2024 Betfred World Matchplay field confirmed
The field for the 2024 Betfred World Matchplay has been confirmed, as the final Pro Tour event before the qualification cut off took place in Milton Keynes today.
After runs to the quarter finals in yesterday’s Players Championship event, James Wade and Andrew Gilding had secured a big lead on the rest of the field in the race for the remaining two places at the sport’s second biggest tournament, to be held at the stunning Winter Gardens in Blackpool from 13-21 July.
Despite Cam Menzies making a semi final, the players who started the day in the qualification spots ended in them.
Humphries top of the PDC Order of Merit
The first 16 players to qualify for the World Matchplay come from the main PDC Order of Merit. They will be seeded for the event so will not be able to play each other in round one.
As expected, world champion and world number one Luke Humphries has remained there since his remarkable winning streak began at the World Grand Prix last October. Cool Hand Luke is hoping to add the World Matchplay to his collection for the first time in his career. If he does, he’ll be the first defending World Champion to win the event since Phil Taylor in 2010.
2022 winner Michael van Gerwen is next, defending the prize money he won two years ago. Other former World Matchplay champions in via this route include last year’s winner Nathan Aspinall, 2019 champion Rob Cross, Dimitri Van den Bergh in 2020, and 2021 victor Peter Wright.
Former runners up Michael Smith, Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton are also seeded. The rest of the seeds are made up of Dave Chisnall, Damon Heta, Danny Noppert, Ross Smith, Chris Dobey, Joe Cullen and Stephen Bunting.
Littler headlines World Matchplay Pro Tour qualifiers
The favourite for the 2024 Betfred World Matchplay though comes from the other 16 players who’ve qualified. They are the 16 players from the Pro Tour Order of Merit, gaining money towards qualification through Pro Tours and Euro Tours.
They will play against the seeds in round one, looking to effectively take their place in the draw from round two onwards.
The headline act from this section, and tournament favourite with sponsors Betfred, is Luke Littler. The Premier League champion qualified for this event despite only getting his Tour Card in January having six months less than everyone else to do so. He becomes the third player, after Bunting and Glen Durrant, to get a Tour Card at the start of the calendar year and make the Winter Gardens.
Top of the Pro Tour qualifiers is Gary Anderson, the 2018 World Matchplay champion, while 2007 champion and 2006 runner up Wade took the final qualification spot. It’s now the 19th consecutive year that The Machine has made the field in Blackpool.
Former semi finalist Daryl Gurney also made the cut, alongside 2010 runner up Raymond van Barneveld and former UK Open winner Gilding.
Also included in the Pro Tour qualifiers are former World Youth Champion Josh Rock, former World Youth finalists in Martin Schindler and Gian van Veen, former Players Championship Finals runner up Ryan Searle and former World Grand Prix finalist Brendan Dolan.
The list concludes with the likes of Ricardo Pietreczko, Ryan Joyce, Ritchie Edhouse, Krzysztof Ratajski and Luke Woodhouse.
The draw for the 2024 Betfred World Matchplay will take place XXXXX.
2024 Betfred World Matchplay qualifiers
PDC Order of Merit
- Luke Humphries
- Michael van Gerwen
- Michael Smith
- Gerwyn Price
- Nathan Aspinall
- Rob Cross
- Dave Chisnall
- Dimitri Van den Bergh
- Peter Wright
- Jonny Clayton
- Damon Heta
- Danny Noppert
- Ross Smith
- Chris Dobey
- Joe Cullen
- Stephen Bunting
Pro Tour Order of Merit
- Gary Anderson
- Josh Rock
- Ryan Searle
- Martin Schindler
- Gian van Veen
- Luke Littler
- Ricardo Pietreczko
- Daryl Gurney
- Ryan Joyce
- Raymond van Barneveld
- Brendan Dolan
- Ritchie Edhouse
- Krzysztof Ratajski
- Luke Woodhouse
- Andrew Gilding
- James Wade
