Michael van Gerwen can erase concerns about his erratic form at the World Matchplay, while Wessel Nijman has emerged as a serious title threat at Blackpool.
The 2026 World Match Play begins Saturday at the Winter Garden. Sky Sports live broadcast, Ahead of the first round, I would like to address five talking points.
MVG under pressure for world rankings
Michael van Gerwen is a former World Match Play winner!
Three-time World Match Play champion Van Gerwen heads to Blackpool under serious pressure for the first time in his career as he defends his £100,000 world ranking. He defended the ranking he earned with his last loss to Luke Humphries in 2024.
If MVG loses to Andrew Gilding in the first round on Sunday, he could fall to No. 7 in the world rankings.
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Luke Littler hits a nine-darter in his semifinal win over Josh Rock at the 2025 World Match Play.
The Green Machine has shown some signs of what once would have made him world number one, winning titles at the World Series and this year’s Players Championship event in Leicester, but he has also shown some vulnerabilities in the ProTour and EuroTour when he often averages in the mid-80s.
If MVG wants to reduce the damage to its world rankings, it must rediscover the form it showed in the Players Championship 15, where it beat Martin Schindler 7-0 in the semifinals and posted an average of 122.34.
Gilding presents a tricky opponent in the first round. Goldfinger beat Van Gerwen 6-4 on the European Tour in Bratislava last month, missing just one dart in the double. Gilding also achieved a memorable win at the UK Open against MVG in the 2023 final.
A cross to get deep into Blackpool.
Danny Noppert and Rob Cross face off in the opening round.
The PDC can save its best until last, with the match between Danny Noppert and Rob Cross wrapping up the first round live on Monday Night. sky sports.
After a very positive 2025 for Noppert, the Dutchman was unlucky to miss out on the Premier League in 2026. The Freeze has reached the last eight of the Winmau World Masters and UK Open and has reached the semi-finals of Grand Slams, World Grand Prix and European Championships.
But since the start of the new year, the former UK Open champion has struggled for form and has only twice advanced beyond the quarter-finals on the Euro Tour.
Rob Cross, on the other hand, is on a different trajectory. 2025 was a difficult year for them as they won only one ranking event (The Players Championship 1 in February) and failed to secure a nightly win in the Premier League in 2025, missing out on the play-offs.
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Take a look at some of the most memorable moments from World Match Play
However, in recent months he has secured his place in Blackpool this weekend via the ProTour Order of Merit. After winning the Players Championship 22 title, Bolt will be confident going into the tie with the off-form Noppert.
The Dutch star revealed he recently received hateful social media messages related to his mother’s death from cancer. Noppert will put the offensive comments out of his mind and focus on his clash with the 2018 world champion.
If Cross gets past Noppert, he is likely to face Gerwyn Price next ahead of Luke Humphries. It will be a tough run, but he will relish his current form and the opportunity to go deep in the Winter Garden, knocking off big names along the way.
Can you please tell Nijman who will win?
Wessel Nijman celebrates winning the European Darts Trophy. (Photo: Paul Targyik/PDC Europe)
Wessel Nijman has won a lot of money on the 2026 ProTour, qualifying for this tournament as a top 16 seed through the world rankings.
The Dutchman has won an impressive six Players Championship titles in 2026, as well as two European Tour trophies in Göttingen and Bratislava.
The 26-year-old is the only player in the business without a nickname (because they’re stupid). He has yet to make a notable deep run in a major tournament. His best performances to date have been reaching the last eight of the Players Championship Finals and The Grand Slam of Darts. But this tournament should change that.
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
On Love The Darts, Michael Bridge and Paul Nicholson discuss Wessel Nijman’s form ahead of the World Matchplay.
In the six ProTour events he won, Nijman’s running average never dipped below 95, peaking at 102.78 in his Players Championship 2 success.
He will no doubt be looking to build on this form and will be looking to build on his matchplay debut, having knocked out Nathan Aspinall in the first round last year to win 10-6.
Nijman’s first-round opponent this year is Dave Chisnall. He qualified for the Players Championship 23 with a good semi-final performance, taking the last place in the field.
Despite making only his second appearance in Blackpool, the Dutchman is third favorite for the title behind world number one and two Luke Littler and Luke Humphries, but many will back him to go all the way.
Zonneveld can beat The Bullet
World No. 1 Luke Littler was eliminated from the Belgian Darts Open (Zonneveld).
Niels Zonneveld heads to Blackpool for his World Match Play debut. ‘Triple Z’ established himself through the Pro Tour Order of Merit, and after regaining his third tour card in 2023, he finally showed off his true skills.
On the European Tour this year, the 27-year-old has reached the semi-finals twice and the last eight on four occasions.
His standout moment this year came at the Belgian Darts Open, when he became the first player to beat Littler in that particular tournament. He was a 6-5 winner in the decider, recording 147 checkouts and averaging over a ton. This makes him the first player to beat Littler in a ranked event this year.
Zonneveld faces Stephen Bunting in a first-round clash The Bullet has not had his strongest year so far. After a controversial Premier League start in 2026, he failed to qualify for the play-offs and has not won a single EuroTour or Pro Tour event this year. His only two successes came in night wins in the Premier League in Belfast and Sheffield.
Zonneveld is looking to pull off an upset and earn a debut World Match Play win over the in-form Bunting.
Back to back in Blackpool for The Nuke?
Luke Littler defeated James Wade to win the 2025 World Match Play final. Credit: Taylor Lanning/PDC
Littler, the current world champion, will look to join Phil Taylor and Van Gerwen as the only players to successfully defend their title at Winter Gardens.
This will be Nuke’s third World Match Play tournament. His first match in 2024 ended in a 10-6 loss to MVG in the first round.
But in 2025, the teenager went all the way with brilliant comebacks against Jermaine Wattimena and Josh Rock, a thrilling encounter with Gilding and a professional final performance against James Wade.
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
On Love The Darts, Michael Bridge and Paul Nicholson discuss Luke Littler’s 2026 season.
Littler, who lost the classic final to ‘Cool Hands’ Humphrey at New York’s Madison Square Garden in the most recent World Series, heads to Blackpool full of confidence having already secured a number of major titles this year, including the World Championship, UK Open and Premier League.
Nuke is undoubtedly the favorite for a first-round tie with Niko Springer. The German, known for his performances on the EuroTour, has only played with Littler once in his professional career. The Nuke went 6-5 in last year’s Players Championship 5, both averaging 102 wins.
They could deliver another classic in the first round, but ahead of this weekend, Littler is the odds-on favorite and the longer format will allow him to establish himself and unleash his devastating scoring abilities to the fullest, making it a very difficult task for ‘The Meenzer Bub’.
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
