Littler is attempting to become the first player since Michael van Gerwen in 2016 to retain the Phil Taylor Trophy. Price is seeking his first World Matchplay title after finishing runner-up in 2022. The champion receives £225,000 from a record £1 million prize fund.
Final time and how to watch
The final begins at 8:05pm BST, equivalent to 3:05pm ET, 12:05pm PT and 12:35am IST on July 27. UK viewers can watch on Sky Sports Darts or stream through Sky Go and NOW. International availability varies by country, while the official PDC World Matchplay page carries confirmed event updates.
The final is best of 35 legs. A player normally needs 18 legs and a two-leg advantage to win. If the players cannot be separated, a sudden-death leg is played at 20-20.
How Littler and Price reached the final
Littler beat Niko Springer 10-6, Nathan Aspinall 11-8, Josh Rock 16-7 and Dirk van Duijvenbode 17-5. He threw a nine-darter against Aspinall before averaging 110.88 and hitting 16 maximums in his dominant semi-final performance.
Price defeated Martin Schindler 11-9, Rob Cross 11-5, Ross Smith 16-12 and Gian van Veen 17-10. He won six of the final seven legs in his semi-final, with the run returning him to world number four and making him the highest-ranked Welsh player.
World Matchplay Darts 2026 results
Final: Luke Littler vs Gerwyn Price — 8:05pm BST on July 26.
Semi-finals: Price 17-10 Van Veen; Littler 17-5 Van Duijvenbode.
Quarter-finals: Van Duijvenbode 16-13 Gary Anderson; Littler 16-7 Rock; Price 16-12 Smith; Van Veen 16-13 James Wade.
Second round: Anderson 11-7 Jonny Clayton; Van Duijvenbode 14-12 Michael van Gerwen; Littler 11-8 Aspinall; Rock 11-6 Stephen Bunting; Smith progressed after Cameron Menzies withdrew through illness while trailing 2-1; Van Veen 14-12 Wessel Nijman; Price 11-5 Cross; Wade 11-8 Ryan Searle.
First round: Rock 10-4 Luke Woodhouse; Bunting 13-12 Niels Zonneveld; Littler 10-6 Springer; Aspinall 10-5 Joe Cullen; Van Duijvenbode 13-11 Chris Dobey; Anderson 10-2 Ryan Joyce; Van Gerwen 10-6 Andrew Gilding; Clayton 10-7 Damon Heta; Searle 10-6 William O’Connor; Wade 10-7 Jermaine Wattimena; Van Veen 10-6 Krzysztof Ratajski; Nijman 10-5 Dave Chisnall; Smith 10-6 Kevin Doets; Price 11-9 Schindler; Menzies 10-7 Luke Humphries; Cross 10-3 Danny Noppert.
Humphries’ opening-round defeat was one of the tournament’s biggest upsets. Van Gerwen’s elimination and Menzies’ illness withdrawal also substantially changed the draw.
Format and qualification explained
The field contains the 16 leading eligible players from the PDC Order of Merit and 16 unqualified players from the ProTour Order of Merit. The top 16 are seeded and kept apart in the opening round.
Matches are straight knockout contests played in legs rather than sets. The first round is best of 19, followed by best of 21 in round two, best of 31 in the quarter-finals, best of 33 in the semi-finals and best of 35 in the final. Matches must normally be won by two clear legs.
World Matchplay prize money
The men’s prize fund increased from £800,000 in 2025 to £1 million in 2026.
- Winner: £225,000
- Runner-up: £125,000
- Semi-finalists: £65,000 each
- Quarter-finalists: £35,000 each
- Second round: £22,500 each
- First round: £12,500 each
Readers following other major events can check the Commonwealth Games 2026 schedule and viewing information.
Read More:
Beau Greaves wins women’s title
Beau Greaves defeated Fallon Sherrock 6-5 in a deciding leg to claim her third Women’s World Matchplay title after wins in 2023 and 2024.
Quarter-finals: Greaves 5-1 Kirsi Viinikainen; Gemma Hayter 5-4 Vicky Pruim; Lisa Ashton 5-2 Rhian O’Sullivan; Sherrock 5-0 Deta Hedman.
Semi-finals: Greaves 5-4 Hayter; Sherrock 5-1 Ashton. Final: Greaves 6-5 Sherrock.
The women’s prize fund increased from £25,000 to £40,000. Greaves receives £15,000, Sherrock £8,000, each semi-finalist £4,500 and each quarter-finalist £2,000. Greaves also qualifies for the 2026 Grand Slam of Darts and 2027 PDC World Darts Championship.
World Matchplay history
Phil Taylor won the men’s tournament a record 16 times. The past five champions are Littler in 2025, Luke Humphries in 2024, Nathan Aspinall in 2023, Van Gerwen in 2022 and Peter Wright in 2021.
For another major sporting result, see the Tour de France Stage 20 results and updated standings.
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