Betfred World Matchplay 2026: Littler faces Springer as draw confirmed

Luke Littler will take on Niko Springer as he looks to defend his World Matchplay title, live on Sky Sports from July 18-26, at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool.

Littler clinched the coveted Phil Taylor Trophy after beating James Wade 18-13 in the final of last year's event, recovering from 5-0 down to seal an enthralling comeback victory and become the fifth player in history to complete the 'Triple Crown'.

If Littler can keep hold of the trophy, he will become the first player since Michael van Gerwen in 2015 to go back-to-back in Blackpool.

Men's World Matchplay field confirmed

Women's World Matchplay field confirmed

Darts in 2026: Key dates, calendar, results

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Second seed Luke Humphries starts his Matchplay with a mouth-watering tie against Cameron Menzies, while Van Gerwen faces in-form Andrew Gilding.

Other stand-out ties include Nathan Aspinall against Joe Cullen, Josh Rock vs Luke Woodhouse, and Jonny Clayton up against Damon Heta.

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The event features the top 16 players from the PDC Werner Rankings Ladder as well as the best 16 players from the one-year ProTour rankings.

Prize purses for the 2026 event have been boosted to £1m, with the winner set to pocket £225,000.

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Draw

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(1) Luke Littler v Niko Springer

(16) Nathan Aspinall v Joe Cullen

(8) Josh Rock v Luke Woodhouse

(9) Stephen Bunting v Niels Zonneveld

(4) Michael van Gerwen v Andrew Gilding

(13) Chris Dobey v Dirk van Duijvenbode

(5) Jonny Clayton v Damon Heta

(12) Gary Anderson v Ryan Joyce

(2) Luke Humphries v Cameron Menzies

(15) Ross Smith v Kevin Doets

(7) Gerwyn Price v Martin Schindler

(10) Danny Noppert v Rob Cross

(3) Gian van Veen v Krzysztof Ratajski

(14) Wessel Nijman v Dave Chisnall

(6) James Wade v Jermaine Wattimena

(11) Ryan Searle v William O'Connor

Top 16 qualifiers from the Werner Ladder

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1. Luke Littler

2. Luke Humphries

3. Gian van Veen

4. Michael van Gerwen

5. Jonny Clayton

6. James Wade

7. Gerwyn Price

8. Josh Rock

9. Stephen Bunting

10. Danny Noppert

11. Ryan Searle

12. Gary Anderson

13. Chris Dobey

14. Wessel Nijman

15. Ross Smith

16. Nathan Aspinall

Top 16 Qualifiers from ProTour Rankings

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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

When is the World Matchplay live on Sky Sports?

The World Matchplay commences on Saturday, July 18 and ends on Sunday, July 26.

All nine days of the event will be shown live on Sky Sports, with coverage of the opening day commencing on Sky Sports+ at 7pm Not got Sky? Get instant access with NOW