Wessel Nijman

World Matchplay darts 2026: Day five predictions, betting tips, acca, order of play and TV time

Darts

Wed July 22, 2026 · 2M ago

The 2026 Betfred World Matchplay continues on Wednesday night so check out Chris Hammer's match-by-match predictions, best bets and a suggested acca.

World Matchplay: Wednesday July 22

TV Coverage: Sky Sports, 1900 BST
Format: Second round, best of 21 legs

SL Acca: 1pt Smith (-2.5), N i jman (-2.5), Cross (+2.5) & Wade all to win at 11/1 with Sky Bet

Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair Sportsbook

Cameron Menzies v Ross Smith

Three-Dart Average (2026): 92.11 - 95.86
180s per leg (2026): 0.29 - 0.34
Checkout Percentage (2026): 37.43% - 41.14%
Titles won in 2026 (TV titles in brackets): 1 (1) - 2 (0)

SELECTION: 2pts Ross Smith to win and hit most 180s at 6/4 (Sky Bet)

Cameron Menzies stunned the world and himself to knock Luke Humphries out of the World Matchplay on a memorable Monday night, claiming “no matter what I do in my life, I will take this to my grave.”

To complete the upset with a 170 checkout was truly special but now he's got to get his feet back on the ground and beat an opponent he'll feel much more on a par with.

Ross Smith opened up with an impressive 10-6 victory over Kevin Doets in which he averaged 100.55 and fired in seven 180s, while he headed into this tournament on the back of winning a couple of titles this season.

It would be typical for Menzies to follow such an incredible high in his rollercoaster career with an abrupt exit, and Smith is certainly well capable doing just that with his consistent scoring power.

Scoreline Prediction: 7-11

Gian van Veen v Wessel Nijman

Three-Dart Average (2026): 95.79 - 97.70
180s per leg (2026): 0.27 - 0.34
Checkout Percentage (2026): 40.26% - 44.08%
Titles won in 2026 (TV titles in brackets): 0 (0) - 8 (0)

SELECTION: 2pts Wessel Nijman to win and hit most 180s at 6/5 (Sky Bet)

Wessel Nijman is one of my tips for the whole title and made a fairly impressive statement against Dave Chisnall on Sunday as he averaged 98.63 in a 10-5 victory.

The rising Dutch star, who has won an incredible eight titles this season, knows he'll probably need to up the ante against Gian van Veen and there's no doubt he's capable of that if required.

Nijman doesn't have the best head-to-head records with Van Veen but crucially he won their last meeting on the European Tour 6-1 nack in March to snap a five match losing run on the Pro Tour and since then he's gone from strength to strength while his compatriot has endured a difficult campaign.

He's been far more prolific on the 180s front so far in 2026 so I'm backing Nijman to progress with most maximums.

Scoreline Prediction: 6-11

Gerwyn Price v Rob Cross

Three-Dart Average (2026): 99.36 - 96.01
180s per leg (2026): 0.32 - 0.26
Checkout Percentage (2026): 43.04% - 37.56%
Titles won in 2026 (TV titles in brackets): 2 (0) - 1 (0)

Gerwyn Price was in debt to the crowd after coming from 6-2 down to defeat Martin Schindler in round one and even he admitted he probably shouldn't still be in the competition.

He said: “Without the crowd, I would have lost today. It was probably the worst I’ve played all season. It was a tough one for me, I’m low on confidence at the minute just because I haven’t played a lot. That’s probably one of those game I should have lost, but I’ve won and I’m still in the tournament. I’ll put some hours on the board tomorrow."

He may need a lot of hours on the board ahead of racing a resurgent Rob Cross, who brushed aside the dangerous Danny Nopperty 10-3 with an average of 97 and 53% on his doubles.

Voltage has put aside his personal life issues to reach a couple of finals since the start of June, winning one of them at Players Championship 22 and then finishing runner-up to Wessel Nijman on the European Tour.

If we go on recent form and confidence, then it's got to be Cross.

Scoreline Prediction: 7-11

James Wade v Ryan Searle

Three-Dart Average (2026): 94.68 - 94.73
180s per leg (2026): 0.23 - 0.26
Checkout Percentage (2026): 42.8% - 40.28%
Titles won in 2026 (TV titles in brackets): 1 (0) - 1 (0)

James Wade loves the World Matchplay and he used the crowd support to his advantage once again to see off Jermaine Wattimena 10-7 in a hard-fought battle on Sunday.

The Machine adores playing in front of genuine darts fans and the Winter Gardens is where some of his finest performances have come down the years and even as recently as last year he averaged over 100 for the tournament en route to finishing runner-up to Luke Littler.

He 'only' averaged 96 last time out and I'm expecting him to up his game against the extremely solid Ryan Searle, who kept William O'Connor at bay in a 10-6 victory.

Their head-to-head record is four wins apiece but pair haven't actually met since 2024 and never on this stage which always gives Wade an edge.

Scoreline Prediction: 11-7

World Matchplay Darts: Draw Bracket

ROUND ONE

(1) Luke Littler 10-6 Niko Springer
(16) Nathan Aspinall 10-5 Joe Cullen
(8) Josh Rock 10-4 Luke Woodhouse
(9) Stephen Bunting 13-12 Niels Zonneveld
(4) Michael van Gerwen 10-6 Andrew Gilding
(13) Chris Dobey 11-13 Dirk van Duijvenbode
(5) Jonny Clayton 10-7 Damon Heta
(12) Gary Anderson 10-2 Ryan Joyce
(2) Luke Humphries 7-10 Cameron Menzies
(15) Ross Smith 10-6 Kevin Doets
(7) Gerwyn Price 11-9 Martin Schindler
(10) Danny Noppert 3-10 Rob Cross
(3) Gian van Veen 10-6 Krzysztof Ratajski
(14) Wessel Nijman 10-5 Dave Chisnall
(6) James Wade 10-7 Jermaine Wattimena
(11) Ryan Searle 10-6 William O’Connor

ROUND TWO

(1) Luke Littler 11-8 Nathan Aspinall (16)
(8) Josh Rock 11-6 Stephen Bunting (9)
(4) Michael van Gerwen 12-14 Dirk van Duijvenbode
(5) Jonny Clayton 7-11 Gary Anderson (12)
Cameron Menzies v Ross Smith (15)
(7) Gerwyn Price v Rob Cross
(3) Gian van Veen v Wessel Nijman (14)
(6) James Wade v Ryan Searle (11)

World Matchplay Darts: Daily Schedule

Click here for Sky Bet odds
* Each game must be won by two clear legs, with up to a maximum of five additional legs being played before the sixth additional leg is sudden-death

Saturday July 18 (1900 BST)
First Round (best of 19 legs)
TV Channel: Sky Sports

Josh Rock 10-4 Luke Woodhouse
Stephen Bunting 13-12 Niels Zonneveld
Luke Littler 10-6 Niko Springer
Nathan Aspinall 10-5 Joe Cullen

Sunday July 19
Morning Session (1300 BST)
First Round (best of 19 legs)
TV Channel: Sky Sports

Dirk van Duijvenbode 13-11 Chris Dobey
Gary Anderson 10-2 Ryan Joyce
Michael van Gerwen 10-6 Andrew Gilding
Jonny Clayton 10-7 Damon Heta

Evening Session (1900 BST)
First Round (best of 19 legs)
TV Channel: Sky Sports

Ryan Searle 10-6 William O’Connor
James Wade 10-7 Jermaine Wattimena
Gian van Veen 10-6 Krzysztof Ratajski
Wessel Nijman 10-5 Dave Chisnall

Monday July 20 (1900 BST)
First Round (best of 19 legs)
TV Channel: Sky Sports

Ross Smith 10-6 Kevin Doets
Gerwyn Price 11-9 Martin Schindler
Cameron Menzies 10-7 Luke Humphries
Rob Cross 10-3 Danny Noppert

Tuesday July 21 (1900 BST)
Second Round (best of 21 legs)
TV Channel: Sky Sports

Gary Anderson 11-7 Jonny Clayton
Dirk van Duijvenbode 14-12 Michael van Gerwen
Luke Littler 11-8 Nathan Aspinall
Josh Rock 11-6 Stephen Bunting

Wednesday July 22 (1900 BST)T)
Second Round (best of 21 legs)
TV Channel: Sky Sports

Cameron Menzies v Ross Smith
Gian van Veen v Wessel Nijman
Gerwyn Price v Rob Cross
James Wade v Ryan Searle

Thursday July 24 (1900 BST)
Quarter-Finals (Best of 31 legs)
TV Channel: Sky Sports

Two matches

Friday July 24 (1900 BST)
Quarter-Finals (Best of 31 legs)
TV Channel: Sky Sports

Two matches

Saturday July 25 (1900 BST)
Semi-Finals (best of 33 legs)
TV Channel: Sky Sports

Winner QF 1 v Winner QF 2
Winner QF 3 v Winner QF 4

Sunday July 26 (2030 BST)
Final (best of 35 legs)
TV Channel: Sky Sports

Winner SF 1 v Winner SF 2

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