2026 World Matchplay Field Confirmed As Luke Littler Targets Back-To-Back Blackpool Glory
2026 World Matchplay Field Confirmed As Luke Littler Targets Back-To-Back Blackpool Glory
The line-up for the 2026 Betfred World Matchplay has been finalised, with Luke Littler set to begin the defence of his title when the sport’s biggest stars descend on Blackpool later this month.
The 32-player field was confirmed following the conclusion of Players Championship 24 in Leicester on Tuesday, bringing the race for qualification to a dramatic close ahead of the prestigious tournament at the Winter Gardens from July 18-26.
This year’s expanded £1 million event will once again feature the top 16 players on the PDC Werner Rankings Ladder alongside the leading 16 players from the one-year ProTour Order of Merit, all battling for the coveted Phil Taylor Trophy.
Reigning champion Littler heads to the Lancashire coast as the number one seed after another outstanding campaign, with the World Champion looking to become only the fourth player in history to successfully defend the World Matchplay title.
World number two Luke Humphries returns to the Winter Gardens as the second seed after lifting the title in 2024, while Dutch duo Gian van Veen and Michael van Gerwen complete the top four seeds.
Van Veen has continued his remarkable rise with another outstanding season on the ProTour and European Tour, while three-time World Matchplay champion Van Gerwen will once again be targeting a fourth title in Blackpool.
Jonny Clayton, runner-up in 2023, is seeded fifth, with 2007 champion James Wade occupying the sixth seeding.
Former World Champion Gerwyn Price takes the number seven position, while Josh Rock completes the top eight after reaching the semi-finals at the Winter Gardens 12 months ago.
The remaining seeded players feature plenty of proven pedigree.
Premier League star Stephen Bunting returns as one of the top 16 seeds alongside former UK Open champion Danny Noppert, while World Championship semi-finalist Ryan Searle and 2018 World Matchplay winner Gary Anderson also earn seeded status.
Chris Dobey, the former Masters champion, joins the elite group, as does Wessel Nijman following a sensational breakthrough season that has already yielded eight ranking titles in 2026.
Former European Champion Ross Smith and 2022 World Matchplay winner Nathan Aspinall complete the seeded contingent heading into this month’s showpiece.
Leading the ProTour qualifiers is recent Baltic Sea Darts Open champion Luke Woodhouse, whose consistency across both the Players Championship and European Tour circuits has secured his return to Blackpool.
Jermaine Wattimena also qualifies for a sixth appearance at the Winter Gardens, while fellow Dutchman Kevin Doets will make his tournament debut after an impressive campaign.
Former UK Open champion Andrew Gilding is another player to seal qualification through the ProTour rankings, alongside Polish number one Krzysztof Ratajski and 2019 World Matchplay champion Rob Cross.
Republic of Ireland veteran William O’Connor has earned a maiden appearance on the famous Winter Gardens stage following an excellent year on the ProTour.
Niko Springer will also make his debut after continuing his rapid rise through the PDC ranks, while fellow first-time qualifier Niels Zonneveld completes another memorable milestone by securing his place in Blackpool for the first time.
Martin Schindler, Ryan Joyce, Dirk van Duijvenbode, Cameron Menzies and Joe Cullen also booked their places via the one-year ProTour rankings after consistently strong performances throughout the qualification period.
The race for the final qualification places went right down to the wire in Leicester.
Damon Heta and Dave Chisnall both did enough at Players Championship 24 to secure their spots in the field, surviving a tense final day to book their return to the Winter Gardens.
Their progress came at the expense of Daryl Gurney, whose opening-round defeat proved costly as the former World Grand Prix champion missed out on World Matchplay qualification for the first time since 2015.
Kim Huybrechts also narrowly fell short despite enjoying an encouraging resurgence throughout 2026, while highly-rated Polish youngster Sebastian Bialecki was unable to complete a maiden qualification after an impressive season.
Attention now turns to Thursday, July 9, when the official draw for the 2026 Betfred World Matchplay will be made.
As tradition dictates, each of the top 16 seeds will be paired with one of the 16 ProTour qualifiers in the opening round, setting the stage for another blockbuster edition of one of darts’ most prestigious tournaments.
With a world-class field assembled and the Phil Taylor Trophy once again up for grabs, anticipation is building ahead of nine days of action at the iconic Winter Gardens, where another chapter in World Matchplay history is set to be written.
2026 Betfred World Matchplay
2026 World Matchplay Field Confirmed As Luke Littler Targets Back-To-Back Blackpool Glory
Top 16 from the Werner Ladder Rankings
(Seeded for first round draw)
- Luke Littler
- Luke Humphries
- Gian van Veen
- Michael van Gerwen
- Jonny Clayton
- James Wade
- Gerwyn Price
- Josh Rock
- Stephen Bunting
- Danny Noppert
- Ryan Searle
- Gary Anderson
- Chris Dobey
- Wessel Nijman
- Ross Smith
- 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
