Luke Littler will begin the defence of his Betfred World Matchplay title against Niko Springer, with the draw for the showpiece event of the summer now confirmed.
The 2026 Betfred World Matchplay will take place from July 18-26 in Blackpool, as a star-studded 32-player field competes for the iconic Phil Taylor Trophy and a boosted top prize of £225,000.
Littler is aiming to become only the fourth player to retain the coveted title, although he faces a tough opener against German star Springer – one of four debutants at the Winter Gardens.
2026 Betfred World Matchplay
Draw Bracket
(1) Luke Littler v (16) Nathan Aspinall
(8) Josh Rock v (9) Stephen Bunting
(4) Michael van Gerwen v Dirk van Duijvenbode
(5) Jonny Clayton v (12) Gary Anderson
(2) Luke Humphries/Cameron Menzies v (15) Ross Smith/Kevin Doets
(7) Gerwyn Price/Martin Schindler v (10) Danny Noppert/Rob Cross
(3) Gian van Veen v (14) Wessel Nijman
(6) James Wade v (11) Ryan Searle
See your event brief.
2026 Betfred World Matchplay
Session Two
Sunday July 19 (1300 BST)
Round One x4
Chris Dobey 11-13 Dirk van Duijvenbode
Gary Anderson 10-2 Ryan Joyce
Michael van Gerwen 10-6 Andrew Gilding
Jonny Clayton 10-7 Damon Heta
Session Three
Sunday July 19 (1900 BST)
Round One x4
Ryan Searle 10-6 William O’Connor
James Wade 10-7 Jermaine Wattimena
Gian van Veen 10-6 Krzysztof Ratajski
Wessel Nijman 10-5 Dave Chisnall
Monday July 20 (1900 BST)
Round One x4
Ross Smith v Kevin Doets
Gerwyn Price v Martin Schindler
Luke Humphries v Cameron Menzies
Danny Noppert v Rob Cross
Tuesday July 21 (1900 BST)
Round Two x4 – match order TBC
Luke Littler v Nathan Aspinall
Josh Rock v Stephen Bunting
Michael van Gerwen v Dirk van Duijvenbode
Jonny Clayton v Gary Anderson
Wednesday July 22 (1900 BST)
Round Two x4 – match order TBC
Humphries/Menzies v Smith/Doets
Price/Schindler v Noppert/Cross
Gian Van Veen v Wessel Nijman
James Wade v Ryan Searle
Thursday July 23 (2000 BST *)
Quarter-Finals x2
Friday July 24 (2000 BST *)
Quarter-Finals x2
Saturday July 25 (2000 BST *)
Semi-Finals
Sunday July 26
Evening Session (2000 BST*)
Betfred World Matchplay Final
