Luke Littler will begin the defence of his Betfred World Matchplay title against Germany’s Niko Springer, as he bids to be the first back to back winner of the event since Michael van Gerwen in 2015 and 2016.

The draw for the iconic summer showpiece event, held at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool, sees the defending champion take on the tournament debutant. That game is expected to headline the opening night, as is tradition.

The Nuke, who’s won every major televised title so far in 2026, is also looking to be the only man apart from Phil Taylor to win back to back World Championship and World Matchplay titles.

Six former champions in field

There are another six former winners of the Betfred World Matchplay in the field this year, and they also learnt their round one opponents in today’s draw.

World number two, and 2024 winner Luke Humphries, begins his quest to retain the Phil Taylor Trophy against Cameron Menzies, while Joe Cullen faces 2023 champion Nathan Aspinall.

Three time former champion van Gerwen takes on Andrew Gilding, in a rematch of a 2024 quarter final, while 2018 winner Gary Anderson faces Ryan Joyce.

Rob Cross, the victor in 2019, takes on Danny Noppert, while the other remaining champion James Wade, who won the event in 2007, faces former European Championship finalist Jermaine Wattimena.

2026 Betfred World Matchplay Draw

Section One

(1) Luke Littler v Niko Springer

(16) Nathan Aspinall v Joe Cullen

(8) Josh Rock v Luke Woodhouse

(9) Stephen Bunting v Niels Zonneveld

Section Two

(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

Section Three

(2) Luke Humphries v Cameron Menzies

(15) Ross Smith v Kevin Doets

(7) Gerwyn Price v Martin Schindler

(10) Danny Noppert v Rob Cross

Section Four

(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

How does the draw work?

The draw for the 2026 Betfred World Matchplay sees the top 16 players on the PDC Order of Merit qualify automatically. They make up the 16 seeds for the event.

The top 16 players on the Pro Tour Order of Merit, who are not already on the main Order of Merit, also qualify for round one. They are unseeded, meaning they can play any seed in the first round.

Whoever wins their round one game moves onto round two, where 16 players remain. If all the seeds qualify, then it would be 1 v 16, 2 v 15, and so on. If a non-seeded player beats a seeded player in round one, they effectively take their seed for the remainder of the draw.

After this, two players will remain in each section of the draw. They will play each other in the quarter finals.

The semi finals will be the winner of section one v winner of section two. The winners of sections three and four will play in the other semi final.

The two semi final winners will play in the final, with the victor being crowned the 2026 World Matchplay Champion.

2026 Betfred World Matchplay Schedule

Saturday 18 July (19.00 BST)

First round x4

Sunday 19 July (13.00 BST)

First round x4

Sunday 19 July (19.30 BST)

First round x4

Monday 20 July (19.00 BST)

First round x4

Tuesday 21 July (19.00 BST)

Second round x4

Wednesday 22 July (19.00 BST)

Second round x4

Thursday 23 July (20.00 BST)

Quarter finals x2

Friday 24 July (20.00 BST)

Quarter finals x2

Saturday 25 July (20.00 BST)

Semi finals x2

Sunday 26 July (13.00 BST)

Women’s World Matchplay – Quarter finals, Semi finals and Final

Sunday 26 July (20.00 BST)

Final

Format

Round One – First to 10 legs

Round Two – First to 11 legs

Quarter Finals – First to 16 legs

Semi Finals – First to 17 legs

Final – First to 18 legs

All games must be won by two clear legs. A game can be extended if necessary for a maximum of six extra legs before a tie break leg is needed.

For example, in a first to 10 legs first round match, if the score reaches 12–12 then the 25th leg will be the deciding one.

Prize Money

There is £1 million in prize money for the 2026 Betfred World Matchplay, an increase in £200,000 from 12 months ago. It’s broken down like this:

Winner – £225,000

Runner Up – £125,000

Semi Finals – £65,000

Quarter Finals – £35,000

Second Round – £22,500

First Round – £12,500