Defending champion Luke Littler will headline at the 2026 BOYLE Sports World Grand Prix in Leicester, with the 32-player field now confirmed. The unique double-start tournament returns to the Mattioli Arena from September 28 to October 4, with the sport’s top players set to battle for a newly-boosted £150,000 top prize and the coveted title. […]
Defending champion Luke Littler will headline at the 2026 BOYLE Sports World Grand Prix in Leicester, with the 32-player field now confirmed.
The unique double-start tournament returns to the Mattioli Arena from September 28 to October 4, with the sport’s top players set to battle for a newly-boosted £150,000 top prize and the coveted title.
Littler – who claimed his first World Grand Prix crown in Leicester last year – returns to defend his title as back-to-back World Champion and world number one.
2023 champion Luke Humphries will also be hunting a second World Grand Prix title, while Dutch number one Gian van Veen returns to the arena where he broke the record average last year in defeat to Littler.
Six-time champion Michael van Gerwen and two-time winner James Wade will also star, alongside Welsh duo Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton – who lifted the title in 2020 and 2021 respectively.
Northern Irish number one Josh Rock and two-time semi-finalist Danny Noppert will be present, while Stephen Bunting and Wessel Nijman make their Leicester returns.
Former European Champion Ross Smith and World Championship semi-finalist Ryan Searle will also feature, with Chris Dobey and 2022 runner-up Nathan Aspinall completing the 16 players to qualify from the PDC Werner Rankings Ladder.
The top 16 in the world will be joined at the World Grand Prix by the top 16 performers on the one-year ProTour rankings, which were topped by Baltic Sea Darts Open winner Luke Woodhouse.
Kevin Doets will make his debut at the double-start tournament after a stellar 12 months, with Jermaine Wattimena, Andrew Gilding and Krzysztof Ratajski returning.
William O’Connor will make his first World Grand Prix appearance since 2015, while Damon Heta, Rob Cross and 2020 runner-up Dirk van Duijvenbode also star.
Niels Zonneveld will be the second debutant in Leicester, with 2024 semi-finalist Ryan Joyce and Scotland’s number two Cameron Menzies also present.
Niko Springer – the sole German in the field – secured his return to Leicester, as two-time finalist Dave Chisnall rounds out the 32-player field along with newcomer Sebastian Bialecki and Joe Cullen.
The draw for the 2026 World Grand Prix, which will pit the PDC’s top 16 against the 16 ProTour qualifiers, will be made on Monday September 14, and will be available across the PDC’s social media channels.
The tournament will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK, through the PDC’s worldwide broadcast partners including DAZN and Viaplay, and on PDCTV (excluding subscribers based in the UK, Germany, Austria & Switzerland).
2026 BoyleSports World Grand Prix
Top 16 from the PDC Werner Ladder Rankings
(Seeded for round one draw)
1. Luke Littler
2. Luke Humphries
3. Gian van Veen
4. Gerwyn Price
5. Jonny Clayton
6. James Wade
7. Josh Rock
8. Danny Noppert
9. Michael van Gerwen
10. Gary Anderson
11. Stephen Bunting
12. Wessel Nijman
13. Ross Smith
14. Ryan Searle
15. Chris Dobey
16. Nathan Aspinall
Qualifiers from ProTour Rankings
Luke Woodhouse
Kevin Doets
Jermaine Wattimena
Krzysztof Ratajski
Andrew Gilding
William O’Connor
Damon Heta
Rob Cross
Ryan Joyce
Dirk van Duijvenbode
Niels Zonneveld
Cameron Menzies
Niko Springer
Dave Chisnall
Sebastian Bialecki
Joe Cullen