World Matchplay 2026: How hard is it for Luke Littler to join Michael van Gerwen and Phil Taylor for a comeback at the Winter Gardens? | Arrow News

The World Matchplay was a tournament dominated by Phil Taylor as – from 1994 to 2014 – he secured 15 Blackpool victories out of a possible 21. Yes, you read that right.

Taylor had been in control of the Winter Gardens for nearly two decades, making turning back look like an easy task.

He dominated the stage for Blackpool and it seemed that defending the title in such a competition was an easy question. He dominated so much that after his retirement, the trophy was named after him.

Then came Michael van Gerwen who continued this trend.

The Dutchman achieved the height of the Matchplay in 2015 and 2016, beating James Wade and Taylor himself to make it a double by the sea.

MVG’s accolades for both of those tournaments made for amazing reading.

Going into the 2015 Matchplay he held the World Grand Prix, European Championship, Masters and UK Open crowns.

After that, entering the 2016 Matchplay, he had World Matchplay, European Championship, Grand Slam of Darts, Players Championship Finals, Masters, UK Open and Premier League titles.

He was also world No. 1 on both occasions and won a mock 11 of 18 Euro Tour events in 2015 and 2016.

Although the Matchplay dominance looked certain, it was a trend that was soon disrupted because Van Gerwen managed it only once despite his dominance in the late 2010s and Luke Humphries failed at the first hurdle, a flurry of winners coming between the two players at the top.

The current champion is world No 1 Luke Littler who also boasts World Grand Prix, Grand Slam of Darts, Players Championship Finals, World Championship, World Masters, UK Open, Premier League and World Cup titles.

Like Littler, Van Gerwen was untouchable as the best player in the world. His one downfall? He did not win the World Darts Championship at any time in 2015 or 2016 before winning again in 2017.

Littler has won the last two world championships and is now looking to become the first player in a decade to retain the Matchplay title and set another bit of history.

How Matchplay goes literally determines the trajectory of Littler’s year. If he ends up, he continues his sweeping mission. Are you failing? Then how many tournaments he enters in the remainder of 2026 changes dramatically.

Littler did what Van Gerwen did not when he claimed the World Darts Championship two years in a row.

“If I had to choose, I would change all the other tournaments that I have won in this one. It is the most important one and I will try to get my title back, but the level is high and you are not allowed to make mistakes,” said Van Gerwen in November 2015 before the Worlds.

Littler doesn’t have to change any silverware to get the Sid Waddell Trophy as he retains the title.

Now it’s time for him to show that he can do it again on the Matchplay stage.

Will a win in the Matchplay bring a title defense to Minehead?

Michael Bridge of Sky Sports News…

“He’ll be there in football, no doubt. He hasn’t played much lately, obviously he’s in America for the World Series, he’s doing a lot of PR events, but we know he’s not part of the EuroTour yet.

“There are still questions about how he will do the Pro Tours. I think he might change his mind if he wins the Matchplay because he will want to win everything.

“I know people in the team deny that, but I think he will be successful if he wins the Matchplay.

“We know Luke, we know that when there is a goal, he drives in an amazing way.

“There was a suggestion to me that it was too late for him to come to Minehead, but of course there is time. There is plenty of time.

“But if he gets through this, I think it might encourage him to maybe go to Minehead.”

When is World Matchplay live on Sky Sports?

The World Matchplay starts on Saturday July 18 and ends on Sunday July 26.

All nine days of the event will be featured live on Sky Sportsand opening day coverage starting on Sky Sports+ at 7pm Not got Sky? Get instant access NOW