The World Matchlay first-round schedule could face a last-minute rejig should England reach the FIFA World Cup final.
Luke Littler begins the defence of his crown against Niko Springer, live on Sky Sports from July 18-26, at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool.
He is one of four matches currently scheduled for Saturday evening’s session, which starts from 7pm.
But should England beat Argentina in Wednesday’s World Cup semi-final to book a place against Spain or France in Sunday night’s final, each of the tournament’s first three sessions will be brought forward.
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Watch the winning moment as Littler sealed his maiden World Matchplay title with a 18-13 victory over former youngest champion Wade
It would see Saturday evening’s session start from 1pm, Sunday afternoon’s session start from 7pm on Saturday and Sunday’s evening session start at 1pm instead of 7pm.
All tickets booked for the original sessions would then be moved to the new time, ensuring fans are still able to watch the matches scheduled for their visit to Blackpool with full details set to be confirmed on Thursday.
Defending champion 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.
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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Littler shares his reaction after winning last year’s World Matchplay title and becoming the youngest champion
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.
Betfred World Matchplay – Session schedule
All times UK and Ireland
Session One
Saturday July 18 (7pm) or Saturday July 18 (1pm)
Round One x4
Josh Rock v Luke Woodhouse
Stephen Bunting v Niels Zonneveld
Luke Littler v Niko Springer
Nathan Aspinall v Joe Cullen
Session Two
Sunday July 19 (1pm) or Saturday July 18 (7pm)
Round One x4
Chris Dobey v Dirk van Duijvenbode
Gary Anderson v Ryan Joyce
Michael van Gerwen v Andrew Gilding
Jonny Clayton v Damon Heta
Session Three
Sunday July 19 (7pm) or Sunday July 19 (1pm)
Round One x4
Ryan Searle v William O’Connor
James Wade v Jermaine Wattimena
Gian van Veen v Krzysztof Ratajski
Wessel Nijman v Dave Chisnall
Monday July 20 (7pm)
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 (7pm)
Round Two x4 – match order TBC
Littler/Springer v Aspinall/Cullen
Rock/Woodhouse v Bunting/Zonneveld
Van Gerwen/Gilding v Dobey/Van Duijvenbode
Clayton/Heta v Anderson/Joyce
Wednesday July 22 (7pm)
Round Two x4 – match order TBC
Humphries/Menzies v Smith/Doets
Price/Schindler v Noppert/Cross
Van Veen/Ratajski v Nijman/Chisnall
Wade/Wattimena v Searle/O’Connor
Thursday July 23 (8pm*)
Quarter-finals x2
Friday July 24 (8pm*)
Quarter-finals x2
Saturday July 25 (8pm*)
Semi-finals
Sunday July 26
Afternoon Session (1pm-5pm)
Betfred Women’s World Matchplay
Evening Session (8pm*)
Betfred World Matchplay Final
Draw
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During the World Matchplay final Littler almost nailed his second nine-darter of the tournament
(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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A comparison between Littler’s perfect leg and the vintage nine-darter made by Michael Smith in the 2023 World Darts Championship
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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Highlights of Littler against Josh Rock in the semi-final of the 2025 World Matchplay
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
