2026 World Matchplay

Background

The 2026 World Matchplay will be the 33rd edition of the tournament to be staged by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) since the inaugural event in 1994.^[1] Held annually at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool, England, with the exception of the 2020 event held in Milton Keynes,^[2] the inaugural champion was Larry Butler, who remains the only American to win a PDC major title; he defeated Dennis Priestley 16–12 in an upset victory in the final.^[3][4] In 2018, the World Matchplay trophy was renamed to the Phil Taylor Trophy, in honour of the sixteen-time champion who retired from professional darts following the 2018 World Championship. Taylor won his sixteenth and final World Matchplay title at the 2017 event.^[5] The Women's World Matchplay was introduced in 2022 as the PDC's first fully-televised women's tournament.^[6][7]

The 2026 edition will take place from 18 to 26 July 2026 in the Empress Ballroom at the Winter Gardens. British bookmaker Betfred continued its sponsorship of the event, having extended its partnership with the PDC until 2030.^[8] Luke Littler will enter the tournament as defending champion, having defeated James Wade 18–13 in the 2025 final to win his first World Matchplay title.^[9][10]

Format

The top 16 players in the PDC World Rankings will be seeded, and will be drawn to compete against the 16 qualifiers from the PDC Pro Tour rankings in the first round.^[11] All matches will be in leg play format. All matches have to be won by two clear legs; if the scores are tied and the players cannot be separated after an additional six legs, the match will be decided by a sudden death leg.^[12]

The number of legs required to win will increase as the tournament progresses:^[11][12]

• First round: Best of 19 legs (sudden death at 12–12)
• Second round: Best of 21 legs (sudden death at 13–13)
• Quarter-finals: Best of 31 legs (sudden death at 18–18)
• Semi-finals: Best of 33 legs (sudden death at 19–19)
• Final: Best of 35 legs (sudden death at 20–20)

Prize money

The prize fund for the event increased to £1,000,000, up from the previous year's total of £800,000.^[13][14] The winner will receive £225,000 and the Phil Taylor Trophy. The prize money breakdown is shown below:^[1]