"Two years ago, Michael Smith was the number 1 seed at the World Matchplay" - Matthew Edgar 'can't believe' rapid drop-off of BullyBoy

With the 2025 World Matchplay getting underway this coming Saturday evening in Blackpool, arguably the most notable name missing from the line-up this year is Michael Smith. The former world number one and world champion has failed to quality for the yearly Winter Gardens spectacle for the first time since 2013, with ex-PDC Tour Card holder to expert analyst Matthew Edgar stunned by 'BullyBoy's rapid drop-off.

"The World Matchplay is the second biggest prize fund in the world of darts – it’s the one everyone wants to get to. Everyone wants to play at the Winter Gardens – an iconic venue," previews Edgar on his Edgar TV YouTube channel. "But there are players who featured a couple of years ago that won’t be taking their place this time around, which means they’re going to drop down the rankings or at least lose ranking prize money. In total, eight players from the 2023 lineup have missed out – and most surprisingly, the number one seed from two years ago hasn’t qualified for the Matchplay this year. Crazy, I know."

That is, of course, Smith. Still fresh off the back of becoming world champion, Smith was quite literally on top of the world of darts this time two years ago. So the fact that the Englishman has not even managed to qualify this time around is evidence of an alarming fall in the rankings for the 34-year-old.

"I still can’t believe this: two years ago, Michael Smith was the number one seed at the World Matchplay. Now, he’s not even in the event. How does that happen? It’s madness," Edgar says. "The prize money from that run – where he reached the second round – is now coming off. He beat Steve Beaton 10-2, then lost a high-quality game 11-10 to Chris Dobey. That means £15,000 comes off Smith’s ranking, and that could drop him down to world number 23 by the end of this event. It could be even lower depending on results. Just let that sink in – from world number one to world number 23 in two years."

Whilst this is undoubtedly a major concern for Smith, Edgar also sees it point out the errors in how the current PDC Order of Merit works. "There’s been a lot of talk about the rankings system and whether it’s quite right. This situation really highlights the issue – and we might see some changes coming," Edgar explains. "Glen Durrant’s talked about working with statisticians to present a new system to the PDC via the PDPA. It’ll be interesting to see how that plays out."

And with the largest ever darting prize pot on offer at the 2026 PDC World Darts Championship later this year, a deep run at the Ally Pally could quickly put any and all ranking concerns to bed for Smith.

"If you’re going to have a bad year, this is the one to do it, because prize money is going to change drastically over the next couple of years. That means you could have a bad year now, and make it up with a good one next year," Edgar concludes. "Michael Smith could definitely turn it around – he’s got the quality, a former world champion and multiple-time winner. He could easily get back into the top 16 next year with a form turnaround and the prize money cycle shifting."