Betfred World Matchplay 2026: Luke Littler, Michael van Gerwen, Gary Anderson routes to final as draw and schedule confirmed
The schedule and all the fixtures/results for the World Matchplay at Winter Gardens as Luke Littler, Michael van Gerwen, Gary Anderson learn routes to final; watch the Betfred World Matchplay live on Sky Sports from July 18-26
Monday 20 July 2026 23:39, UK
The World Matchplay schedule has been confirmed.
Luke Littler began the defence of his crown against Niko Springer, in which he came up with a monster 109 average for a 10-6 victory.
- Men's World Matchplay field confirmed
- Women's World Matchplay field confirmed
- Darts in 2026: Key dates, calendar, results
- Got Sky? Watch on the Sky Sports app
- Not got Sky? Get instant access with NOW
Defending champion Littler clinched the coveted Phil Taylor Trophy after beating James Wade 18-13 in the final of last year's event, recovering from 5-0 down to seal an enthralling comeback victory and become the fifth player in history to complete the 'Triple Crown'.
If Littler can keep hold of the trophy, he will become the first player since Michael van Gerwen in 2015 to go back-to-back in Blackpool.
The event features the top 16 players from the PDC Werner Rankings Ladder as well as the best 16 players from the one-year ProTour rankings.
Prize purses for the 2026 event have been boosted to £1m, with the winner set to pocket £225,000.
Betfred World Matchplay - Session schedule
All times UK and Ireland
Session One
Saturday July 18
Round One x4
Josh Rock 10-4 Luke Woodhouse
Stephen Bunting 13-12 Niels Zonneveld
Luke Littler 10-6 Niko Springer
Nathan Aspinall 10-5 Joe Cullen
Session Two
Sunday July 19
Round One x4
Chris Dobey 11-13 Dirk van Duijvenbode
Gary Anderson 10-2 Ryan Joyce
Michael van Gerwen 10-6 Andrew Gilding
Jonny Clayton 10-7 Damon Heta
Session Three
Sunday July 19
Round One x4
Ryan Searle 10-6 William O'Connor
James Wade 10-7 Jermaine Wattimena
Gian van Veen 10-6 Krzysztof Ratajski
Wessel Nijman 10-5 Dave Chisnall
Monday July 20
Round One x4
Luke Humphries 7-10 Cameron Menzies
Gerwyn Price 11-9 Martin Schindler
Rob Cross 10-3 Danny Noppert
Ross Smith 10-6 Kevin Doets
Tuesday July 21 (7pm)
Round Two x4 - match order TBC
Luke Littler vs Nathan Aspinall
Josh Rock vs Stephen Bunting
Michael van Gerwen vs Dirk van Duijvenbode
Jonny Clayton vs Gary Anderson
Wednesday July 22 (7pm)
Round Two x4 - match order TBC
Cameron Menzies vs Ross Smith
Gerwyn Price vs Rob Cross
Gian Van Veen vs Wessel Nijman
James Wade vs Ryan Searle
Thursday July 23 (8pm*)
Quarter-finals x2
Friday July 24 (8pm*)
Quarter-finals x2
Saturday July 25 (8pm*)
Semi-finals
Sunday July 26
Afternoon Session (1pm-5pm)
Betfred Women's World Matchplay
Evening Session (8pm*)
Betfred World Matchplay Final
Draw
(1) Luke Littler v Niko Springer
(16) Nathan Aspinall v Joe Cullen
(8) Josh Rock v Luke Woodhouse
(9) Stephen Bunting v Niels Zonneveld
(4) Michael van Gerwen v Andrew Gilding
(13) Chris Dobey v Dirk van Duijvenbode
(5) Jonny Clayton v Damon Heta
(12) Gary Anderson v Ryan Joyce
(2) Luke Humphries v Cameron Menzies
(15) Ross Smith v Kevin Doets
(7) Gerwyn Price v Martin Schindler
(10) Danny Noppert v Rob Cross
(3) Gian van Veen v Krzysztof Ratajski
(14) Wessel Nijman v Dave Chisnall
(6) James Wade v Jermaine Wattimena
(11) Ryan Searle v William O'Connor
Top 16 qualifiers from the Werner Ladder
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 Qualifiers from ProTour Rankings
Luke Woodhouse
Jermaine Wattimena
Kevin Doets
Andrew Gilding
Rob Cross
Krzysztof Ratajski
William O'Connor
Niko Springer
Niels Zonneveld
Martin Schindler
Ryan Joyce
Dirk van Duijvenbode
Cameron Menzies
Joe Cullen
Damon Heta
Dave Chisnall
When is the World Matchplay live on Sky Sports?
The World Matchplay commences on Saturday, July 18 and ends on Sunday, July 26.
All nine days of the event will be shown live on Sky Sports, with coverage of the opening day commencing on Sky Sports+ at 7pm Not got Sky? Get instant access with NOW
