-finals of the Saudi Arabia Darts Masters. If both men hit their ceiling, this will be a mouth-watering contest.

In the second semi-final, Luke Humphries and Gian van Veen face off. This match is a repeat of their clash in the quarter-finals of the recent World Darts Championship, where Van Veen came out on top. Van Veen then powered through to the World Championship final, where Littler finally stopped him. Van Veen has since climbed to third in the world rankings and has said that Humphries’ second place is becoming a target. The 23-year-old from Poederoijen has carried his strong form from late last year straight into this season. He reached the final at the Bahrain Darts Masters and now stands in the semi-finals of the Winmau World Masters.

To reach the final, Van Veen will have to get past Humphries (again). “Cool Hand Luke” is the defending champion, having beaten Jonny Clayton 6-5 in last year’s final. Humphries has turned into a prolific winner in recent years, but his last major title dates back to the Premier League Darts in May of last year, a long time for a player of his caliber. Will he break the drought tonight with another title, or will Van Veen prove too strong once more?