The 2026 Betfred World Matchplay will take place from July 18-26 at the iconic Winter Gardens in Blackpool, featuring a 32‑player field and a £1m prize fund. The winner will pocket £225,000 and the event will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.

Defending champion Luke Littler is set to open the tournament against rising star Niko Springer, while the likes of Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen, Gerwyn Price and Gary Anderson will also vie for glory. The men’s draw pits the top 16 seeded players against the top 16 qualifiers from the Pro Tour Rankings.

The women’s World Matchplay, the fifth edition, will run on the afternoon of Sunday 26 July with eight top female players. Lisa Ashton defends her title against Beau Greaves, Fallon Sherrock, Gemma Hayter, Vicky Pruim, Deta Hedman, Rhian O'Sullivan, and Kirsi Viinikainen. The prize fund totals £40,000, with the winner receiving £15,000.

The format is a legs‑based structure: men’s matches increase from first to 10 legs in round one up to 18 legs in the final, while the women’s tournament starts best of seven and culminates in a best‑of‑eleven final.