The first television tournament of the year has arrived, as 32 players make their way to Milton Keynes to play in the 2026 Winmau World Masters.

12 months ago, the event was revamped from a leg play to a set play tournament, and also became a ranked event, where prize money won would count towards the main PDC Order of Merit.

Luke Humphries won the inaugural staging of the new look Winmau World Masters, beating Jonny Clayton to claim his only ranked televised title in 2025.

Here’s what you need to know ahead of the event this weekend at Arena MK, as Cool Hand looks to defend his title.

The Winmau World Masters trophy
The Winmau World Masters returns this weekend. Credit: PDC

How does the Winmau World Masters work?

The top 24 players in the world according to the main PDC Order of Merit automatically qualified for the event. The top 16 are seeded, meaning they cannot meet each other in round one.

They will face either a player ranked 17-24 in the rankings in the first round, or one of the eight players that qualified for the event during the Preliminary Rounds that took place on Wednesday 28 January at Arena MK.

All PDC Tour Card holders ranked 25 and below, as well as invited affiliate tour players and four JDC Advanced Tour representatives played in this event, with the eight qualifiers being:

  • Neils Zonneveld
  • Jeffrey de Graaf
  • Madars Razma
  • Wessel Nijman
  • Shane McGuirk
  • Connor Scutt
  • Jimmy van Schie
  • James Hurrell
Wessel Nijman on stage during the 2026 Paddy Power World Darts Championship.
Wessel Nijman took one of the eight qualifying spots for the Winmau World Masters on Wednesday. Credit: PDC

The 16 round one ties are played on Thursday and Friday. If a seeded player loses in round one, the player who beats them effectively takes their seed for the remainder of the draw.

Round two games are played on Saturday across two sessions. If all the seeded players go through, it will be 1 v 16, 2 v 15 and so on.

The eight winners of those games progress to the quarter finals on Sunday afternoon, with the four victors going onto the final session on Sunday night, which features both semi finals and the final.

Luke Humphries holding the Winmau World Masters trophy.
Can Luke Humphries successfully defend the Winmau World Masters title? Credit: PDC

What’s the draw?

The draw for the 2026 Winmau World Masters is:

(1) Luke Littler v Mike De Decker

(16) Ross Smith v Jimmy van Schie

(8) Ryan Searle v Rob Cross

(9) Josh Rock v Connor Scutt

(4) Michael van Gerwen v Damon Heta

(13) Chris Dobey v Jermaine Wattimena

(5) Jonny Clayton v Wessel Nijman

(12) Gerwyn Price v James Hurrell

(2) Luke Humphries v Dave Chisnall

(15) Martin Schindler v Luke Woodhouse

(7) Stephen Bunting v Jeffrey de Graaf

(10) Danny Noppert v Daryl Gurney

(3) Gian van Veen v Ryan Joyce

(14) Nathan Aspinall v Shane McGuirk

(6) Gary Anderson v Niels Zonneveld

(11) James Wade v Madars Razma

What’s the Winmau World Masters schedule?

The schedule of play is:

Thursday 29 January (1900 GMT)

Round One x8

Chris Dobey v Jermaine Wattimena

Gary Anderson v Niels Zonneveld

James Wade v Madars Razma

Nathan Aspinall v Shane McGuirk

Jonny Clayton v Wessel Nijman

Gerwyn Price v James Hurrell

Michael van Gerwen v Damon Heta

Gian van Veen v Ryan Joyce

Friday 30 January (1900 GMT)

Round One x8

Martin Schindler v Luke Woodhouse

Ross Smith v Jimmy van Schie

Danny Noppert v Daryl Gurney

Ryan Searle v Rob Cross

Josh Rock v Connor Scutt

Luke Littler v Mike De Decker

Luke Humphries v Dave Chisnall

Stephen Bunting v Jeffrey de Graaf

Saturday 31 January

Afternoon Session (1300 GMT)

Round Two x4

Evening Session (1900 GMT)

Round Two x4

Sunday 1 February

Afternoon Session (1300 GMT)

Quarter Finals

Evening Session (1900 GMT)

Semi Finals

Final

What’s the format?

Unlike the World Darts Championship and the World Grand Prix, sets in the Winmau World Masters only last for three legs instead of five. This means a player only has to win two legs to take the set. The format for each round is:

Round One – Best of five sets

Round Two – Best of seven sets

Quarter Finals – Best of seven sets

Semi Finals – Best of nine sets

Final – Best of 11 sets

A photo of Arena MK in Milton Keynes, with the Winmau World Masters branding.
Arena MK is ready for four days of thrilling action at the Winmau World Masters. Credit: PDC

How can I follow the Winmau World Masters?

The 2026 Winmau World Masters will be shown live on ITV4 in the UK and Ireland. If you’re outside the UK or Ireland, you can watch it via the PDC broadcast partner in your country, such as Viaplay or DAZN.

We’ll have you covered here at Online Darts, with reaction from winners direct from Milton Keynes. Head over to our YouTube channel and hit subscribe so you don’t miss a video.

In addition, on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, you can join us for The Fallout Bar, the only instant reaction show in darts. Our team will recap all the day’s important stories, bring you interviews from winners, and give predictions for the following day’s action. It will broadcast live on our YouTube channel immediately following play.

We’ll also provide updates across all social platforms. Search Online Darts on any major platform and follow us to ensure you don’t miss anything.