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World Matchplay (darts)
Professional darts tournament
Professional darts tournament
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| title | World Matchplay |
| logo | BlackpoolWinGar.JPG |
| caption | The Winter Gardens in Blackpool, where the tournament has been held for every edition except 2020. |
| venue | Winter Gardens (1994–2019, 2021–) |
| Marshall Arena (2020) | |
| country | England |
| founded | 1994 |
| inaugural | 1994 |
| organizer | PDC -- |
| tournament_format | Legs |
| champion | ENG Luke Littler |
| champ_season | 2025 |
Marshall Arena (2020) 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 2025 edition.
History
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.
Over the course of the tournament's 31-year existence, there have been fourteen different winners: Phil Taylor (16), Michael van Gerwen (3), Rod Harrington (2), Gary Anderson (1), Nathan Aspinall (1), Larry Butler (1), Rob Cross (1), Peter Evison (1), Luke Humphries (1), Luke Littler (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.
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.
World Matchplay finals
| Year | Champion (average in final) | Score | Runner-up (average in final) | Prize money | Sponsor | Venue | Total | Champion | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | USA Larry Butler (92.70) | 16–12 | ENG Dennis Priestley (91.59) | £42,400 | £10,000 | £6,000 | Proton Cars | Winter Gardens, Blackpool | |
| 1995 | ENG Phil Taylor (90.72) | 16–11 | ENG Dennis Priestley (87.63) | Webster's | |||||
| 1996 | ENG Peter Evison (100.51) | 16–14 | ENG Dennis Priestley (96.67) | £46,000 | £12,000 | £7,000 | |||
| 1997 | ENG Phil Taylor (106.32) | 16–11 | ENG Alan Warriner (98.42) | £6,000 | |||||
| 1998 | England Rod Harrington (95.03) | 19–17 | ENG Ronnie Baxter (94.07) | £58,000 | £14,000 | £7,000 | PDC | ||
| 1999 | ENG Rod Harrington (85.95) | 19–17 | ENG Peter Manley (86.91) | ||||||
| 2000 | ENG Phil Taylor (100.32) | 18–12 | ENG Alan Warriner (97.14) | Stan James | |||||
| 2001 | ENG Phil Taylor (99.57) | 18–10 | WAL Richie Burnett (90.99) | £65,000 | |||||
| 2002 | ENG Phil Taylor (98.76) | 18–16 | CAN John Part (94.14) | £75,500 | £15,000 | £7,500 | |||
| 2003 | ENG Phil Taylor (94.38) | 18–12 | ENG Wayne Mardle (97.44) | £80,000 | £8,000 | ||||
| 2004 | ENG Phil Taylor (100.20) | 18–8 | ENG Mark Dudbridge (89.24) | £100,000 | £20,000 | £10,000 | |||
| 2005 | ENG Colin Lloyd (97.89) | 18–12 | CAN John Part (94.53) | £120,000 | £25,000 | £12,500 | |||
| 2006 | ENG Phil Taylor (100.08) | 18–11 | ENG James Wade (90.01) | £150,000 | £30,000 | £15,000 | |||
| 2007 | ENG James Wade (96.83) | 18–7 | ENG Terry Jenkins (91.62) | £200,000 | £50,000 | £20,000 | |||
| 2008 | ENG Phil Taylor (109.47) | 18–9 | ENG James Wade (102.58) | £300,000 | £60,000 | £30,000 | |||
| 2009 | ENG Phil Taylor (106.05) | 18–4 | ENG Terry Jenkins (92.32) | £400,000 | £100,000 | £50,000 | |||
| 2010 | ENG Phil Taylor (105.16) | 18–12 | |||||||
| 2011 | ENG Phil Taylor (103.84) | 18–8 | ENG James Wade (98.84) | Sky Bet | |||||
| 2012 | ENG Phil Taylor (98.97) | 18–15 | ENG James Wade (95.92) | Betfair | |||||
| 2013 | ENG Phil Taylor (111.23) | 18–13 | ENG Adrian Lewis (105.92) | BetVictor | |||||
| 2014 | ENG Phil Taylor (107.19) | 18–9 | NED Michael van Gerwen (101.49) | £450,000 | |||||
| 2015 | NED Michael van Gerwen (99.91) | 18–12 | ENG James Wade (90.37) | ||||||
| 2016 | NED Michael van Gerwen (103.93) | 18–10 | ENG Phil Taylor (101.13) | ||||||
| 2017 | ENG Phil Taylor (104.24) | 18–8 | SCO Peter Wright (99.74) | £500,000 | £115,000 | £55,000 | |||
| 2018 | SCO Gary Anderson (101.12) | 21–19 | AUT Mensur Suljović (104.43) | ||||||
| 2019 | ENG Rob Cross (95.16) | 18–13 | ENG Michael Smith (95.91) | £700,000 | £150,000 | £70,000 | Betfred | ||
| 2020 | 18–10 | SCO Gary Anderson (92.81) | |||||||
| 2021 | 18–9 | BEL Dimitri Van den Bergh (100.88) | Winter Gardens, Blackpool | ||||||
| 2022 | 18–14 | WAL Gerwyn Price (96.92) | £800,000 | £200,000 | £100,000 | ||||
| 2023 | 18–6 | ||||||||
| 2024 | 18–15 | ||||||||
| 2025 | 18–13 |
Records and statistics
Total finalist appearances
| Rank | Player | Nationality | Won | Runner-up | Finals | Appearances |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phil Taylor | 16 | 1 | 17 | 24 | |
| 2 | Michael van Gerwen | 3 | 2 | 5 | 16 | |
| 3 | Rod Harrington | 2 | 0 | 2 | 9 | |
| 4 | James Wade | 1 | 6 | 7 | 20 | |
| 5 | Gary Anderson | 1 | 1 | 2 | 16 | |
| Dimitri Van den Bergh | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | ||
| Peter Wright | 1 | 1 | 2 | 14 | ||
| 8 | Larry Butler | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | |
| Peter Evison | 1 | 0 | 1 | 11 | ||
| Colin Lloyd | 1 | 0 | 1 | 15 | ||
| Rob Cross | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | ||
| Nathan Aspinall | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | ||
| Luke Humphries | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| Luke Littler | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 14 | Dennis Priestley | 0 | 3 | 3 | 17 | |
| 15 | Alan Warriner | 0 | 2 | 2 | 14 | |
| John Part | 0 | 2 | 2 | 15 | ||
| Terry Jenkins | 0 | 2 | 2 | 13 | ||
| 18 | Ronnie Baxter | 0 | 1 | 1 | 17 | |
| Peter Manley | 0 | 1 | 1 | 13 | ||
| Richie Burnett | 0 | 1 | 1 | 9 | ||
| Wayne Mardle | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 | ||
| Mark Dudbridge | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | ||
| Raymond van Barneveld | 0 | 1 | 1 | 14 | ||
| Adrian Lewis | 0 | 1 | 1 | 17 | ||
| Mensur Suljović | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 | ||
| Michael Smith | 0 | 1 | 1 | 12 | ||
| Gerwyn Price | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 | ||
| Jonny Clayton | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
- 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
| Country | Players | Total | First title | Last title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | 9 | 25 | 1995 | 2025 |
| Netherlands | 1 | 3 | 2015 | 2022 |
| USA | 1 | 1 | 1994 | 1994 |
| Scotland | 2 | 2 | 2018 | 2021 |
| Belgium | 1 | 1 | 2020 | 2020 |
Nine-dart finishes
Nine 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENG Phil Taylor | 2002, Quarter-Finals | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | ENG Chris Mason | Won |
| NED Raymond van Barneveld | 2010, 1st Round | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | ENG Denis Ovens | Won |
| CAN John Part | 2011, 1st Round | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | WAL Mark Webster | Lost |
| NED Michael van Gerwen | 2012, 2nd Round | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | ENG Steve Beaton | Won |
| ENG Wes Newton | 2012, 2nd Round | 3 x T20; 2 x T20, T19; 2 x T20, D12 | ENG Justin Pipe | Lost |
| ENG Phil Taylor | 2014, 2nd Round | 3 x T20; 2 x T20, T19; 2 x T20, D12 | ENG Michael Smith | Won |
| SCO Gary Anderson | 2018, Quarter-Finals | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | ENG Joe Cullen | Won |
| WAL Gerwyn Price | 2022, Semi-Finals | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T19, T20, D12 | NED Danny Noppert | Won |
| BEL Dimitri Van den Bergh | 2024, 1st Round | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T19, T20, D12 | GER Martin Schindler | Won |
| ENG Luke Littler | 2025, Semi-Finals | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T17, D15 | NIR Josh Rock | Won |
Tournament records
;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
An average over 100 in a match in the PDC World Matchplay has been achieved 142 times, of which Phil Taylor is responsible for 62. 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.
An average of over 105 in a match in the World Matchplay has been achieved 35 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 111.23 by Phil Taylor against Adrian Lewis in 2013.
| Ten highest PDC World Matchplay one-match averages | Average | Player | Year (+ Round) | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 114.99 | ENG Phil Taylor | 2010, Last 32 | WAL Barrie Bates | 10–6 | |
| 113.43 | ENG Phil Taylor | 1997, Last 32 | CAN Gary Mawson | 8–0 | |
| 112.17 | ENG Phil Taylor | 2002, Quarter-Final | ENG Chris Mason | 16–7 | |
| 111.23 | ENG Phil Taylor | 2013, Final | ENG Adrian Lewis | 18–13 | |
| 110.93 | NED Michael van Gerwen | 2015, Last 16 | WAL Jamie Lewis | 13–2 | |
| 110.51 | ENG Adrian Lewis | 2014, Last 32 | ENG Andrew Gilding | 10–0 | |
| 110.37 | SCO Peter Wright | 2021, Semi-Final | NED Michael van Gerwen | 17–10 | |
| 109.71 | ENG Phil Taylor | 2008, Last 16 | ENG Colin Osborne | 13–5 | |
| 109.47 | ENG Phil Taylor | 2008, Final | ENG James Wade | 18–9 | |
| 109.47 | ENG Phil Taylor | 2009, Last 16 | ENG Kevin Painter | 13–3 |
| Five highest losing averages | Average | Player | Year (+ Round) | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 105.92 | ENG Adrian Lewis | 2013, Final | ENG Phil Taylor | 13–18 | |
| 105.68 | SCO Gary Anderson | 2014, Semi-Final | ENG Phil Taylor | 15–17 | |
| 105.17 | SCO Gary Anderson | 2017, Last 16 | NIR Daryl Gurney | 9–11 | |
| 104.57 | SCO Peter Wright | 2019, Quarter-Final | NIR Daryl Gurney | 13–16 | |
| 104.43 | AUT Mensur Suljović | 2018, Final | SCO Gary Anderson | 19–21 |
| Different players with a 100+ match average (Updated 26/07/25) | Player | Total | Highest Av. | Year (+ Round) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENG Phil Taylor | 62 | 114.99 | 2010, Last 32 | |
| NED Michael van Gerwen | 20 | 110.93 | 2015, Last 16 | |
| SCO Peter Wright | 15 | 110.37 | 2021, Semi-Final | |
| SCO Gary Anderson | 11 | 106.06 | 2018, Semi-Final | |
| ENG James Wade | 11 | 104.44 | 2025, Last 32 | |
| ENG Adrian Lewis | 9 | 110.51 | 2014, Last 32 | |
| ENG Luke Humphries | 7 | 108.76 | 2024, Last 32 | |
| WAL Gerwyn Price | 7 | 108.73 | 2025, Last 16 | |
| ENG Rob Cross | 7 | 106.99 | 2024, Last 16 | |
| BEL Dimitri Van den Bergh | 6 | 103.68 | 2021, Last 16 | |
| ENG Luke Littler | 4 | 108.92 | 2025, Last 32 | |
| ENG Michael Smith | 4 | 102.08 | 2024, Last 32 | |
| ENG Ryan Searle | 3 | 105.19 | 2023, Last 32 | |
| NIR Daryl Gurney | 3 | 104.43 | 2023, Last 16 | |
| 3 | 104.32 | 2025, Last 32 | ||
| NED Raymond van Barneveld | 3 | 103.86 | 2010, Last 16 | |
| WAL Jonny Clayton | 3 | 101.90 | 2023, Last 16 | |
| ENG Mervyn King | 3 | 101.06 | 2014, Last 32 | |
| POL Krzysztof Ratajski | 2 | 107.53 | 2020, Last 32 | |
| ENG Glen Durrant | 2 | 106.93 | 2020, Last 32 | |
| AUT Mensur Suljović | 2 | 104.43 | 2018, Final | |
| ENG Peter Evison | 2 | 103.77 | 1996, Last 16 | |
| ENG Ian White | 2 | 103.51 | 2015, Last 32 | |
| ENG Dave Chisnall | 2 | 103.02 | 2018, Last 16 | |
| ENG Stephen Bunting | 2 | 102.48 | 2016, Last 32 | |
| NED Danny Noppert | 2 | 102.36 | 2022, Last 16 | |
| ENG Andrew Gilding | 2 | 101.82 | 2025, Last 32 | |
| ENG Steve Beaton | 2 | 100.98 | 2011, Last 32 | |
| AUS Damon Heta | 2 | 100.93 | 2024, Last 32 | |
| ENG Joe Cullen | 2 | 100.67 | 2023, Last 32 | |
| NED Dirk van Duijvenbode | 1 | 103.61 | 2022, Last 32 | |
| GER Martin Schindler | 1 | 103.45 | 2025, Last 32 | |
| POR José de Sousa | 1 | 103.26 | 2022, Last 16 | |
| NED Jeffrey de Zwaan | 1 | 103.22 | 2018, Quarter-Final | |
| ENG Nathan Aspinall | 1 | 102.96 | 2019, Last 32 | |
| ENG Colin Lloyd | 1 | 102.57 | 2005, Last 16 | |
| ENG Shayne Burgess | 1 | 102.03 | 1999, Last 16 | |
| ENG Andy Hamilton | 1 | 101.88 | 2006, Semi-Final | |
| NED Wessel Nijman | 1 | 101.72 | 2025, Last 32 | |
| ENG Alan Warriner-Little | 1 | 101.55 | 1997, Quarter-Final | |
| SCO John Henderson | 1 | 101.33 | 2019, Last 32 | |
| ESP Cristo Reyes | 1 | 101.29 | 2017, Last 32 | |
| ENG Rod Harrington | 1 | 101.22 | 1997, Last 32 | |
| ENG Jamie Hughes | 1 | 101.13 | 2020, Last 32 | |
| ENG Kevin Painter | 1 | 101.01 | 2009, Last 32 | |
| NED Gian van Veen | 1 | 100.81 | 2024, Last 32 | |
| GER Ricardo Pietreczko | 1 | 100.74 | 2024, Last 32 | |
| ENG Mark Walsh | 1 | 100.41 | 2008, Last 32 |
| Five highest tournament averages | Average | Player | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 106.31 | ENG Phil Taylor | 2010 | |
| 105.81 | ENG Phil Taylor | 2013 | |
| 105.73 | ENG Phil Taylor | 2009 | |
| 105.50 | ENG Phil Taylor | 2011 | |
| 105.12 | ENG Luke Littler | 2025 |
Format
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, as shown below.
| 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
Main article: Women's World Matchplay
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.
Media coverage
The World Matchplay has been broadcast in the UK by Sky Sports since the first tournament.
References
References
- "News {{!}} PDC".
- "Taylor Receives World Matchplay Honour".
- "Betfred World Matchplay to take place behind closed doors". [[Professional Darts Corporation]].
- [http://www.dartsdatabase.co.uk/TournamentPlayerStats.aspx?tournKey=11 dartsdatabase.co.uk]; best winning averages
- "PDC & Sky Sports Extend Partnership". Professional Darts Corporation.
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