The 2026 Betfred World Matchplay field has been confirmed, as Luke Littler looks to bag back-to-back titles at the iconic Winter Gardens later this month. The 32-player field for the standout summer tournament was confirmed following results at Players Championship 24 in Leicester on Tuesday, as the sport’s premier players prepare for Blackpool from July […]
The 2026 Betfred World Matchplay field has been confirmed, as Luke Littler looks to bag back-to-back titles at the iconic Winter Gardens later this month.
The 32-player field for the standout summer tournament was confirmed following results at Players Championship 24 in Leicester on Tuesday, as the sport’s premier players prepare for Blackpool from July 18-26.
The star-studded lineup consists of the top 16 players from the PDC Werner Rankings Ladder and the 16 top-performing players from the one-year ProTour rankings, who will go head-to-head for the Phil Taylor Trophy.
Reigning Champion Littler headlines the boosted £1 million event, with the World Champion entering as the top seed and aspiring to become just the fourth player to retain the title.
2024 champion Luke Humphries returns as the number two seed, with Dutch number one Gian van Veen and three-time World Matchplay winner Michael van Gerwen entering as the third and fourth seeds respectively.
2023 runner-up Jonny Clayton and 2007 champion James Wade are seeded fifth and sixth, while former World Champion Gerwyn Price and last year’s Blackpool semi-finalist Josh Rock round out the top eight seeds.
Premier League star Stephen Bunting and former UK Open champion Danny Noppert are also among the seeded arrowsmiths, as World Championship semi-finalist Ryan Searle and 2018 World Matchplay champion Gary Anderson return to the Empress Ballroom.
Former Masters winner Chris Dobey and eight-time 2026 ProTour winner Wessel Nijman will feature, while former European Champion Ross Smith and 2022 World Matchplay winner Nathan Aspinall round out the seeded stars.
Baltic Sea Darts Open champion Luke Woodhouse leads the 16 ProTour qualifiers – based on prize money accumulated in European Tour and Players Championship events within the past 12 months – while Jermaine Wattimena will make his sixth appearance in Blackpool.
Fellow Dutch star Kevin Doets will make his Winter Gardens debut and former UK Open winner Andrew Gilding also qualify as top-performing ProTour players, with Polish number one Krzysztof Ratajski and 2019 World Matchplay winner Rob Cross also securing their places.
Irish darting stalwart William O’Connor will make his maiden Winter Gardens appearance after a strong year on the ProTour, while Hungarian Darts Trophy champion Niko Springer will also make his first outing in Blackpool.
Niels Zonneveld also earns the right for a maiden World Matchplay appearance, with Martin Schindler, Ryan Joyce, Dirk van Duijvenbode, Cameron Menzies and Joe Cullen also among the ProTour qualifiers.
Damon Heta and Dave Chisnall squeezed through to Blackpool after picking up wins in a dramatic day at Players Championship 24, with Daryl Gurney’s opening round loss causing the Northern Irishman to miss out for the first time since 2015.
Kim Huybrechts was not far from qualification after a resurgent 2026 campaign, while young Polish star Sebastian Bialecki fell short of a first World Matchplay outing despite a stellar year in the sport.
The draw for the Betfred World Matchplay – which sees the top 16 in the world pitted against the 16 ProTour representatives – will be made on Thursday July 9 and posted on the PDC’s social media channels.
2026 Betfred World Matchplay
Top 16 from the Werner Ladder Rankings
(Seeded for first round draw)
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
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
