Having teamed up to win last month’s World Cup of Darts , Luke Littler and Luke Humphries will go back to being title rivals at the World Matchplay in Blackpool .
The Winter Gardens spectacular is second only to the World Championship in terms of prestige and here we rank the six leading contenders to lift the Phil Taylor Trophy , in reverse order:
Gian van Veen
6. GIAN VAN VEEN @ 16/1
The Giant reached the quarter-finals here 12 months ago and returns as a World Championship runner-up. Van Veen’s overall form this season has been inconsistent, but a good recent run to the US Darts Masters semis, when only losing out 7-6 to Humphries , should stand him in good stead.
Michael van Gerwen
5. MICHAEL VAN GERWEN @ 16/1
Mighty Mike is second only to Taylor in terms of World Matchplay title triumphs, albeit 13 wins behind The Power on three outright victories. However, other than a World Cup final appearance for Holland alongside Van Veen , his performances this year have lacked sparkle.
Gerwyn Price
4. GERWYN PRICE @ 12/1
The Iceman has saved his best for the big events so far in 2026, getting as far as the semi-finals at the World Masters and the UK Open , as well as in the Premier League . Health issues and distractions away from the oche have affected his other results, but Price should be back fully focused for Blackpool .
Wessel Nijman
3. WESSEL NIJMAN @ 10/1
Conversely, the 26-year-old Dutchman lacks pedigree in terms of performing to a high level at televised ranking tournaments but he is enjoying a breakout season in lesser events. Nijman has picked up six Players Championships wins and recently added a Slovak Darts Open triumph to his European Darts Trophy success from March, so he is very much a rising star who some will feel represents a value pick in their World Matchplay predictions.
Luke Humphries
2. LUKE HUMPHRIES @ 5/1
The 2024 World Matchplay champion relished earning England a sixth World Cup of Darts win alongside Littler last month, with the sport’s top two players justifying favouritism in Frankfurt . “We are pushing the game, we are pushing the standard of the game as high as we can and it’s just up to everyone to try and catch us and stop us from winning pretty much everything,” declared Humphries .
The 31-year-old continued an excellent run of form by edging out Littler 8-7 in the US Darts Masters decider at Madison Square Garden in New York and now bids to repeat the trick at another iconic venue.
Luke Littler
1. LUKE LITTLER @ 10/11
The Nuke may have had to settle for second best across the Atlantic but he has come out on top in all five of the leading televised PDC events staged so far this year. Following a second World Championship triumph, there have been World Masters , UK Open , World Cup and Premier League wins and the 19-year-old has generally held the upper hand in his personal battle for supremacy with Humphries .
Defending his World Matchplay title is next on the agenda and, although pushed hard on several occasions, Littler performed to a consistently high standard here 12 months ago, posting averages such as 108.92, 107.5 and 107.24, as well as hitting a nine-dart finish in the semis.
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