Luke Littler retained the Phil Taylor Trophy at the 2026 Betfred World Matchplay, beating Gerwyn Price 18-9 in the final on Sunday 26 July at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool. It was a near-flawless defence: Littler averaged above 109 in every one of his five matches, hit a nine-dart finish along the way, and broke two of Phil Taylor’s long-standing tournament records in the process.
The win made the 19-year-old the fourth player ever to retain the World Matchplay title, and the first to do it since Michael van Gerwen in 2016. It was also his 14th PDC major title and pushed his career PDC World Ranking earnings past £3 million, a milestone no player had reached before.
The Final
Littler took control early, moving 4-1 up in the first session with a 167 checkout, his first bullseye finish of the week. From 7-3, he reeled off four legs in just 47 darts, including checkouts of 128 and 127, to lead 11-3. Price hit back, winning six of the next ten legs, including a nine-dart finish of his own, to close the gap to 15-9. Littler shut the door with a 148 checkout and a break of throw, sealing an 18-9 win with an 81 finish on the bullseye.
The 111.53 average Littler posted in the final beat the previous record of 111.23, set by Phil Taylor in the 2013 final. His overall tournament average of 111.04 also beat Taylor’s mark of 106.31 from 2010, the best a champion had ever averaged across the week. He finished with 66 maximums for the tournament, extending his own record of 64 set in 2025, and it was his tenth consecutive win over Price. Price, runner-up for the second time after also losing the 2022 final, averaged 104.92, the second-highest losing average in a World Matchplay final.
How Littler Got There
Littler opened his defence with a 10-6 win over debutant Niko Springer, then produced the tournament’s standout moment in the second round: the 11th nine-dart finish in World Matchplay history, completed with a 141 checkout on double 15 in the opening leg against Nathan Aspinall. He went on to win that match 11-8, averaging 113.68, the second-highest single-match average in tournament history behind only Taylor’s 114.99 from 2010.
He beat Josh Rock 16-7 in the quarter-finals, a rematch of their 2025 semi-final, then saw off unseeded Dirk van Duijvenbode 17-5 in the semis to reach a second straight final.
The Rest of the Draw
Gerwyn Price’s route to the final was far less comfortable. He escaped a 4-0 and 6-2 deficit to beat Martin Schindler in round one, then needed a tie-break to see off Ross Smith’s fightback in the quarter-finals before beating Gian van Veen 17-10 in the semis.
There were shocks throughout the draw. Cameron Menzies knocked out second seed and world number two Luke Humphries 10-7 in the first round, calling it the best moment of his career, before withdrawing ill during his second-round match against Ross Smith, who advanced as a result. Three-time champion Michael van Gerwen was eliminated in the second round by unseeded Dirk van Duijvenbode, and 2021 champion Peter Wright failed to qualify for the tournament for the first time since 2012.
Prize Money
The 2026 prize fund was a record £1,000,000, up from £800,000 the year before.
| Stage | Prize money |
|---|---|
| Winner | £225,000 |
| Runner-up | £125,000 |
| Semi-finalists (2) | £65,000 |
| Quarter-finalists (4) | £35,000 |
| Second round (8) | £22,500 |
| First round (16) | £12,500 |
| Total | £1,000,000 |
World Matchplay prize money feeds directly into the two-year Order of Merit that decides seedings for the World Championship and every other major, so this result has knock-on effects well beyond Blackpool.
The Format
The Matchplay is played in legs rather than sets, with the format lengthening as the tournament progresses.
| Round | Format |
|---|---|
| First round | Best of 19 legs |
| Second round | Best of 21 legs |
| Quarter-finals | Best of 31 legs |
| Semi-finals | Best of 33 legs |
| Final | Best of 35 legs |
Every match has to be won by two clear legs, with a sudden-death leg deciding matches still level after the maximum: 12-12 in the first round, rising to 20-20 in the final.
The Women’s World Matchplay
Beau Greaves won her third Women’s World Matchplay title, beating Fallon Sherrock 6-5 in a last-leg decider on finals day. It was a repeat of the 2025 final, in which Lisa Ashton had beaten Sherrock by the same scoreline to win her maiden title. Greaves’ win in 2026 extended her record as the tournament’s most successful player, having also won in 2023 and 2024.
What’s Next
Littler’s Matchplay defence continues his extraordinary run through 2026’s ranking majors, having already won the World Championship, World Masters, and UK Open this year, alongside the unranked Premier League and World Cup of Darts. The next PDC major is the World Grand Prix, running from 28 September to 4 October, followed by the Grand Slam of Darts in November and the World Championship starting in December.