World Matchplay Race with one event to go: Make-or-break day as Dave Chisnall hunts final Blackpool spot as nervy day awaits Gurney and Heta

PDC
Tuesday, 07 July 2026 at 08:28
Dave Chisnall (3)
Tuesday is make-or-break for the players still hoping to qualify for the World Matchplay. The 24th Players Championship event of the year is the final tournament that counts towards qualification for the televised major.
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The tournament field consists of 32 players. Sixteen qualify through the world rankings, while the remaining 16 places are awarded via the ProTour Order of Merit. This gives players outside the world's top 16 the opportunity to secure a place in Blackpool through a strong floor season.
The winner of Players Championship 24 will receive £15,000 in prize money. However, with the gap between 16th and 17th on the world rankings already greater than £15,000, it has been confirmed that the current top 16 on the PDC Order of Merit will all be seeded for the 2026 World Matchplay.
The order of the seeds can still change, though. The seeding positions of Luke Littler (1), Luke Humphries (2), Gian van Veen (3), Michael van Gerwen (4), Wessel Nijman (14), Ross Smith (15) and Nathan Aspinall (16) are already guaranteed.

Battle still raging on the ProTour Order of Merit

As well as the top 16 on the PDC Order of Merit, the top 16 on the ProTour Order of Merit also earn invitations to Blackpool. The first 14 players on that list have already secured their places.
However, Damon Heta and Daryl Gurney, currently 15th and 16th respectively, still have work to do on Tuesday to book their spots at the World Matchplay.
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Dave Chisnall reached the semi-finals of Players Championship 23 on Monday, cutting the gap to the final qualification place to just £500. Heta, meanwhile, holds only a £250 advantage over Gurney. That means a single victory on Tuesday could make the difference between qualifying for the prestigious major or missing out.
Daryl Gurney clenches fist.
Daryl Gurney could miss out on Blackpool.
Chisnall is not the only player who could deny Heta and Gurney a place in Blackpool. Kim Huybrechts, Karel Sedlacek, Sebastian Bialecki and Jeffrey de Graaf also remain in contention.
Huybrechts needs to reach at least the semi-finals, while Sedlacek must make the final. Bialecki and De Graaf both have to win Players Championship 24 outright to claim a World Matchplay berth.

PDC Order of Merit

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RankPlayerPrize Money (£1,000s)
1Luke Littler2,928.5
2Luke Humphries1,195.5
3Gian van Veen932
4Michael van Gerwen714.25
5Jonny Clayton672
6James Wade664.25
7Gerwyn Price615
8Josh Rock612.5
9Stephen Bunting610.75
10Danny Noppert597.75
11Ryan Searle589.75
12Gary Anderson575.5
13Chris Dobey569
14Wessel Nijman549.75
15Ross Smith523.25
16Nathan Aspinall516.25

PDC ProTour Order of Merit

RankPlayerPrize Money (£1,000s)
1Luke Woodhouse169
2Jermaine Wattimena146.75
3Kevin Doets146.75
4Andrew Gilding117
5Krzysztof Ratajski115.5
6Rob Cross113
7William O'Connor111.75
8Niko Springer108.25
9Niels Zonneveld101
10Martin Schindler101
11Ryan Joyce99.5
12Dirk van Duijvenbode99
13Cameron Menzies96.75
14Joe Cullen95.75
15Damon Heta83.25
16Daryl Gurney83
17Dave Chisnall82.5
18Kim Huybrechts78.25
19Karel Sedlacek73.75
20Sebastian Bialecki73.75
21Jeffrey de Graaf69.25
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