World Matchplay (darts)
 | This article needs more citations. (March 2013) |
 | |
| Founded | 1994 |
|---|---|
| First season | 1994 |
| Country | England |
| Venues | Winter Gardens (1994–2019, 2021–) Marshall Arena (2020) |
Most recent champion |  Luke Littler (2026) |
| Tournament format | Legs |
The World Matchplay, also known as the Betfred World Matchplay for sponsorship purposes, is a professional darts tournament and one of three legs of the Triple Crown. It is played in a legs format, and is run by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). Luke Littler is the current champion after winning the 2026 edition.
History
[edit]The World Matchplay has been played annually since 1994 in the Empress Ballroom at the Winter Gardens, Blackpool. The first ever winner was Larry Butler, who beat Dennis Priestley 16–12, and the current holder is Luke Littler.
The 1995 World Matchplay turned out to be Jocky Wilson's last appearance in a major televised event. Wilson had reached the quarter-finals of the inaugural tournament in 1994 and he beat Rod Harrington in the 1st round in 1995, but a 2nd round defeat against Nigel Justice was effectively the end of his career.
From 1994 to 2012, matches at the World Matchplay had to be won by two clear legs. For example, the first round was usually played over the first to 10 legs, but if the score reached 9–9, play continued until either player gained a two-leg lead. Starting with the 2013 World Matchplay, if a two leg-lead hadn't been established after six extra legs, then a sudden death leg is played, so sudden death would come into play in a first round match at 12–12.[1]
Over the course of the tournament's 33-year existence, there have been fourteen different winners: Phil Taylor (16), Michael van Gerwen (3), Rod Harrington (2), Luke Littler (2), Gary Anderson (1), Nathan Aspinall (1), Larry Butler (1), Rob Cross (1), Peter Evison (1), Luke Humphries (1), Colin Lloyd (1), Dimitri Van den Bergh (1), James Wade (1) and Peter Wright (1).
From 2018 onwards, the World Matchplay champion will receive the Phil Taylor Trophy, as was announced by the PDC following the retirement of the sixteen-time winner of the tournament.[2]
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, the 2020 World Matchplay was held at the Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes, behind closed doors.[3]
World Matchplay finals
[edit]| Year | Champion (average in final) | Score | Runner-up (average in final) | Prize money | Sponsor | Venue | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Champion | Runner-up | ||||||
| 1994 |  Larry Butler (92.70) |
16–12 | Dennis Priestley (91.59) |
£42,400 | £10,000 | £6,000 | Proton Cars | Winter Gardens, Blackpool |
| 1995 | Phil Taylor (90.72) |
16–11 | Dennis Priestley (87.63) |
Webster's | ||||
| 1996 | Peter Evison (100.51) |
16–14 | Dennis Priestley (96.67) |
£46,000 | £12,000 | £7,000 | ||
| 1997 | Phil Taylor (106.32) |
16–11 | Alan Warriner (98.42) |
£6,000 | ||||
| 1998 | Rod Harrington (95.03) |
19–17 | Ronnie Baxter (94.07) |
£58,000 | £14,000 | £7,000 | PDC | |
| 1999 | Rod Harrington (85.95) |
19–17 | Peter Manley (86.91) | |||||
| 2000 | Phil Taylor (100.32) |
18–12 | Alan Warriner (97.14) |
Stan James | ||||
| 2001 | Phil Taylor (99.57) |
18–10 |  Richie Burnett (90.99) |
£65,000 | ||||
| 2002 | Phil Taylor (98.76) |
18–16 |  John Part (94.14) |
£75,500 | £15,000 | £7,500 | ||
| 2003 | Phil Taylor (94.38) |
18–12 | Wayne Mardle (97.44) |
£80,000 | £8,000 | |||
| 2004 | Phil Taylor (100.20) |
18–8 | Mark Dudbridge (89.24) |
£100,000 | £20,000 | £10,000 | ||
| 2005 | Colin Lloyd (97.89) |
18–12 | John Part (94.53) |
£120,000 | £25,000 | £12,500 | ||
| 2006 | Phil Taylor (100.08) |
18–11 | James Wade (90.01) |
£150,000 | £30,000 | £15,000 | ||
| 2007 | James Wade (96.83) |
18–7 | Terry Jenkins (91.62) |
£200,000 | £50,000 | £20,000 | ||
| 2008 | Phil Taylor (109.47) |
18–9 | James Wade (102.58) |
£300,000 | £60,000 | £30,000 | ||
| 2009 | Phil Taylor (106.05) |
18–4 | Terry Jenkins (92.32) |
£400,000 | £100,000 | £50,000 | ||
| 2010 | Phil Taylor (105.16) |
18–12 |  Raymond van Barneveld (100.11) | |||||
| 2011 | Phil Taylor (103.84) |
18–8 | James Wade (98.84) |
Sky Bet | ||||
| 2012 | Phil Taylor (98.97) |
18–15 | James Wade (95.92) |
Betfair | ||||
| 2013 | Phil Taylor (111.23) |
18–13 | Adrian Lewis (105.92) |
BetVictor | ||||
| 2014 | Phil Taylor (107.19) |
18–9 | Michael van Gerwen (101.49) |
£450,000 | ||||
| 2015 | Michael van Gerwen (99.91) |
18–12 | James Wade (90.37) | |||||
| 2016 | Michael van Gerwen (103.93) |
18–10 | Phil Taylor (101.13) | |||||
| 2017 | Phil Taylor (104.24) |
18–8 |  Peter Wright (99.74) |
£500,000 | £115,000 | £55,000 | ||
| 2018 | Gary Anderson (101.12) |
21–19 |  Mensur Suljović (104.43) | |||||
| 2019 | Rob Cross (95.16) |
18–13 | Michael Smith (95.91) |
£700,000 | £150,000 | £70,000 | Betfred | |
| 2020 |  Dimitri Van den Bergh (98.31) |
18–10 | Gary Anderson (92.81) |
Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes | ||||
| 2021 | Peter Wright (105.90) |
18–9 | Dimitri Van den Bergh (100.88) |
Winter Gardens, Blackpool | ||||
| 2022 | Michael van Gerwen (101.19) |
18–14 | Gerwyn Price (96.92) |
£800,000 | £200,000 | £100,000 | ||
| 2023 | Nathan Aspinall (96.21) |
18–6 | Jonny Clayton (93.56) | |||||
| 2024 | Luke Humphries (100.94) |
18–15 | Michael van Gerwen (98.74) | |||||
| 2025 | Luke Littler (107.24) |
18–13 | James Wade (101.54) | |||||
| 2026 | Luke Littler (111.53) |
18–9 | Gerwyn Price (104.97) |
£1,000,000 | £225,000 | £125,000 | ||
Records and statistics
[edit]- As of 26 July 2026.
Total finalist appearances
[edit]| Rank | Player | Nationality | Won | Runner-up | Finals | Appearances |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phil Taylor | England | 16 | 1 | 17 | 24 |
| 2 | Michael van Gerwen | Netherlands | 3 | 2 | 5 | 18 |
| 3 | Rod Harrington | England | 2 | 0 | 2 | 9 |
| Luke Littler | England | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | |
| 5 | James Wade | England | 1 | 6 | 7 | 21 |
| 6 | Gary Anderson | Scotland | 1 | 1 | 2 | 18 |
| Dimitri Van den Bergh | Belgium | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | |
| Peter Wright | Scotland | 1 | 1 | 2 | 15 | |
| 9 | Larry Butler |  United States | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Peter Evison | England | 1 | 0 | 1 | 11 | |
| Colin Lloyd | England | 1 | 0 | 1 | 15 | |
| Rob Cross | England | 1 | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| Nathan Aspinall | England | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | |
| Luke Humphries | England | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | |
| 15 | Dennis Priestley | England | 0 | 3 | 3 | 17 |
| 16 | Alan Warriner | England | 0 | 2 | 2 | 14 |
| John Part | Canada | 0 | 2 | 2 | 15 | |
| Terry Jenkins | England | 0 | 2 | 2 | 13 | |
| Gerwyn Price | Wales | 0 | 2 | 2 | 11 | |
| 20 | Ronnie Baxter | England | 0 | 1 | 1 | 17 |
| Peter Manley | England | 0 | 1 | 1 | 13 | |
| Richie Burnett | Wales | 0 | 1 | 1 | 9 | |
| Wayne Mardle | England | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 | |
| Mark Dudbridge | England | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | |
| Raymond van Barneveld | Netherlands | 0 | 1 | 1 | 15 | |
| Adrian Lewis | England | 0 | 1 | 1 | 17 | |
| Mensur Suljović | Austria | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 | |
| Michael Smith | England | 0 | 1 | 1 | 12 | |
| Jonny Clayton | Wales | 0 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
- Active players are shown in bold
- Only players who reached the final are included
- In the event of identical records, players are sorted by date first achieved
Champions by country
[edit]| Country | Players | Total | First title | Last title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| England |
9 | 26 | 1995 | 2026 |
| Netherlands |
1 | 3 | 2015 | 2022 |
| Scotland |
2 | 2 | 2018 | 2021 |
| United States |
1 | 1 | 1994 | 1994 |
| Belgium |
1 | 1 | 2020 | 2020 |
Nine-dart finishes
[edit]Eleven nine-dart finishes have been thrown at the World Matchplay. The first one was in 2002, when Phil Taylor hit the first live 9-darter in UK television history.
| Player | Year (+ Round) | Method | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phil Taylor |
2002, Quarter-Finals | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | Chris Mason |
Won |
| Raymond van Barneveld |
2010, 1st Round | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | Denis Ovens |
Won |
| John Part |
2011, 1st Round | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | Mark Webster |
Lost |
| Michael van Gerwen |
2012, 2nd Round | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | Steve Beaton |
Won |
| Wes Newton |
2012, 2nd Round | 3 x T20; 2 x T20, T19; 2 x T20, D12 | Justin Pipe |
Lost |
| Phil Taylor |
2014, 2nd Round | 3 x T20; 2 x T20, T19; 2 x T20, D12 | Michael Smith |
Won |
| Gary Anderson |
2018, Quarter-Finals | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | Joe Cullen |
Won |
| Gerwyn Price |
2022, Semi-Finals | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T19, T20, D12 | Danny Noppert |
Won |
| Dimitri Van den Bergh |
2024, 1st Round | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T19, T20, D12 |  Martin Schindler |
Won |
| Luke Littler |
2025, Semi-Finals | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T17, D15 |  Josh Rock |
Won |
| Luke Littler |
2026, 2nd Round | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T17, D15 | Nathan Aspinall |
Won |
Tournament records
[edit]
- Longest match in Matchplay history
- The 2018 final went to 40 legs as a result of the format of "2 clear legs".
- Longest unbeaten run
- Phil Taylor from 2008 to 2015: Won 38 matches in a row. Taylor only lost eight matches in the history of the event:
- 1994 Bob Anderson 9–11 (tiebreak, second round)
- 1996 Peter Evison 1–8 (second round)
- 1998 Ronnie Baxter 10–13 (quarter-finals)
- 1999 Peter Manley 14–17 (semi-finals)
- 2005 John Part 11–16 (quarter-finals)
- 2007 Terry Jenkins 11–17 (semi-finals)
- 2015 James Wade 14–17 (semi-finals)
- 2016 Michael van Gerwen 10–18 (Final)
Averages
[edit]In 2010, Phil Taylor became the first player to average over 100 in all five rounds of the tournament. He repeated this feat in 2011 and 2013. Luke Littler achieved this feat at the 2026 World Matchplay.
An average of over 105 in a match in the World Matchplay has been achieved 37 times, of which Phil Taylor is responsible for 24. The highest match average ever in the World Matchplay is 114.99 by Phil Taylor in his Last 32 victory over Barrie Bates in 2010. The highest match average ever in the World Matchplay Final is 111.53 by Luke Littler against Gerwyn Price in 2026.
| Ten highest PDC World Matchplay one-match averages[4] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average | Player | Year (+ Round) | Opponent | Result |
| 114.99 | Phil Taylor |
2010, Last 32 | Barrie Bates |
10–6 |
| 113.68 | Luke Littler |
2026, Last 16 | Nathan Aspinall |
11–8 |
| 113.43 | Phil Taylor |
1997, Last 32 | Gary Mawson |
8–0 |
| 112.17 | Phil Taylor |
2002, Quarter-Final | Chris Mason |
16–7 |
| 111.53 | Luke Littler |
2026, Final | Gerwyn Price |
18–9 |
| 111.23 | Phil Taylor |
2013, Final | Adrian Lewis |
18–13 |
| 110.93 | Michael van Gerwen |
2015, Last 16 | Jamie Lewis |
13–2 |
| 110.88 | Luke Littler |
2026, Semi-Final | Dirk van Duijvenbode |
17–5 |
| 110.51 | Adrian Lewis |
2014, Last 32 | Andrew Gilding |
10–0 |
| 110.37 | Peter Wright |
2021, Semi-Final | Michael van Gerwen |
17–10 |
| Five highest losing averages | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average | Player | Year (+ Round) | Opponent | Result |
| 105.92 | Adrian Lewis |
2013, Final | Phil Taylor |
13–18 |
| 105.68 | Gary Anderson |
2014, Semi-Final | Phil Taylor |
15–17 |
| 105.17 | Gary Anderson |
2017, Last 16 | Daryl Gurney |
9–11 |
| 104.97 | Gerwyn Price |
2026, Final | Luke Littler |
9–18 |
| 104.57 | Peter Wright |
2019, Quarter-Final | Daryl Gurney |
13–16 |
| Different players with a 100+ match average (Updated 26/07/26) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Total | Highest Av. | Year (+ Round) |
| Phil Taylor |
62 | 114.99 | 2010, Last 32 |
| Michael van Gerwen |
20 | 110.93 | 2015, Last 16 |
| Peter Wright |
15 | 110.37 | 2021, Semi-Final |
| Gary Anderson |
13 | 109.96 | 2026, Last 32 |
| James Wade |
11 | 104.44 | 2025, Last 32 |
| Luke Littler |
10 | 113.68 | 2026, Last 16 |
| Adrian Lewis |
9 | 110.51 | 2014, Last 32 |
| Gerwyn Price |
9 | 108.73 | 2025, Last 16 |
| Luke Humphries |
7 | 108.76 | 2024, Last 32 |
| Rob Cross |
7 | 106.99 | 2024, Last 16 |
| Dimitri Van den Bergh |
6 | 103.68 | 2021, Last 16 |
| Josh Rock |
4 | 104.32 | 2025, Last 32 |
| Michael Smith |
4 | 102.08 | 2024, Last 32 |
| Nathan Aspinall |
3 | 105.32 | 2026, Last 32 |
| Ryan Searle |
3 | 105.19 | 2023, Last 32 |
| Daryl Gurney |
3 | 104.43 | 2023, Last 16 |
| Raymond van Barneveld |
3 | 103.86 | 2010, Last 16 |
| Jonny Clayton |
3 | 101.90 | 2023, Last 16 |
| Mervyn King |
3 | 101.06 | 2014, Last 32 |
 Krzysztof Ratajski |
2 | 107.53 | 2020, Last 32 |
| Glen Durrant |
2 | 106.93 | 2020, Last 32 |
| Mensur Suljović |
2 | 104.43 | 2018, Final |
| Peter Evison |
2 | 103.77 | 1996, Last 16 |
| Dirk van Duijvenbode |
2 | 103.61 | 2022, Last 32 |
| Ian White |
2 | 103.51 | 2015, Last 32 |
| Dave Chisnall |
2 | 103.02 | 2018, Last 16 |
| Stephen Bunting |
2 | 102.48 | 2016, Last 32 |
| Danny Noppert |
2 | 102.36 | 2022, Last 16 |
| Andrew Gilding |
2 | 101.82 | 2025, Last 32 |
| Steve Beaton |
2 | 100.98 | 2011, Last 32 |
 Damon Heta |
2 | 100.93 | 2024, Last 32 |
| Joe Cullen |
2 | 100.67 | 2023, Last 32 |
| Kevin Doets |
1 | 104.19 | 2026, Last 32 |
| Martin Schindler |
1 | 103.45 | 2025, Last 32 |
 José de Sousa |
1 | 103.26 | 2022, Last 16 |
| Jeffrey de Zwaan |
1 | 103.22 | 2018, Quarter-Final |
| Colin Lloyd |
1 | 102.57 | 2005, Last 16 |
| Shayne Burgess |
1 | 102.03 | 1999, Last 16 |
| Andy Hamilton |
1 | 101.88 | 2006, Semi-Final |
| Wessel Nijman |
1 | 101.72 | 2025, Last 32 |
| Alan Warriner-Little |
1 | 101.55 | 1997, Quarter-Final |
| John Henderson |
1 | 101.33 | 2019, Last 32 |
 Cristo Reyes |
1 | 101.29 | 2017, Last 32 |
| Rod Harrington |
1 | 101.22 | 1997, Last 32 |
| Jamie Hughes |
1 | 101.13 | 2020, Last 32 |
| Kevin Painter |
1 | 101.01 | 2009, Last 32 |
| Gian van Veen |
1 | 100.81 | 2024, Last 32 |
| Ricardo Pietreczko |
1 | 100.74 | 2024, Last 32 |
| Ross Smith |
1 | 100.55 | 2026, Last 32 |
| Mark Walsh |
1 | 100.41 | 2008, Last 32 |
| Five highest tournament averages | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average | Player | Year | ||
| 111.04 | Luke Littler |
2026 | ||
| 106.31 | Phil Taylor |
2010 | ||
| 105.81 | Phil Taylor |
2013 | ||
| 105.73 | Phil Taylor |
2009 | ||
| 105.50 | Phil Taylor |
2011 | ||
Format
[edit]From the beginning of the tournament in 1994, the World Matchplay has always been a legs only event. The length of matches for each round has changed several times over the years, with the table below showing how many legs needed to win.
| Year | Round 1 | Round 2 | Quarters | Semis | Final | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 8 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 16 | Must win by 2 clear legs |
| 1995–1996 | 13 | |||||
| 1997 | Preliminary round: First to 6 legs All rounds: Must win by 2 clear legs | |||||
| 1998 | 13 | 18 | Must win by 2 clear legs | |||
| 1999–2012 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 17 | ||
| 2013–2015 | Must win by 2 clear legs Sudden death after 6 extra legs | |||||
| 2016–present | 11 |
Women's World Matchplay
[edit]Since 2022, the PDC have held a Women's event on the Sunday afternoon before the main event final. The winner qualifies for the World Championship and the Grand Slam of Darts.
| Year | Winner (average in final) | Score | Runner-up (average in final) | Prize money | Venue | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Winner | Runner-up | |||||
| 2022 | Fallon Sherrock (82.41) |
6–3[5] | Aileen de Graaf (76.30) |
£25,000 | £10,000 | £5,000 | Winter Gardens, Blackpool |
| 2023 | Beau Greaves (79.85) |
6–1 |  Mikuru Suzuki (72.12) | ||||
| 2024 | Beau Greaves (98.75) |
6–3 | Fallon Sherrock (87.60) | ||||
| 2025 | Lisa Ashton (85.49) |
6–5 | Fallon Sherrock (89.61) | ||||
| 2026 | Beau Greaves (88.63) |
6–5 | Fallon Sherrock (87.84) |
£40,000 | £15,000 | £8,000 | |
Media coverage
[edit]The World Matchplay has been broadcast in the UK by Sky Sports since the first tournament.[6]
References
[edit]- ↑ "News | PDC". pdc.tv. Archived from the original on 23 June 2013.
- ↑ "Taylor Receives World Matchplay Honour". PDC. Archived from the original on 2 January 2018.
- ↑ Phillips, Josh. "Betfred World Matchplay to take place behind closed doors". Professional Darts Corporation. Archived from the original on 1 July 2020. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
- ↑ dartsdatabase.co.uk; best winning averages
- ↑ "Results of Women's World Matchplay 2022 - Mastercaller". mastercaller.com. Retrieved 1 August 2025.
- ↑ "PDC & Sky Sports Extend Partnership". Professional Darts Corporation. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 28 July 2013.