The 2025 Matchplay is just around the corner so here is everything you need to know about the men’s and women’s tournaments, live on Sky Sports…
Humphries lifted the Phil Taylor Trophy for the first time 12 months ago and will begin his defence against Gian van Veen, the World Youth Champion, on Saturday.
Teenage superstar and reigning World Champion Littler will step up to the oche on Sunday to take on Ryan Searle, a 2023 Matchplay quarter-finalist.
Dutch icons will go head-to-head when Michael van Gerwen and Raymond van Barneveld meet in Blackpool on Monday.
Luke Humphries and Luke Littler both react to the special achievement of being awarded with MBEs.
Van Gerwen – the runner-up to Humphries last year – is bidding for a fourth World Matchplay title against five-time World Champion Van Barneveld, the runner-up at this event back in 2010.
Former runner-up Jonny Clayton begins his campaign against German No 1 Martin Schindler.
Fourth seed Stephen Bunting will play Ryan Joyce in a repeat of their first round showdown 12 months ago, with 2023 champion Nathan Aspinall drawn against Dutch debutant Wessel Nijman.
Rob Cross and Peter Wright – the winners in 2019 and 2021 respectively – also face Dutch opposition in Dirk van Duijvenbode and Jermaine Wattimena, while 2018 champion Gary Anderson plays Luke Woodhouse for a place in the last 16.
2007 champion James Wade – also a five-time runner-up – will make his 20th consecutive World Matchplay appearance later this month, and he gets his bid underway against 2023 semi-finalist Joe Cullen.
Take a look at our picks of Luke Littler and Luke Humphries’ best 2025 Premier League checkouts.
Former finalist Gerwyn Price meets Northern Ireland’s newly crowned World Cup champion Daryl Gurney, whose Northern Ireland team-mate Josh Rock takes on former European Champion Ross Smith for the second straight year.
Chris Dobey faces German No 2 Ricardo Pietreczko, as Australian No 1 Damon Heta goes up against former UK Open champion Andrew Gilding.
Five-time quarter-finalist Dave Chisnall and World Grand Prix champion Mike De Decker also collide, with 2022 semi-finalist Danny Noppert awaiting debutant Cameron Menzies in round one.
When and where is the World Matchplay?
Highlights of the World Matchplay final as Luke Humphries took on Michael van Gerwen.
The 2025 Betfred World Matchplay will take place from July 19-27 at the iconic Winter Gardens in Blackpool, as a star-studded 32-player field compete for the £200,000 top prize.
The first round of the sport’s summer showpiece sees the world’s top 16 players seeded and pitted against the top 16 qualifiers from the one-year ProTour Rankings.
The sport’s biggest names will compete across nine days of action at the Empress Ballroom, with £800,000 in prize money and the coveted Phil Taylor Trophy up for grabs, all of it live on Sky Sports.
Speaking on Love The Darts, Michael Bridge and Stuart Pyke discuss the rivalry between Luke Humphries and Luke Littler after the pair contested the Premier League play-off final.
Who is taking part in the men’s event?
Humphries will take centre stage on Saturday’s opening night, as former champions Aspinall and Wade also star in a bumper line-up.
Littler will headline Sunday’s double-session alongside the likes of Bunting, Clayton, Cross and Anderson, before Van Gerwen and Price enter the fray on Day Three, as the first round draws to a close on Monday evening.
Luke Humphries celebrates winning the World Matchplay after defeating Michael van Gerwen in the final.
First-round draw:
Luke Humphries (1) vs Gian van Veen
Danny Noppert (16) vs Cameron Menzies
Nathan Aspinall (8) vs Wessel Nijman
James Wade (9) vs Joe Cullen
Stephen Bunting (4) vs Ryan Joyce
Gary Anderson (13) vs Luke Woodhouse
Jonny Clayton (5) vs Martin Schindler
Dave Chisnall (12) vs Mike De Decker
Luke Littler (2) vs Ryan Searle
Peter Wright (15) vs Jermaine Wattimena
Damon Heta (7) vs Andrew Gilding
Rob Cross (10) vs Dirk van Duijvenbode
Michael van Gerwen (3) vs Raymond van Barneveld
Ross Smith (14) vs Josh Rock
Chris Dobey (6) vs Ricardo Pietreczko
Gerwyn Price (11) vs Daryl Gurney
What is the format?
The World Matchplay is a legs format, with the number of legs required to win increasing as the rounds go on.
Each match must be won by two clear legs unless the score is tied after six legs.
- Round 1: first to 10 legs (sudden death at 12-12)
- Round 2: first to 11 legs (sudden death at 13-13)
- Quarter-finals: first to 16 legs (sudden death at 18-18)
- Semi-finals: first to 17 legs (sudden death at 19-19)
- Final: first to 18 legs (sudden death at 20-20)
Luke Humphries pays tribute to Phil Taylor for his advice and support after claiming the Premier League Darts title for 2025.
Who are the previous winners?
The World Matchplay has a long list of stellar winners, with Humphries heading into the 2025 tournament as the defending champion.
The first winner was Larry Butler back in 1994 before Phil Taylor then picked up his first win of 16 (yes, 16) in 1995.
Luke Humphries wins the World Matchplay title with a sensational 100 finish against Michael van Gerwen.
Taylor also won the 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2017 Matchplays.
During his 2002 win, Taylor also threw the first ever televised nine-darter and such dominance led to the trophy being renamed after him in 2018.
Other winners include Michael van Gerwen (2015, 2016 and 2022), Gary Anderson (2018), Rob Cross (2019), Dimitri Van den Bergh (2020), and Peter Wright (2021).
Dimitri Van den Bergh hits a nine-darter against Martin Schindler in the World Matchplay.
What is the prize fund?
It is fair to say there is a lot at stake!
Winner £200,000
Runner-Up £100,000
Semi-Finalists £50,000
Quarter-Finalists £30,000
Second Round Losers £15,000
First Round Losers £10,000
Total £800,000
When is the women’s World Matchplay?
The story of women’s finals day at the World Matchplay.
The women’s World Matchplay takes place in the afternoon of Sunday July 27, live on Sky Sports.
Eight of the top women’s players in the world will battle it out to be crowned champion on the Winter Gardens stage in what is the fourth edition of the women’s event.
Who is in the women’s event?
Beau Greaves successfully retains the Women’s World Matchplay title with a 6-3 victory over Fallon Sherrock.
Eight of the top women’s players will take part in the event, with defending back-to-back champion Beau Greaves returning to Blackpool, she will be joined by Fallon Sherrock, Kirski Viinikainen, Lisa Ashton, Robyn Byrne, Noa-Lynn van Leuven, Lorrain Winstanley, and Gemma Hayter.
Quarter-final draw:
Beau Greaves vs Kirski Viinikainen
Lisa Ashton vs Robyn Byrne
Noa-Lynn van Leuven vs Lorraine Winstanley
Fallon Sherrock vs Gemma Hayter
Who are the previous winners?
Speaking on Love The Darts, Laura Turner and Matt Edgar believe now is the time for Beau Greaves to play at the PDC World Championship.
The ‘Queen of the Palace’ Sherrock was the inaugural winner of the Women’s Matchplay when she won back in 2022 in the first fully televised women’s tournament as she beat Aileen de Graaf 6-3 in the final.
From then, Greaves has gone to win the tournament in both 2023 and 2024. In 2023, she trounced Mikuru Suzuki 6-1 and in 2024, she kept hold of the trophy with a 6-3 win over Sherrock.
What is the format?
The World Matchplay is also a legs format, with the number of legs required to win increasing as the rounds go on.
The Women’s World Matchplay starts with quarter-finals which are the best of seven legs before the semi-finals being competed in a best of nine legs format.
The final is then the best of eleven legs.
Quarter-finals: Best of seven legs
Beau Greaves vs Kirski Viinikainen
Lisa Ashton vs Robyn Byrne
Noa-Lynn van Leuven vs Lorraine Winstanley
Fallon Sherrock vs Gemma Hayter
Semi-finals: Best of nine legs
TBC
Final: Best of eleven legs
TBC
What is the prize fund?
Winner: £10,000
Runner-Up: £5,000
Semi-Finalists: £2,500
Quarter-Finalists: £1,250
Total: £25,000
Watch the World Matchplay live on Sky Sports from July 19-27 or stream without a contract.
This news was originally published on this post .
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