World Matchplay Race Set For Dramatic Conclusion As Leicester Hosts Players Championship 23 & 24 Double-Header With Entries Confirmed

The battle for places in the 2026 Betfred World Matchplay will reach its climax next week, with player entries now confirmed for the final Players Championship double-header in Leicester.

The Mattioli Arena will stage Players Championships 23 and 24 on July 6-7, as the PDC ProTour season enters a crucial phase ahead of one of the sport’s biggest televised events.

A full field of 128 players will compete in each tournament, featuring PDC Tour Card Holders alongside PDPA Associate Members, with valuable ranking money and World Matchplay qualification spots still on the line.

Among the headline names in action will be Dutch duo Gian van Veen and Michael van Gerwen, who recently guided the Netherlands to their first World Cup of Darts final since 2018.

Van Veen continues to enjoy a breakthrough campaign at the top end of the sport, while three-time World Champion Van Gerwen will be looking to build momentum ahead of another challenge for major honours in Blackpool.

One of the biggest talking points heading into the Leicester double-header is the remarkable form of Wessel Nijman.

The 25-year-old has established himself as one of the standout performers of the 2026 season, collecting eight ranking titles already this year, including two European Tour crowns and a string of Players Championship successes.

Fresh from lifting the inaugural Slovak Darts Open title in Bratislava, Nijman arrives in Leicester aiming to extend his extraordinary run and further cement his place among the game’s elite players.

The two events also represent the final opportunity for players hovering around the qualification cut-off to secure their places at the World Matchplay.

Once Players Championship 24 concludes on July 7, the 32-player field for this year’s Winter Gardens spectacular will be officially finalised.

The prestigious tournament, one of the crown jewels of the PDC calendar, sees the world’s leading stars compete for the iconic Phil Taylor Trophy and a place in darts history.

With ranking positions still to be decided and several players locked in fierce battles for qualification, the final ProTour events before Blackpool promise two days packed with drama, high-quality action and significant implications for the remainder of the season.

World Matchplay Race Set For Dramatic Conclusion As Leicester Hosts Players Championship 23 & 24 Double-Header With Entries Confirmed

Players Championships 23-24 Player Entries

Mattioli Arena, Leicester

July 6-7

Players Championship 23

Gary Anderson

Nathan Aspinall

Daniel Ayres

Keane Barry

Owen Bates

Stefan Bellmont

Filip Bereza

Sebastian Bialecki

Tom Bissell

Andy Boulton

Bradley Brooks

Stephen Bunting

Stephen Burton

Dave Chisnall

Gabriel Clemens

Derek Coulson

Cam Crabtree

Rob Cross

Joe Cullen

Niall Culleton

Maximilian Czerwinski

Mike De Decker

Jeffrey de Graaf

Jeffrey de Zwaan

Cor Dekker

Chris Dobey

Kevin Doets

Brendan Dolan

Tavis Dudeney

Ritchie Edhouse

Ricky Evans

Adam Gawlas

Andrew Gilding

Kai Gotthardt

Beau Greaves

Rhys Griffin

Dominik Gruellich

Daryl Gurney

Stefaan Henderyck

Damon Heta

Yorick Hofkens

Justin Hood

Max Hopp

Joe Hunt

James Hurrell

Kim Huybrechts

Ryan Joyce

Tytus Kanik

Nick Kenny

Mervyn King

Aden Kirk

Christian Kist

Marvin Kraft

Maik Kuivenhoven

Darius Labanauskas

Chris Landman

Sietse Lap

Adam Leek

Adam Lipscombe

Tommy Lishman

Pero Ljubic

Jim Long

Thomas Lovely

Martin Lukeman

Charlie Manby

Mickey Mansell

Shane McGuirk

Ryan Meikle

Cameron Menzies

Arno Merk

Alexander Merkx

Tommy Morris

Wessel Nijman

Danny Noppert

William O’Connor

Dennie Olde Kalter

Rob Owen

Adam Paxton

Ricardo Pietreczko

Darryl Pilgrim

Wesley Plaisier

Nathan Potter

Benjamin Pratnemer

Gerwyn Price

Samuel Price

Krzysztof Ratajski

Madars Razma

Cristo Reyes

Greg Ritchie

Josh Rock

Rusty-Jake Rodriguez

Stephen Rosney

Pascal Rupprecht

Callan Rydz

Martin Schindler

Connor Scutt

Ryan Searle

Karel Sedlacek

David Sharp

Michael Smith

Ross Smith

Carl Sneyd

Alan Soutar

Jeffrey Sparidaans

Mensur Suljovic

Tom Sykes

Tyler Thorpe

Viktor Tingstrom

Thibault Tricole

Raymond van Barneveld

Jurjen van der Velde

Dirk van Duijvenbode

Michael van Gerwen

Jimmy van Schie

Gian van Veen

Marvin van Velzen

Mario Vandenbogaerde

James Wade

Adam Warner

Jermaine Wattimena

Leon Weber

Lukas Wenig

Ian White

Christopher Wickenden

Scott Williams

Luke Woodhouse

Peter Wright

Niels Zonneveld

Players Championship 24

Gary Anderson

Nathan Aspinall

Daniel Ayres

Keane Barry

Owen Bates

Stefan Bellmont

Filip Bereza

Sebastian Bialecki

Tom Bissell

Andy Boulton

Bradley Brooks

Stephen Bunting

Stephen Burton

Dave Chisnall

Gabriel Clemens

Derek Coulson

Cam Crabtree

Rob Cross

Joe Cullen

Niall Culleton

Maximilian Czerwinski

Mike De Decker

Jeffrey de Graaf

Jeffrey de Zwaan

Cor Dekker

Chris Dobey

Kevin Doets

Brendan Dolan

Tavis Dudeney

Ritchie Edhouse

Ricky Evans

Adam Gawlas

Andrew Gilding

Kai Gotthardt

Beau Greaves

Rhys Griffin

Dominik Gruellich

Daryl Gurney

Stefaan Henderyck

Damon Heta

Yorick Hofkens

Justin Hood

Max Hopp

Joe Hunt

James Hurrell

Kim Huybrechts

Ryan Joyce

Tytus Kanik

Nick Kenny

Mervyn King

Aden Kirk

Christian Kist

Marvin Kraft

Maik Kuivenhoven

Darius Labanauskas

Chris Landman

Sietse Lap

Adam Leek

Adam Lipscombe

Tommy Lishman

Pero Ljubic

Jim Long

Thomas Lovely

Martin Lukeman

Charlie Manby

Mickey Mansell

Shane McGuirk

Ryan Meikle

Cameron Menzies

Arno Merk

Alexander Merkx

Tommy Morris

Wessel Nijman

Danny Noppert

William O’Connor

Dennie Olde Kalter

Rob Owen

Adam Paxton

Ricardo Pietreczko

Darryl Pilgrim

Wesley Plaisier

Benjamin Pratnemer

Gerwyn Price

Samuel Price

Krzysztof Ratajski

Madars Razma

Cristo Reyes

Greg Ritchie

Josh Rock

Rusty-Jake Rodriguez

Stephen Rosney

Pascal Rupprecht

Callan Rydz

Martin Schindler

Connor Scutt

Ryan Searle

Karel Sedlacek

David Sharp

Michael Smith

Ross Smith

Carl Sneyd

Alan Soutar

Jeffrey Sparidaans

Mensur Suljovic

Tom Sykes

Tyler Thorpe

Viktor Tingstrom

Thibault Tricole

Raymond van Barneveld

Jurjen van der Velde

Dirk van Duijvenbode

Michael van Gerwen

Jimmy van Schie

Gian van Veen

Marvin van Velzen

Mario Vandenbogaerde

Richard Veenstra

James Wade

Adam Warner

Jermaine Wattimena

Leon Weber

Lukas Wenig

Ian White

Christopher Wickenden

Scott Williams

Luke Woodhouse

Peter Wright

Niels Zonneveld

Tour Card Holders Absent: Jonny Clayton, Matthias Ehlers, Luke Humphries, Luke Littler, Niko Springer, Oskar Lukasiak, Dimitri Van den Bergh, Richard Veenstra (PC23 only).

Non-Tour Card Holders Competing: Joe Hunt, Derek Coulson, Tommy Lishman, Daniel Ayres, Tommy Morris, Aden Kirk, Christopher Wickenden, Nathan Potter (PC23 only).