Winmau World Masters 2026: Schedule, Field, Draw and Predictions

The Winmau World Masters 2026 is due to take place between 29 January - 1 February 2026 at Arena MK, Milton Keynes. Previously called the Masters, it was rebranded to mirror the BDO/WDF version and including sets which were a previous calling point of the most prestigious tournament and oldest outside of the World Championship for many years.

Taking place after World Series sojourns in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, it is the second edition since the rebrand. The main tournament features a 32-player field. The top 24 players on the PDC Order of Merit following the PDC World Championship automatically qualify for the main tournament. They will be joined by eight qualifiers who advance from the preliminary round which features players outside the top 24 and players from the PDC affiliate tours.

Luke Humphries is the defending champion having defeated Jonny Clayton 6-5 in the 2025 final and will return alongside the likes of Luke Littler, Gian van Veen and Michael van Gerwen who will move straight through to the TV rounds.

(Top 16 seeded for Round One draw; positions 17–24 also directly qualified)

(Wednesday, January 28)

The field for the preliminary rounds comprises all Tour Card holders, the top eight from each of the PDC secondary tours and Affiliate Tours and players from the JDC. They will face off in a group stage and the draw will then be completed based on that.

The schedule is confirmed for the Winmau World Masters after the draw post the preliminary rounds which take place on January 28.

Samuel Gill, Head Editor for DartsNews.com sees Luke Littler adding the final piece.

Quite easy one for me. I think the format itself should be changed so that the top players have less protection but to be honest, that would defer from the broadcasters getting Littler et al.

So while they get the protection, I would plump for Littler to add the final piece of the darting puzzle to the collection. While I also see good runs for Josh Rock to establish himself prior to the Premier League as well as Danny Noppert and Nathan Aspinall to prove a point.

Gerwyn Price to no doubt will want to be on his A game to start the new year.

Favourites

*** Luke Littler

** Josh Rock, Danny Noppert

* Nathan Aspinall, Gerwyn Price

Mats Leering, Editor for DartsNieuws.com sees Gerwyn Price as the champion in MK.

With the World Masters, the first major of 2026 is already on the schedule. And somehow I have a feeling that it won't be one of the two Lukes who will prevail. Although both Littler and Humphries are always among the favourites in advance, I have a feeling that someone else will come out on top this time.

I'm thinking of names like Gerwyn Price, Jonny Clayton or perhaps even Gary Anderson. Price has been in good form for months and came up against an unstoppable Wesley Plaisier at the World Championship. Still, I have a feeling he's about to finally win another major.

Jonny Clayton and Gary Anderson played a strong World Championship and could continue that form at the Masters. Clayton was in the final here last year, so he knows what it takes. And when Anderson is on form, he is capable of beating anyone, as he showed at the World Championship.

As a Dutchman, I am also curious to see how the Dutch players Michael van Gerwen, Gian van Veen and Danny Noppert will perform. Van Veen is now number 3 in the world and can therefore be counted among the favourites in every tournament.

Van Gerwen is a question mark. He played well against Anderson at the World Championship, but still lost relatively easily. I am curious to see how he approaches this tournament and whether we will see his hunger to win tournaments again. And finally, Noppert: he wasn't in the Premier League squad, so he'll be keen to show that he should have been.

Favourites

***Gerwyn Price

**Luke Littler, Jonny Clayton

*Luke Humphries, Gary Anderson, Danny Noppert

Lucas Michael, Editor for DartsNews.com sees Gian van Veen jumping out the blocks to seal the title.

The Winmau World Masters is one of the most iconic tournaments on the darting calendar, with so much prestige and history. With it now a ranking event, there is all the more importance for the big players to perform.

The usual suspects will be here or there abouts. Luke Littler will be very motivated with this one of the major titles he has yet to get his hands on. However, he along with many of the top players could be under threat from the set format, with the short sets leaving almost no room for error. Nevertheless, the world number one has proved to be able to play and most importantly win in any format or scenario. That is the same as Luke Humphries, who took home the title last year, but is not the same player as of a year ago, struggling to get over the line in recent months.

This competition could really suit the new world number three Gian van Veen, with him so clinical on the oche with the capability to blow opponents away, proven at the recent World Darts Championship. Aside from the two Luke’s, I would say he is a very firm favourite to take the title.

Outsiders include last year’s finalist Jonny Clayton. The Premier League call-up showcases the return to form ‘The Ferret’ has enjoyed in 2025. Fellow Welshman Gerwyn Price will be looking to end his major drought in Milton Keynes. If he finds his range on tops, he could be the one to beat no matter the competition. He will be hoping to bounce back from the disappointing second round exit at Ally Pally, and so will Danny Noppert. He had a terrific 2025 slightly derailed by the brilliance of Justin Hood. The Dutchman will be hopeful to continue the rich vein of form he has been in, proving why he should have been in the Premier League.

For the title in Milton Keynes, I am going to hedge my bets with the World Championship runner-up van Veen for his second major title, with the possibility of a number of upsets throughout.

Favourites

*** Gian van Veen

** Luke Littler, Jonny Clayton

* Luke Humphries, Gerwyn Price, Danny Noppert

Kieran Wood, Editor for DartsNews.com has gone Luke Littler for the title.

There is no escaping the starting point. The 2026 Winmau World Masters revolves around Luke Littler, the all-conquering favourite and the clear benchmark after another dominant World Darts Championship run. His Ally Pally performance underlined not just brilliance, but control. In a short-set format that punishes hesitation, Littler’s growing strength is his ability to impose order on chaos.

That shifts the intrigue away from whether he can win, and firmly onto who is capable of standing up to him, particularly in the latter stages.

One of the most compelling challengers is Gian van Veen. His World Championship final run was built on sustained elite output rather than isolated spikes, and it elevated him to Dutch number one. The Masters now becomes a test of confirmation rather than surprise, but his ability to strike early and overwhelm opponents makes him naturally suited to short sets.

Motivation is also a major factor for Stephen Bunting, whose Premier League inclusion sparked significant debate online. Few players feed off proving points better than Bunting, and the Masters offers a quick, unforgiving platform to answer that criticism on the board.

There is similar edge running through Danny Noppert, James Wade and Nathan Aspinall, all omitted from the Premier League line-up. Each has pedigree in set play, and each arrives knowing that strong form here would immediately reframe their early-season narrative.

The most pressure-laden storyline, however, surrounds Michael van Gerwen. A disappointing World Championship and the loss of his Dutch number one status for the first time in over a decade have inevitably raised questions. The Masters feels like the kind of event where Van Gerwen either reasserts authority or invites further scrutiny.

Defending champion Luke Humphries sits somewhere between those narratives. His quarter-final World Championship exit fell short of expectations, but returning to a venue where he lifted silverware last year offers a clear route back to winning ways. His power game remains tailor-made for this format, provided he starts quickly.

Ultimately, this tournament feels less about opportunity and more about response. Littler sets the bar. The real battle is over who earns the right to meet him when the stakes are highest.

Favourites

*** Luke Littler

** Gian van Veen, Luke Humphries

*Stephen Bunting, Michael van Gerwen, James Wade