Luke Littler wins at the World Matchplay (Picture: Taylor Lanning/PDC)

Luke Littler begins his World Matchplay campaign

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

Darts

Sat July 18, 2026 · 3M ago

The 2026 Betfred World Matchplay gets under way at the Winter Gardens on Saturday night so check out Chris Hammer's match-by-match predictions, best bets and a suggested acca.

World Matchplay night one: Saturday July 18

TV Coverage: Sky Sports, 1900 BST
Format: First round, best of 19 legs

SL Acca: 1pt Woodhouse, Zonneveld & Aspinall all to win at 19/2 with Sky Bet

Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair Sportsbook

Josh Rock v Luke Woodhouse

Three-Dart Average (2026): 101.00 - 91.96
180s per leg (2026): 0.43 - 0.24
Checkout Percentage (2026): 42.82% - 38.59%
Titles won in 2026 (TV titles in brackets): 4 (3) - 0 (0)

Luke Woodhouse is currently enjoying his most progressive season yet having won a maiden PDC ranking title on the Pro Tour before picking up a European Tour title just 12 days later.

This came as no surprise to any knowledgable darts fans who have witnessed his growth over the past couple of years while his runs to the fourth round of the last two World Championships prove he can produce big performances on the major stage.

CLICK HERE FOR OUR FULL WORLD MATCHPLAY TOURNAMENT PREVIEW AND STATS

Chris Hammer's preview is now available for all readers

He's yet to win a match on the World Matchplay stage and this first-round draw is certainly not ideal but I can foresee a minor upset on opening night, especially given Josh Rock has struggled to find his best form this season due to a highly disappointing Premier League debut.

Prediction: 7-10

Stephen Bunting v Niels Zonneveld

Three-Dart Average (2026): 95.45 - 94.04
180s per leg (2026): 0.31 - 0.34
Checkout Percentage (2026): 37.93% - 38.18%
Titles won in 2026 (TV titles in brackets): 0 (0) - 0 (0)

SELECTION: 1pt Niels Zonneveld to win and hit most 180s at 3/1 (Sky Bet)

Stephen Bunting hasn't had too much to shout about this season and faces a tricky opening round against Niels Zonneveld.

Blackpool isn't exactly a happy Bunting ground for the Bullet either, having reached just two quarter-finals in 11 previous visits here while he's been a first-round casualty on seven occasions.

We don't know what Zonneveld can do here because this is his Winter Gardens debut thanks to a steady climb up the rankings and in March this year he reached back-to-back European Tour semi-finals, including a victory over Luke Littler in the Belgian Darts Open.

I sense a shock could be on the cards and I'm also throwing in the most 180s for the power scoring Zonneveld, who has a slightly higher maximum per leg rate than Bunting this season.

Scoreline Prediction: 6-10

Luke Littler v Niko Springer

Three-Dart Average (2026): 101.00 - 91.96
180s per leg (2026): 0.43 - 0.24
Checkout Percentage (2026): 42.82% - 38.59%
Titles won in 2026 (TV titles in brackets): 4 (3) - 0 (0)

SELECTION: 2pts Luke Littler (-5.5) to beat Niko Springer at 29/20 (Boylesports)

There's no easy game on the major stage but I think it's fair to say that Niko Springer is probably one of the softest draws Luke Littler could have got to begin the defence of his World Matchplay title.

Niko Springer has plenty of potential but his stats simply don't stand up to Littler's and he's struggled to reach the latter stages of many tournaments this season.

The match treble is a tempting 5/6 with Sky Bet but I'm going to be slightly bolder and back Littler to win by six legs or more.

Scoreline prediction: 10-4

Nathan Aspinall v Joe Cullen

Three-Dart Average (2026): 95.31 - 94.37
180s per leg (2026): 0.33 - 0.34
Checkout Percentage (2026): 36.72% - 38.66%
Titles won in 2026 (TV titles in brackets): 1 (0) - 0 (0)

SELECTION: 1pt over 12.5 180s in Aspinall v Cullen at 2/1 (Boylesports, William Hill)

Nathan Aspinall heads to Blackpool a lot fresher than most players having been extremely selective with his schedule this season and I'm expecting a big week from him.

The Asp is flying under the radar despite picking up a European Tour title back in April while Joe Cullen has featured in a lot more tournaments this year without much success apart from reaching one Players Championship final.

Aspinall is a former champion here and has plenty of positive memories to call upon but the same can't really be said of the Rockstar who has suffered plenty of early exits down the years.

All that said, it should be an entertaining battle with plenty of 180s to keep the Blackpool fans distracted from England's Bronze Medal medal hopes in America.

Scoreline prediction: 10-7