2026 World Matchplay of Darts: Draw, schedule, prize money and format explained originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Outside of the World Championship, the World Matchplay is one of the most entertaining majors on the darts calendar each year.
Advertisement
It never fails to entertain, and we often see the best players in the world clash in intense, long-format matches.
32 players will head to Blackpool looking to make it all the way to Sunday evening, but only one will come away from that night with a trophy and £225,000 to their name.
Let’s take a look at some of the specifics of the tournament.
MORE: 2026 World Matchplay Darts qualifiers
*This section will be updated once the draw and schedule are released on Thursday
Here is the bracket for the tournament.
Advertisement
|
(1) Luke Littler vs. Niko Springer |
|
(16) Nathan Aspinall vs. Joe Cullen |
|
(8) Josh Rock vs. Luke Woodhouse |
|
(9) Stephen Bunting vs. Niels Zonneveld |
|
(4) Michael van Gerwen vs. Andrew Gilding |
|
(13) Chris Dobey vs. Dirk van Duijvenbode |
|
(5) Jonny Clayton vs. Damon Heta |
|
(12) Gary Anderson vs. Ryan Joyce |
|
(2) Luke Humphries vs. Cameron Menzies |
|
(15) Ross Smith vs. Kevin Doets |
|
(7) Gerwyn Price vs. Martin Schindler |
|
(10) Danny Noppert vs. Rob Cross |
|
(3) Gian van Veen vs. Krzysztof Ratajski |
|
(14) Wessel Nijman vs. Dave Chisnall |
|
(6) James Wade vs. Jermaine Wattimena |
|
(11) Ryan Searle vs. William O’Connor |
|
Luke Littler vs. Nathan Aspinall |
|
Josh Rock vs. Stephen Bunting |
|
Michael van Gerwen vs. Dirk van Duijvenbode |
|
Jonny Clayton/Damon Heta vs. Gary Anderson/Ryan Joyce |
|
Luke Humphries/Cameron Menzies vs. Ross Smith/Kevin Doets |
|
Gerwyn Price/Martin Schindler vs. Danny Noppert/Rob Cross |
|
Gian van Veen vs. Wessel Nijman |
|
James Wade vs. Ryan Searle |
MORE: Big names set to miss the 2026 World Matchplay of Darts
*This section will be updated once the draw and schedule are released on Thursday
|
Match |
Date |
Time (local) |
|
Josh Rock vs. Luke Woodhouse |
Sat., Jul. 18 |
7:15 p.m. |
|
Stephen Bunting vs. Niels Zonneveld |
Sat., Jul. 18 |
8:15 p.m. |
|
Luke Littler vs. Niko Springer |
Sat., Jul. 18 |
9:15 p.m. |
|
Nathan Aspinall vs. Joe Cullen |
Sat., Jul. 18 |
10:15 p.m. |
|
Match |
Date |
Time (local) |
|
Chris Dobey vs. Dirk van Duijvenbode |
Sun., Jul. 19 |
1:15 p.m. |
|
Gary Anderson vs. Ryan Joyce |
Sun., Jul. 19 |
2:15 p.m. |
|
Michael van Gerwen vs. Andrew Gilding |
Sun., Jul. 19 |
3:15 p.m. |
|
Jonny Clayton vs. Damon Heta |
Sun., Jul. 19 |
4:15 p.m. |
|
Match |
Date |
Time (local) |
|
Ryan Searle vs. William O’Connor |
Sun., Jul. 19 |
7:15 p.m. |
|
James Wade vs. Jermaine Wattimena |
Sun., Jul. 19 |
8:15 p.m. |
|
Gian van Veen vs. Krzysztof Ratajski |
Sun., Jul. 19 |
9:15 p.m. |
|
Wessel Nijman vs. Dave Chisnall |
Sun., Jul. 19 |
10:15 p.m. |
|
Match |
Date |
Time (local) |
|
Ross Smith vs. Kevin Doets |
Mon., Jul. 20 |
7:15 p.m. |
|
Gerwyn Price vs. Martin Schindler |
Mon., Jul. 20 |
8:15 p.m. |
|
Luke Humphries vs. Cameron Menzies |
Mon., Jul. 20 |
9:15 p.m. |
|
Danny Noppert vs. Rob Cross |
Mon., Jul. 20 |
10:15 p.m. |
|
Match |
Date |
Time (local) |
|
TBD |
Tue., Jul. 21 |
7:15 p.m. |
|
TBD |
Tue., Jul. 21 |
8:15 p.m. |
|
TBD |
Tue., Jul. 21 |
9:15 p.m. |
|
TBD |
Tue., Jul. 21 |
10:15 p.m. |
|
Match |
Date |
Time (local) |
|
TBD |
Wed., Jul. 22 |
7:15 p.m. |
|
TBD |
Wed., Jul. 22 |
8:15 p.m. |
|
TBD |
Wed., Jul. 22 |
9:15 p.m. |
|
TBD |
Wed., Jul. 22 |
10:15 p.m. |
|
Match |
Date |
Time (local) |
|
TBD |
Thurs., Jul. 23 |
8:15 p.m. |
|
TBD |
Thurs., Jul. 23 |
9:30 p.m. |
|
Match |
Date |
Time (local) |
|
TBD |
Fri., Jul. 24 |
8:15 p.m. |
|
TBD |
Fri., Jul. 24 |
9:30 p.m. |
|
Match |
Date |
Time (local) |
|
TBD |
Sat., Jul. 25 |
8:15 p.m. |
|
TBD |
Sat., Jul. 25 |
9:40 p.m. |
|
Match |
Date |
Time (local) |
|
TBD |
Sun., Jul. 26 |
8:15 p.m. |
*Data via Wikipedia
|
Position (no. of players) |
Prize money |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Winner |
(1) |
£225,000 |
|
Runner-up |
(1) |
£125,000 |
|
Semi-finalists |
(2) |
£65,000 |
|
Quarter-finalists |
(4) |
£35,000 |
|
Second round |
(8) |
£22,500 |
|
First round |
(16) |
£12,500 |
MORE: Watch: Luke Littler hits nine-darter in one of the greatest legs of all time against Josh Rock
Advertisement
16 players qualified for the tournament through the Main OoM and 16 qualified through the ProTour OoM.
The Main OoM players were all seeded and matched up with a ProTour qualifier for the round of 32 (first round).
First-round games are played best-of-19 legs, with the games getting longer as the tournament progresses.
In the round of 16 (second round), games are played best-of-21 legs.
It jumps up quite a bit once the quarterfinals arrive, as the format increases to best-of-31 legs.
Lastly, the semifinal round is best-of-33 legs and the final is best-of-35 legs.
It’s important to note that “All matches have to be won by two clear legs; if the scores are tied after the full distance and six extra legs, the match will be decided by a sudden death leg”(Wikipedia).
Advertisement
This has gone into effect before, including in the 2018 final when Gary Anderson defeated Mensur Suljovic 21-19.
