The 2023 Betfred World Matchplay field confirmed

Josh Rock and Mike De Decker will make their Betfred World Matchplay debuts this month, while the field for the summer spectacular has been confirmed, with two legends returning to Blackpool.

The 30th edition of the World Matchplay will feature a superb 32-player field competing at the Winter Gardens from 15-23 July.

The Phil Taylor Trophy will be contested over nine days in Blackpool, with the PDC’s top 16 joined by 16 qualifiers from the one-year ProTour Order of Merit. A massive £800,000 prize fund is on offer.

Following his ascent to the top of the PDC Order of Merit, World Champion Michael Smith will enter this year’s competition as the top seed.

In his quest for a fourth World Matchplay victory, reigning champion Michael van Gerwen is seeded third. Other former champions include Rob Cross (seeding fifth), Dimitri Van den Bergh (seed ten), and James Wade (16).

Gerwyn Price, the runner-up from the previous year who also hit a Winter Gardens nine-darter, is the fourth seed, while Jonny Clayton, his World Cup-winning teammate, is the seventh seed.

The 16 ProTour Order of Merit qualifiers are determined by prize money gained in events on the European Tour and Players Championships over the previous calendar year. They include 2023 Masters champion Chris Dobey and UK Open champion Andrew Gilding.

World Youth Champion Rock, who qualified for the ProTour Order of Merit ahead of Germany’s Martin Schindler, the current European Champion Ross Smith, and Poland’s Krzysztof Ratajski, will try to continue his extraordinary climb.

With De Decker joining Van den Bergh and Kim Huybrechts in the field thanks to his qualification for his World Matchplay debut, Belgium will be represented by three players for the first time in the event’s illustrious history.

The 2010 runner-up Raymond van Barneveld competes in his 13th World Matchplay, having last played in Blackpool five years earlier.

Following a two-year break, Steve Beaton returns to the World Matchplay for an incredible 22nd time after making his debut in 1998.

In his 15th World Matchplay appearance, 2018 champion Gary Anderson will be drawn on the ProTour side of the draw, which means that in the first round, he might face off against Smith, Van Gerwen, or Scottish World Cup teammate Wright.

On Tuesday, July 4, the draw for the Betfred World Matchplay will be held. You may watch it online through the Betfred social media channels, and the play schedule will be revealed later that week.

 

2023 Betfred World Matchplay

PDC Order of Merit Top 16 

(Seeded for first round draw)

1 Michael Smith

2 Peter Wright

3 Michael van Gerwen

4 Gerwyn Price

5 Rob Cross

6 Luke Humphries

7 Jonny Clayton

8 Danny Noppert

9 Nathan Aspinall

10 Dimitri Van den Bergh

11 Dirk van Duijvenbode

12 Dave Chisnall

13 Joe Cullen

14 Damon Heta

15 Ryan Searle

16 James Wade

ProTour Order of Merit Qualifiers

Josh Rock

Martin Schindler

Ross Smith

Krzysztof Ratajski

Jose de Sousa

Andrew Gilding

Gary Anderson

Stephen Bunting

Gabriel Clemens

Chris Dobey

Raymond van Barneveld

Daryl Gurney

Mike De Decker

Steve Beaton

Brendan Dolan

Kim Huybrechts