World Matchplay (darts)

Last updated

World Matchplay
BlackpoolWinGar.JPG
The Winter Gardens in Blackpool, where the tournament has been held for every edition except 2020.
Founded1994
First season 1994
Country England
Venue(s) Winter Gardens (1994–2019, 2021–)
Marshall Arena (2020)
Most recent
champion(s)
Flag of England.svg Luke Littler
(2025)
Tournament formatLegs

The World Matchplay, also known as the Betfred World Matchplay for sponsorship purposes, [1] 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.

Contents

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. [2]

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. [3]

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. [4]

World Matchplay finals

YearChampion (average in final)ScoreRunner-up (average in final)Prize moneySponsorVenue
TotalChampionRunner-up
1994 Flag of the United States.svg Larry Butler (92.70)16–12 Flag of England.svg Dennis Priestley (91.59)£42,400£10,000£6,000 Proton Cars Winter Gardens, Blackpool
1995 Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor (90.72)16–11 Flag of England.svg Dennis Priestley (87.63) Webster's
1996 Flag of England.svg Peter Evison (100.51)16–14 Flag of England.svg Dennis Priestley (96.67)£46,000£12,000£7,000
1997 Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor (106.32)16–11 Flag of England.svg Alan Warriner (98.42)£6,000
1998 Flag of England.svg Rod Harrington (95.03)19–17 Flag of England.svg Ronnie Baxter (94.07)£58,000£14,000£7,000 PDC
1999 Flag of England.svg Rod Harrington (85.95)19–17 Flag of England.svg Peter Manley (86.91)
2000 Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor (100.32)18–12 Flag of England.svg Alan Warriner (97.14) Stan James
2001 Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor (99.57)18–10 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Richie Burnett (90.99)£65,000
2002 Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor (98.76)18–16 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg John Part (94.14)£75,500£15,000£7,500
2003 Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor (94.38)18–12 Flag of England.svg Wayne Mardle (97.44)£80,000£8,000
2004 Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor (100.20)18–8 Flag of England.svg Mark Dudbridge (89.24)£100,000£20,000£10,000
2005 Flag of England.svg Colin Lloyd (97.89)18–12 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg John Part (94.53)£120,000£25,000£12,500
2006 Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor (100.08)18–11 Flag of England.svg James Wade (90.01)£150,000£30,000£15,000
2007 Flag of England.svg James Wade (96.83)18–7 Flag of England.svg Terry Jenkins (91.62)£200,000£50,000£20,000
2008 Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor (109.47)18–9 Flag of England.svg James Wade (102.58)£300,000£60,000£30,000
2009 Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor (106.05)18–4 Flag of England.svg Terry Jenkins (92.32)£400,000£100,000£50,000
2010 Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor (105.16)18–12 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Raymond van Barneveld (100.11)
2011 Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor (103.84)18–8 Flag of England.svg James Wade (98.84) Sky Bet
2012 Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor (98.97)18–15 Flag of England.svg James Wade (95.92) Betfair
2013 Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor (111.23)18–13 Flag of England.svg Adrian Lewis (105.92) BetVictor
2014 Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor (107.19)18–9 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Michael van Gerwen (101.49)£450,000
2015 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Michael van Gerwen (99.91)18–12 Flag of England.svg James Wade (90.37)
2016 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Michael van Gerwen (103.93)18–10 Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor (101.13)
2017 Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor (104.24)18–8 Flag of Scotland.svg Peter Wright (99.74)£500,000£115,000£55,000
2018 Flag of Scotland.svg Gary Anderson (101.12)21–19 Flag of Austria.svg Mensur Suljović (104.43)
2019 Flag of England.svg Rob Cross (95.16)18–13 Flag of England.svg Michael Smith (95.91)£700,000£150,000£70,000 Betfred
2020 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Dimitri Van den Bergh (98.31)18–10 Flag of Scotland.svg Gary Anderson (92.81) Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes
2021 Flag of Scotland.svg Peter Wright (105.90)18–9 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Dimitri Van den Bergh (100.88) Winter Gardens, Blackpool
2022 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Michael van Gerwen (101.19)18–14 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Gerwyn Price (96.92)£800,000£200,000£100,000
2023 Flag of England.svg Nathan Aspinall (96.21)18–6 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Jonny Clayton (93.56)
2024 Flag of England.svg Luke Humphries (100.94)18–15 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Michael van Gerwen (98.74)
2025 Flag of England.svg Luke Littler (107.24)18–13 Flag of England.svg James Wade (101.54)

Records and statistics

As of 27 July 2024.

Total finalist appearances

RankPlayerNationalityWonRunner-upFinalsAppearances
1 Phil Taylor Flag of England.svg  England 1611724
2 Michael van Gerwen Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands 32516
3 Rod Harrington Flag of England.svg  England 2029
4 James Wade Flag of England.svg  England 16720
5 Gary Anderson Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland 11216
Peter Wright Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland 11214
Dimitri Van den Bergh Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium 1125
8 Larry Butler Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States 1013
Peter Evison Flag of England.svg  England 10111
Colin Lloyd Flag of England.svg  England 10115
Rob Cross Flag of England.svg  England 1018
Nathan Aspinall Flag of England.svg  England 1016
Luke Humphries Flag of England.svg  England 1014
Luke Littler Flag of England.svg  England 1012
14 Dennis Priestley Flag of England.svg  England 03317
15 Alan Warriner Flag of England.svg  England 02214
John Part Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada 02215
Terry Jenkins Flag of England.svg  England 02213
18 Ronnie Baxter Flag of England.svg  England 01117
Peter Manley Flag of England.svg  England 01113
Richie Burnett Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Wales 0119
Wayne Mardle Flag of England.svg  England 0117
Mark Dudbridge Flag of England.svg  England 0118
Raymond van Barneveld Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands 01114
Adrian Lewis Flag of England.svg  England 01117
Mensur Suljović Flag of Austria.svg  Austria 0117
Michael Smith Flag of England.svg  England 01112
Gerwyn Price Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Wales 01110
Jonny Clayton Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Wales 0117

Champions by country

CountryPlayersTotalFirst titleLast title
Flag of England.svg England 92519952025
Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands 1320152022
Flag of the United States.svg USA 1119941994
Flag of Scotland.svg Scotland 2220182021
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Belgium 1120202020

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.

PlayerYear (+ Round)MethodOpponentResult
Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor 2002, Quarter-Finals 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 Flag of England.svg Chris Mason Won
Flag of the Netherlands.svg Raymond van Barneveld 2010, 1st Round 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 Flag of England.svg Denis Ovens Won
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg John Part 2011, 1st Round 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Mark Webster Lost
Flag of the Netherlands.svg Michael van Gerwen 2012, 2nd Round 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 Flag of England.svg Steve Beaton Won
Flag of England.svg Wes Newton 2012, 2nd Round 3 x T20; 2 x T20, T19; 2 x T20, D12 Flag of England.svg Justin Pipe Lost
Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor 2014, 2nd Round 3 x T20; 2 x T20, T19; 2 x T20, D12 Flag of England.svg Michael Smith Won
Flag of Scotland.svg Gary Anderson 2018, Quarter-Finals 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 Flag of England.svg Joe Cullen Won
Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Gerwyn Price 2022, Semi-Finals 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T19, T20, D12 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Danny Noppert Won
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Dimitri Van den Bergh 2024, 1st Round 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T19, T20, D12 Flag of Germany.svg Martin Schindler Won
Flag of England.svg Luke Littler 2025, Semi-Finals 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T17, D15 Ulster Banner.svg Josh Rock Won

Tournament records

A match in progress on the World Matchplay stage. Hamilton v van Gerwen Matchplay08.jpg
A match in progress on the World Matchplay stage.
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:

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 [5]
AveragePlayerYear (+ Round)OpponentResult
114.99 Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor 2010, Last 32 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Barrie Bates 10–6
113.43 Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor 1997, Last 32 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Gary Mawson 8–0
112.17 Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor 2002, Quarter-Final Flag of England.svg Chris Mason 16–7
111.23 Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor 2013, Final Flag of England.svg Adrian Lewis 18–13
110.93 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Michael van Gerwen 2015, Last 16 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Jamie Lewis 13–2
110.51 Flag of England.svg Adrian Lewis 2014, Last 32 Flag of England.svg Andrew Gilding 10–0
110.37 Flag of Scotland.svg Peter Wright 2021, Semi-Final Flag of the Netherlands.svg Michael van Gerwen 17–10
109.71 Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor 2008, Last 16 Flag of England.svg Colin Osborne 13–5
109.47 Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor 2008, Final Flag of England.svg James Wade 18–9
109.47 Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor 2009, Last 16 Flag of England.svg Kevin Painter 13–3
Five highest losing averages
AveragePlayerYear (+ Round)OpponentResult
105.92 Flag of England.svg Adrian Lewis 2013, Final Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor 13–18
105.68 Flag of Scotland.svg Gary Anderson 2014, Semi-Final Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor 15–17
105.17 Flag of Scotland.svg Gary Anderson 2017, Last 16 Ulster Banner.svg Daryl Gurney 9–11
104.57 Flag of Scotland.svg Peter Wright 2019, Quarter-Final Ulster Banner.svg Daryl Gurney 13–16
104.43 Flag of Austria.svg Mensur Suljović 2018, Final Flag of Scotland.svg Gary Anderson 19–21
Different players with a 100+ match average (Updated 26/07/25)
PlayerTotalHighest Av.Year (+ Round)
Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor 62114.992010, Last 32
Flag of the Netherlands.svg Michael van Gerwen 20110.932015, Last 16
Flag of Scotland.svg Peter Wright 15110.372021, Semi-Final
Flag of Scotland.svg Gary Anderson 11106.062018, Semi-Final
Flag of England.svg James Wade 11104.442025, Last 32
Flag of England.svg Adrian Lewis 9110.512014, Last 32
Flag of England.svg Luke Humphries 7108.762024, Last 32
Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Gerwyn Price 7108.732025, Last 16
Flag of England.svg Rob Cross 7106.992024, Last 16
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Dimitri Van den Bergh 6103.682021, Last 16
Flag of England.svg Luke Littler 4108.922025, Last 32
Flag of England.svg Michael Smith 4102.082024, Last 32
Flag of England.svg Ryan Searle 3105.192023, Last 32
Ulster Banner.svg Daryl Gurney 3104.432023, Last 16
Ulster Banner.svg   Josh Rock 3104.322025, Last 32
Flag of the Netherlands.svg Raymond van Barneveld 3103.862010, Last 16
Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Jonny Clayton 3101.902023, Last 16
Flag of England.svg Mervyn King 3101.062014, Last 32
Flag of Poland.svg Krzysztof Ratajski 2107.532020, Last 32
Flag of England.svg Glen Durrant 2106.932020, Last 32
Flag of Austria.svg Mensur Suljović 2104.432018, Final
Flag of England.svg Peter Evison 2103.771996, Last 16
Flag of England.svg Ian White 2103.512015, Last 32
Flag of England.svg Dave Chisnall 2103.022018, Last 16
Flag of England.svg Stephen Bunting 2102.482016, Last 32
Flag of the Netherlands.svg Danny Noppert 2102.362022, Last 16
Flag of England.svg Andrew Gilding 2101.822025, Last 32
Flag of England.svg Steve Beaton 2100.982011, Last 32
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Damon Heta 2100.932024, Last 32
Flag of England.svg Joe Cullen 2100.672023, Last 32
Flag of the Netherlands.svg Dirk van Duijvenbode 1103.612022, Last 32
Flag of Germany.svg Martin Schindler 1103.452025, Last 32
Flag of Portugal (official).svg José de Sousa 1103.262022, Last 16
Flag of the Netherlands.svg Jeffrey de Zwaan 1103.222018, Quarter-Final
Flag of England.svg Nathan Aspinall 1102.962019, Last 32
Flag of England.svg Colin Lloyd 1102.572005, Last 16
Flag of England.svg Shayne Burgess 1102.031999, Last 16
Flag of England.svg Andy Hamilton 1101.882006, Semi-Final
Flag of the Netherlands.svg Wessel Nijman 1101.722025, Last 32
Flag of England.svg Alan Warriner-Little 1101.551997, Quarter-Final
Flag of Scotland.svg John Henderson 1101.332019, Last 32
Flag of Spain.svg Cristo Reyes 1101.292017, Last 32
Flag of England.svg Rod Harrington 1101.221997, Last 32
Flag of England.svg Jamie Hughes 1101.132020, Last 32
Flag of England.svg Kevin Painter 1101.012009, Last 32
Flag of the Netherlands.svg Gian van Veen 1100.812024, Last 32
Flag of Germany.svg Ricardo Pietreczko 1100.742024, Last 32
Flag of England.svg Mark Walsh 1100.412008, Last 32
Five highest tournament averages
AveragePlayerYear
106.31 Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor 2010
105.81 Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor 2013
105.73 Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor 2009
105.50 Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor 2011
105.12 Flag of England.svg 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.

YearRound 1Round 2QuartersSemisFinalNotes
199488111116Must win by 2 clear legs
1995–199613
1997Preliminary round: First to 6 legs
All rounds: Must win by 2 clear legs
19981318Must win by 2 clear legs
1999–201210131617
2013–2015Must win by 2 clear legs
Sudden death after 6 extra legs
2016–present11

Media coverage

The World Matchplay has been broadcast in the UK by Sky Sports since the first tournament. [6]

Sponsors

There have been seven different sponsors for the World Matchplay:

SponsorYears
Proton Cars 1994
Webster's 1995–1997
No sponsor1998–1999
Stan James 2000–2010
Skybet 2011
Betfair 2012
BetVictor [1] 2013–2018
Betfred 2019–

References

  1. 1 2 "BetVictor To Sponsor World Matchplay". Professional Darts Corporation. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  2. "News | PDC". pdc.tv. Archived from the original on 23 June 2013.
  3. "Taylor Receives World Matchplay Honour". PDC.
  4. Phillips, Josh. "Betfred World Matchplay to take place behind closed doors". Professional Darts Corporation . Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  5. dartsdatabase.co.uk; best winning averages
  6. "PDC & Sky Sports Extend Partnership". Professional Darts Corporation. Retrieved 28 July 2013.