World Matchplay: Fixtures, results, format with Luke Littler vs Michael van Gerwen in first-round action | Darts News

Reigning champion Nathan Aspinall and world champion Luke Humphries will headline the opening night of the 2024 World Matchplay on Saturday July 13, with the schedule of play confirmed for the showpiece event.

Aspinall will begin his title defence against debutant Luke Woodhouse when the £800,000 tournament gets underway as the Stockport star bids to join Rod Harrington, Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen in winning back-to-back World Matchplays.

World Champion Humphries – the No 1 seed – will open his challenge against Germany’s Ricardo Pietreczko on a star-studded opening night at Blackpool’s Winter Gardens, as former finalists Gerwyn Price, Jonny Clayton and Raymond van Barneveld also feature.

2023 runner-up Clayton takes on five-time World Champion Van Barneveld for a place in the last 16, while 2022 finalist Price will play two-time semi-finalist Daryl Gurney in the opening match of the tournament.

Sunday’s two sessions have been moved forward to 12pm and 4.30pm respectively to ensure the day’s play is concluded before England kick off in the Euro 2024 final against Spain at 8pm.

The first round will conclude with a bumper evening session on Monday July 15, as three-time champion Michael van Gerwen goes head-to-head with debutant Luke Littler in one of the most highly-anticipated first-round ties in World Matchplay history.

World number three Michael Smith and 2018 champion Gary Anderson will lock horns in another heavyweight showdown, while Australian number one Damon Heta plays Ryan Searle in a battle of last year’s quarter-finalists.

Chris Dobey – who also reached the last eight 12 months ago – will round off the first-round action when he takes on Ritchie Edhouse, one of five debutants in this year’s 32-player field.

The second round will take place on Tuesday July 16 and Wednesday July 17, before the quarter-finals are staged across Thursday July 18 and Friday July 19.

The semi-finals will be held on Saturday July 20, before the final takes place on Sunday July 21, as the remaining two players compete for the £200,000 top prize and the coveted Phil Taylor Trophy.

This year’s visit to the Winter Gardens will once again feature the Betfred Women’s World Matchplay, which will see eight players competing in the third edition of the event on the afternoon of Sunday July 21.

World Matchplay schedule:

Saturday July 13 (7.30pm)

First Round

Gerwyn Price v Daryl Gurney

Jonny Clayton v Raymond van Barneveld

Luke Humphries v Ricardo Pietreczko

Nathan Aspinall v Luke Woodhouse

Sunday July 14

Afternoon Session (12pm)

First Round:

Ross Smith v Josh Rock

Danny Noppert v James Wade

Dimitri Van den Bergh v Martin Schindler

Stephen Bunting v Ryan Joyce

Evening Session (4.30pm)

First Round:

Rob Cross v Gian van Veen

Joe Cullen v Brendan Dolan

Peter Wright v Andrew Gilding

Dave Chisnall v Krzysztof Ratajski

Monday July 15 (7pm)

First Round:

Damon Heta v Ryan Searle

Michael Smith v Gary Anderson

Michael van Gerwen v Luke Littler

Chris Dobey v Ritchie Edhouse

Tuesday July 16 (7pm)

Second Round x4

Wednesday July 17 (7pm)

Second Round x4

Thursday July 18 (8pm)

Quarter-Finals x2

Friday July 19 (8pm)

Quarter-Finals x2

Saturday July 20 (8pm)

Semi-Finals

Sunday July 21

Afternoon Session (1pm)

Women’s World Matchplay:

Quarter-Finals:

Beau Greaves v Katie Sheldon

Mikuru Suzuki v Noa-Lynn van Leuven

Fallon Sherrock v Anastasia Dobromyslova

Lisa Ashton v Rhian O’Sullivan

Semi-Finals:

Greaves/Sheldon v Suzuki/Van Leuven

Sherrock/Dobromyslova v Ashton/O’Sullivan

Final

Evening Session (8pm)

World Matchplay Final

When and where is the World Matchplay?

The World Matchplay kicks off on Saturday July 13 and runs until Sunday July 21, with every dart live on Sky Sports.

The tournament takes place at the iconic Winter Gardens in Blackpool and 2024 marks the 31st edition of the Matchplay, the ballroom hosting some of darts’ most iconic moments.

With the darts calendar in full swing, the World Matchplay is the second major of the season after the UK Open, which Dimitri Van den Bergh won with an 11-10 victory over world champion Luke Humphries.

As the top 32 in the world prepare to face off, this prestigious event is not to be missed!

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)

Who are the previous winners?

The World Matchplay has a long list of stellar winners, with Aspinall heading into the 2024 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.

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).

Watch the World Matchplay Darts from July 13-21 live on Sky Sports.