Luke Littler starts his title defence in sensational style on Day One of the 2026 World Matchplay

The 2026 Betfred World Matchplay got underway in style in Blackpool, as the seeded stars excelled on Day One in the Winter Gardens.

Rock smashes the Shed

The first game of this year’s World Matchplay saw Josh Rock, who reached the Semi-Final last year, take on the in-form Luke Woodhouse. The man from Bewdley qualified for the Matchplay as the number one Pro Tour qualifier due to his exploits in 2026 so far.

It was a tale of missed doubles from the start for Woodhouse, who found himself 3-2 down at the first break, squandering multiple opportunities to win the legs he lost. Josh Rock continued his charge after the interval, winning all of the next 5 legs, the highlight being an 11-darter to take a 7-2 lead.

A night to forget for a frustrated Luke Woodhouse, as he was eventually dispatched 10-4 by Josh Rock, who will play either Stephen Bunting or Niels Zonneveld in Round Two.

Blackpool goes Bunting mental

Fan favourite Stephen Bunting was handed a tough draw in his opening game in Blackpool, facing the debutant Niels Zonneveld, who has vastly improved in the last 18 months.

Bunting, who was wearing a new-look shirt, edged Zonneveld at the first interval, pinning a brilliant 121 checkout on double sixteen to ensure he was ahead after five legs.

The game remained tight for the majority of the encounter, but when the Bullet seemed to have pulled away from the Dutchman at 8-5 up, it seemed like a tough ask for the debutant. However, Zonneveld then staggeringly won four consecutive legs in incredible fashion, including back-to-back 10-dart legs and a 164 finish to go one leg away from a maiden Matchplay win.

The drama didn’t stop there, as the match went into a tiebreak, with Zonneveld missing three match darts to win 11-9, and that was the only chance Triple Z had to win, as Stephen Bunting stumbled over the line in a sudden-death leg to win 13-12.

Littler lights up the Winter Gardens

Reigning Betfred World Matchplay champion Luke Littler began his title defence against the German debutant Niko Springer.

Despite Littler’s form and reputation, Niko Springer was no pushover in the opening exchanges, with the 26-year-old hitting consecutive ton-plus checkouts to make the game level at 5-5 after ten legs.

As the game went on, the World Champion continued to improve, culminating in a 10-6 win and a 109.53 average.

Maximum masterclass from the Asp

The final game of the evening saw two best mates take to the stage, as the number 16 seed and former Matchplay champion Nathan Aspinall took on Joe Cullen.

The Asp has played in very few PDC tournaments in 2026, but he did not look rusty at all on the Winter Gardens stage, pinning a magnificent 167 finish to nudge ahead of Cullen 3-2 at the first break.

Both Aspinall and Cullen’s scoring continued to flourish, as 16 180s were hit between them during their Blackpool battle. The scoring wasn’t quite enough for the Rockstar, though, as it was the 2023 World Matchplay champion who was the victor 10-5, with a strong 105.32 average to cap off a brilliant opening night.

2026 Betfred World Matchplay

Saturday, July 18 (1900 BST)

Round One Results x4

Josh Rock 10-4 Luke Woodhouse

Stephen Bunting 13-12 Niels Zonneveld

Luke Littler 10-6 Niko Springer

Nathan Aspinall 10-5 Joe Cullen

Sunday, July 19 (1200 BST)

Round One Fixtures x4

Chris Dobey vs Dirk van Duijvenbode

Gary Anderson vs Ryan Joyce

Michael van Gerwen vs Andrew Gilding

Jonny Clayton vs Damon Heta

Sunday July 19 (1900 BST)

Round One Fixtures x4

Ryan Searle vs William O’Connor

James Wade vs Jermaine Wattimena

Gian van Veen vs Krzysztof Ratajski

Wessel Nijman vs Dave Chisnall

Follow allong with all the action atthe World Matchplay HERE