The World Match Play was a tournament dominated by Phil Taylor from 1994 to 2014. He won 15 of his 21 wins at Blackpool. Yes, you read that correctly.
Taylor has managed the Winter Gardens for nearly 20 years, making the continuation seem like a light task.
He dominated the Blackpool stage and defending the title in such a tournament seemed like a simple call. He dominated so much that after his retirement a trophy was named after him.
Then came Michael van Gerwen who continued the trend.
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Phil Taylor wins his 16th and final World Match Play title.
The Dutchman achieved the Beach double in 2015 and 2016, beating James Wade and Taylor to secure match play supremacy.
MVG’s praise for both tournaments made for incredible reading.
Competing in Match Play in 2015, he won the World Grand Prix, European Championship, Masters and UK Open crowns.
Afterwards, he entered Match Play in 2016 and held World Match Play, European Championship, Grand Slam of Darts, Players Championship Final, Masters, UK Open, and Premier League titles.
He has also been ranked world number one on both occasions and won a ridiculous 11 of 18 Euro Tour events across 2015 and 2016.
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Michael van Gerwen hits a nine-darter at the 2012 World Match Play.
Match play dominance seemed certain, but it was quickly falling apart at the time as Van Gerwen only managed one success despite his dominance in the late 2010s and Luke Humphries failed at the first hurdle.
The current champion is world number one Luke Littler, who also boasts World Grand Prix, Grand Slam of Darts, Players Championship Final, World Championship, World Masters, UK Open, Premier League and World Cup titles.
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We look back at another shocking exit in Blackpool.
Like Littler, Van Gerwen was untouchable as the best player in the world. His only downfall? He failed to win the World Darts Championship in 2015 and 2016 before winning it again in 2017.
Littler has won the last two World Championships and is now hoping to become the first player in 10 years to retain a match play title and make another history.
How match play progresses will determine Littler’s trajectory for the year. If he continues, he will continue to clean sweep goals. He failed? That will greatly affect the number of tournaments he participates in for the remainder of 2026.
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Luke Littler hits a nine-darter at the 2025 World Match Play.
Littler did what Van Gerwen did not when he won the World Darts Championship for the second year in a row.
“If I could choose, I would replace every other tournament I have won with this one. It is the most important tournament and I will try to get the title back. But the bar is so high that no mistakes can be tolerated,” Van Gerwen said ahead of Worlds in November 2015.
Littler won’t have to swap silverware for the Sid Waddell Trophy as he retains his crown.
Now it is time to show that he can do it again on the match play stage.
Will a win in match play enable them to defend their title at Minehead?
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On Love The Darts, Michael Bridge and Paul Nicholson discuss Luke Littler’s 2026 season.
Sky Sports News ‘Michael Bridge’…
“He will be on the ball, no doubt about it. He hasn’t played much lately, obviously he was in America for the World Series and doing a lot of PR events, but we know he’s not on the EuroTour at the moment.
“There are still questions about whether he will play the pro tour. He wants to win everything, so I think a win in match play might change his mind.
“I know people on his team are denying it, but I think he will if he wins match play.
“We know Luke and we know he has unbelievable drive when a goal is scored.
“There have been suggestions that it is too late for him to go to Minehead, but there is certainly time, there is plenty of time.
“But if he wins he could probably go to Minehead.”
When will Sky Sports World Match Play be broadcast live?
World Match Play begins on Saturday, July 18th and ends on Sunday, July 26th.
All 9 days of events are displayed. Sky Sports live broadcastOpening Day coverage begins at 7pm on Sky Sports+. Haven’t you seen Sky? Get instant access NOW
