The 2026
World Matchplay will be played from Saturday, 18 July to Sunday, 26 July at the iconic Winter Gardens in Blackpool. One of the most prestigious ranking tournaments on the PDC calendar, the
World Matchplay once again brings together the world's top 32 players for a week of elite darts.
The field consists of the top 16 players on the PDC Order of Merit, joined by the top 16 players from the ProTour Order of Merit who have not already qualified via the main world rankings. As always, this guarantees a world-class lineup.
The defending champion is Luke Littler. He won the 2025 title by defeating James Wade 18–13 in the final and returns this year looking to win back-to-back World Matchplay titles at the Winter Gardens.
Field World Matchplay 2026
Top 16 – PDC Order of Merit
| Rank | Player |
| 1 | Luke Littler |
| 2 | Luke Humphries |
| 3 | Gian van Veen |
| 4 | Michael van Gerwen |
| 5 | Jonny Clayton |
| 6 | James Wade |
| 7 | Gerwyn Price |
| 8 | Josh Rock |
| 9 | Stephen Bunting |
| 10 | Danny Noppert |
| 11 | Ryan Searle |
| 12 | Gary Anderson |
| 13 | Chris Dobey |
| 14 | Wessel Nijman |
| 15 | Ross Smith |
| 16 | Nathan Aspinall |
Top 16 – PDC ProTour Order of Merit
| Rank | Player |
| 1 | Luke Woodhouse |
| 2 | Jermaine Wattimena |
| 3 | Kevin Doets |
| 4 | Andrew Gilding |
| 5 | Rob Cross |
| 6 | Krzysztof Ratajski |
| 7 | William O'Connor |
| 8 | Niko Springer |
| 9 | Niels Zonneveld |
| 10 | Martin Schindler |
| 11 | Ryan Joyce |
| 12 | Dirk van Duijvenbode |
| 13 | Cameron Menzies |
| 14 | Joe Cullen |
| 15 | Damon Heta |
| 16 | Dave Chisnall |
When will the World Matchplay draw take place?
The draw for the 2026 World Matchplay is expected to take place on Thursday, 9 July, or Friday, 10 July.
The top 16 players on the PDC Order of Merit are seeded, meaning they cannot face one another in the opening round. Instead, each seeded player will be drawn against one of the 16 qualifiers from the ProTour Order of Merit.
When will the World Matchplay schedule be confirmed?
The full match schedule is usually announced a few days after the draw has been completed.
But will follow this same schedule for when the big names play and when the final will be. There will also be the Women's World Matchplay in between on Sunday afternoon.
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First Round: Saturday 18 July – Monday 20 July
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Second Round: Tuesday 21 July – Wednesday 22 July
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Quarter-finals: Thursday 23 July – Friday 24 July
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Semi-finals: Saturday 25 July
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Final: Sunday evening, 26 July
Format
The World Matchplay is played as the title suggests using a legs format, with match distances increasing as the tournament progresses. The top 16 players from the PDC Order of Merit are seeded and face the 16 ProTour qualifiers in the opening round.
One of the tournament's unique features is its two-clear-leg rule. Players must normally win by a margin of two legs. If neither player has achieved that margin at the end of the scheduled match distance, play continues for a maximum of six additional legs. Should the scores still be level after those extra legs, the match is decided by a sudden-death leg.
| Round | Format |
| First Round | Best of 19 legs |
| Second Round | Best of 21 legs |
| Quarter-finals | Best of 31 legs |
| Semi-finals | Best of 33 legs |
| Final | Best of 35 legs |
History
The
World Matchplay boasts a rich history, yet its list of champions remains remarkably exclusive. Across the 32 editions held so far, only 14 different players have lifted the prestigious trophy at the Winter Gardens. Even more impressively, only three players have won the tournament on multiple occasions.
Far ahead of everyone else stands Phil Taylor. The English legend dominated the World Matchplay for many years, winning the title an incredible 16 times. In recognition of his extraordinary achievements, the tournament trophy was renamed in his honour. Since 2018, players have competed for the Phil Taylor Trophy.
Behind Taylor is Michael van Gerwen, who has won the title three times. Rod Harrington completes the list of multiple champions, having won the second and third editions of the tournament. He remains the only player besides Taylor and Van Gerwen to have lifted the trophy more than once.
Phil Taylor eventually had the trophy named after him.
Every other champion has won the World Matchplay once, earning a place on the honour roll of one of the sport's most prestigious major tournaments. That list includes Larry Butler, Peter Evison, Colin Lloyd, James Wade, Gary Anderson, Peter Wright, Rob Cross, Dimitri Van den Bergh, Nathan Aspinall, Luke Humphries, and reigning champion Luke Littler.
World Matchplay Roll of Honour
| Year | Winner (Average) | Score | Runner-up (Average) |
| 1994 | Larry Butler (92.70) | 16–12 | Dennis Priestley (91.59) |
| 1995 | Phil Taylor (90.72) | 16–11 | Dennis Priestley (87.63) |
| 1996 | Peter Evison (100.51) | 16–14 | Dennis Priestley (96.67) |
| 1997 | Phil Taylor (106.32) | 16–11 | Alan Warriner (98.42) |
| 1998 | Rod Harrington (95.03) | 19–17 | Ronnie Baxter (94.07) |
| 1999 | Rod Harrington (85.95) | 19–17 | Peter Manley (86.91) |
| 2000 | Phil Taylor (100.32) | 18–12 | Alan Warriner (97.14) |
| 2001 | Phil Taylor (99.57) | 18–10 | Richie Burnett (90.99) |
| 2002 | Phil Taylor (98.76) | 18–16 | John Part (94.14) |
| 2003 | Phil Taylor (94.38) | 18–12 | Wayne Mardle (97.44) |
| 2004 | Phil Taylor (100.20) | 18–8 | Mark Dudbridge (89.24) |
| 2005 | Colin Lloyd (97.89) | 18–12 | John Part (94.53) |
| 2006 | Phil Taylor (100.08) | 18–11 | James Wade (90.01) |
| 2007 | James Wade (96.83) | 18–7 | Terry Jenkins (91.62) |
| 2008 | Phil Taylor (109.47) | 18–9 | James Wade (102.58) |
| 2009 | Phil Taylor (106.05) | 18–4 | Terry Jenkins (92.32) |
| 2010 | Phil Taylor (105.16) | 18–12 | Raymond van Barneveld (100.11) |
| 2011 | Phil Taylor (103.84) | 18–8 | James Wade (98.84) |
| 2012 | Phil Taylor (98.97) | 18–15 | James Wade (95.92) |
| 2013 | Phil Taylor (111.23) | 18–13 | Adrian Lewis (105.92) |
| 2014 | Phil Taylor (107.19) | 18–9 | Michael van Gerwen (101.49) |
| 2015 | Michael van Gerwen (99.91) | 18–12 | James Wade (90.37) |
| 2016 | Michael van Gerwen (103.93) | 18–10 | Phil Taylor (101.13) |
| 2017 | Phil Taylor (104.24) | 18–8 | Peter Wright (99.74) |
| 2018 | Gary Anderson (101.12) | 21–19 | Mensur Suljović (104.43) |
| 2019 | Rob Cross (95.16) | 18–13 | Michael Smith (95.91) |
| 2020 | Dimitri Van den Bergh (98.31) | 18–10 | Gary Anderson (92.81) |
| 2021 | Peter Wright (105.90) | 18–9 | Dimitri Van den Bergh (100.88) |
| 2022 | Michael van Gerwen (101.19) | 18–14 | Gerwyn Price (96.92) |
| 2023 | Nathan Aspinall (96.21) | 18–6 | Jonny Clayton (93.56) |
| 2024 | Luke Humphries (100.94) | 18–15 | Michael van Gerwen (98.74) |
| 2025 | Luke Littler (107.24) | 18–13 | James Wade (101.54) |