# World Matchplay (darts)

The World Matchplay, also known as the Betfred World Matchplay for sponsorship purposes, is a professional darts tournament and one of three legs of the Triple Crown. It is played in a legs format, and is run by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). Luke Humphries is the current champion after winning the 2024 edition.

## History

The World Matchplay has been played annually since 1994 in the Empress Ballroom at the Winter Gardens, Blackpool. The first ever winner was Larry Butler, who beat Dennis Priestley 16–12, and the current holder is Luke Humphries.
The 1995 World Matchplay turned out to be Jocky Wilson's last appearance in a major televised event. Wilson had reached the quarter-finals of the inaugural tournament in 1994 and he beat Rod Harrington in the 1st round in 1995, but a 2nd round defeat against Nigel Justice was effectively the end of his career.
From 1994 to 2012, matches at the World Matchplay had to be won by two clear legs. For example, the first round was usually played over the first to 10 legs, but if the score reached 9–9, play continued until either player gained a two-leg lead. Starting with the 2013 World Matchplay, if a two leg-lead hadn't been established after six extra legs, then a sudden death leg is played, so sudden death would come into play in a first round match at 12–12.
Over the course of the tournament's 31-year existence, there have been thirteen different winners: Phil Taylor (16), Michael van Gerwen (3), Rod Harrington (2), Gary Anderson (1), Nathan Aspinall (1), Larry Butler (1), Rob Cross (1), Peter Evison (1), Luke Humphries (1), Colin Lloyd (1), Dimitri Van den Bergh (1), James Wade (1) and Peter Wright (1). Dennis Priestley was also runner-up for three consecutive years.
From 2018 onwards, the World Matchplay champion will receive the Phil Taylor Trophy, as was announced by the PDC following the retirement of the sixteen-time winner of the tournament.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, the 2020 World Matchplay was held at the Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes, behind closed doors.

## World Matchplay finals

| Year | Champion (average in final) | Score | Runner-up (average in final) | Prize money | Prize money | Prize money | Sponsor | Venue |
| Year | Champion (average in final) | Score | Runner-up (average in final) | Total | Champion | Runner-up | Sponsor | Venue |
| 1994 | Larry Butler (92.70) | 16–12 | Dennis Priestley (91.59) | £42,400 | £10,000 | £6,000 | Proton Cars | Winter Gardens, Blackpool |
| 1995 | Phil Taylor (90.72) | 16–11 | Dennis Priestley (87.63) | £42,400 | £10,000 | £6,000 | Webster's | Winter Gardens, Blackpool |
| 1996 | Peter Evison (100.51) | 16–14 | Dennis Priestley (96.67) | £46,000 | £12,000 | £7,000 | Webster's | Winter Gardens, Blackpool |
| 1997 | Phil Taylor (106.32) | 16–11 | Alan Warriner (98.42) | £46,000 | £12,000 | £6,000 | Webster's | Winter Gardens, Blackpool |
| 1998 | Rod Harrington (95.03) | 19–17 | Ronnie Baxter (94.07) | £58,000 | £14,000 | £7,000 | PDC | Winter Gardens, Blackpool |
| 1999 | Rod Harrington (85.95) | 19–17 | Peter Manley (86.91) | £58,000 | £14,000 | £7,000 | PDC | Winter Gardens, Blackpool |
| 2000 | Phil Taylor (100.32) | 18–12 | Alan Warriner (97.14) | £58,000 | £14,000 | £7,000 | Stan James | Winter Gardens, Blackpool |
| 2001 | Phil Taylor (99.57) | 18–10 | Richie Burnett (90.99) | £65,000 | £14,000 | £7,000 | Stan James | Winter Gardens, Blackpool |
| 2002 | Phil Taylor (98.76) | 18–16 | John Part (94.14) | £75,500 | £15,000 | £7,500 | Stan James | Winter Gardens, Blackpool |
| 2003 | Phil Taylor (94.38) | 18–12 | Wayne Mardle (97.44) | £80,000 | £15,000 | £8,000 | Stan James | Winter Gardens, Blackpool |
| 2004 | Phil Taylor (100.20) | 18–8 | Mark Dudbridge (89.24) | £100,000 | £20,000 | £10,000 | Stan James | Winter Gardens, Blackpool |
| 2005 | Colin Lloyd (97.89) | 18–12 | John Part (94.53) | £120,000 | £25,000 | £12,500 | Stan James | Winter Gardens, Blackpool |
| 2006 | Phil Taylor (100.08) | 18–11 | James Wade (90.01) | £150,000 | £30,000 | £15,000 | Stan James | Winter Gardens, Blackpool |
| 2007 | James Wade (96.83) | 18–7 | Terry Jenkins (91.62) | £200,000 | £50,000 | £20,000 | Stan James | Winter Gardens, Blackpool |
| 2008 | Phil Taylor (109.47) | 18–9 | James Wade (102.58) | £300,000 | £60,000 | £30,000 | Stan James | Winter Gardens, Blackpool |
| 2009 | Phil Taylor (106.05) | 18–4 | Terry Jenkins (92.32) | £400,000 | £100,000 | £50,000 | Stan James | Winter Gardens, Blackpool |
| 2010 | Phil Taylor (105.16) | 18–12 | Raymond van Barneveld (100.11) | £400,000 | £100,000 | £50,000 | Stan James | Winter Gardens, Blackpool |
| 2011 | Phil Taylor (103.84) | 18–8 | James Wade (98.84) | £400,000 | £100,000 | £50,000 | Sky Bet | Winter Gardens, Blackpool |
| 2012 | Phil Taylor (98.97) | 18–15 | James Wade (95.92) | £400,000 | £100,000 | £50,000 | Betfair | Winter Gardens, Blackpool |
| 2013 | Phil Taylor (111.23) | 18–13 | Adrian Lewis (105.92) | £400,000 | £100,000 | £50,000 | BetVictor | Winter Gardens, Blackpool |
| 2014 | Phil Taylor (107.19) | 18–9 | Michael van Gerwen (101.49) | £450,000 | £100,000 | £50,000 | BetVictor | Winter Gardens, Blackpool |
| 2015 | Michael van Gerwen (99.91) | 18–12 | James Wade (90.37) | £450,000 | £100,000 | £50,000 | BetVictor | Winter Gardens, Blackpool |
| 2016 | Michael van Gerwen (103.93) | 18–10 | Phil Taylor (101.13) | £450,000 | £100,000 | £50,000 | BetVictor | Winter Gardens, Blackpool |
| 2017 | Phil Taylor (104.24) | 18–8 | Peter Wright (99.74) | £500,000 | £115,000 | £55,000 | BetVictor | Winter Gardens, Blackpool |
| 2018 | Gary Anderson (101.12) | 21–19 | Mensur Suljović (104.43) | £500,000 | £115,000 | £55,000 | BetVictor | Winter Gardens, Blackpool |
| 2019 | Rob Cross (95.16) | 18–13 | Michael Smith (95.91) | £700,000 | £150,000 | £70,000 | Betfred | Winter Gardens, Blackpool |
| 2020 | Dimitri Van den Bergh (98.31) | 18–10 | Gary Anderson (92.81) | £700,000 | £150,000 | £70,000 | Betfred | Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes |
| 2021 | Peter Wright (105.90) | 18–9 | Dimitri Van den Bergh (100.88) | £700,000 | £150,000 | £70,000 | Betfred | Winter Gardens, Blackpool |
| 2022 | Michael van Gerwen (101.19) | 18–14 | Gerwyn Price (96.92) | £800,000 | £200,000 | £100,000 | Betfred | Winter Gardens, Blackpool |
| 2023 | Nathan Aspinall (96.21) | 18–6 | Jonny Clayton (93.56) | £800,000 | £200,000 | £100,000 | Betfred | Winter Gardens, Blackpool |
| 2024 | Luke Humphries (100.94) | 18–15 | Michael van Gerwen (98.74) | £800,000 | £200,000 | £100,000 | Betfred | Winter Gardens, Blackpool |

## Records and statistics

    As of 21 July 2024.

### Total finalist appearances

| Rank | Player | Nationality | Won | Runner-up | Finals | Appearances |
| 1 | Phil Taylor | England | 16 | 1 | 17 | 24 |
| 2 | Michael van Gerwen | Netherlands | 3 | 2 | 5 | 16 |
| 3 | Rod Harrington | England | 2 | 0 | 2 | 9 |
| 4 | James Wade | England | 1 | 5 | 6 | 18 |
| 5 | Gary Anderson | Scotland | 1 | 1 | 2 | 15 |
| 5 | Peter Wright | Scotland | 1 | 1 | 2 | 14 |
| 5 | Dimitri Van den Bergh | Belgium | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| 8 | Larry Butler | United States | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 8 | Peter Evison | England | 1 | 0 | 1 | 11 |
| 8 | Colin Lloyd | England | 1 | 0 | 1 | 15 |
| 8 | Rob Cross | England | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| 8 | Nathan Aspinall | England | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| 8 | Luke Humphries | England | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 13 | Dennis Priestley | England | 0 | 3 | 3 | 17 |
| 14 | Alan Warriner | England | 0 | 2 | 2 | 14 |
| 14 | John Part | Canada | 0 | 2 | 2 | 15 |
| 14 | Terry Jenkins | England | 0 | 2 | 2 | 13 |
| 17 | Ronnie Baxter | England | 0 | 1 | 1 | 17 |
| 17 | Peter Manley | England | 0 | 1 | 1 | 13 |
| 17 | Richie Burnett | Wales | 0 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
| 17 | Wayne Mardle | England | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| 17 | Mark Dudbridge | England | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| 17 | Raymond van Barneveld | Netherlands | 0 | 1 | 1 | 14 |
| 17 | Adrian Lewis | England | 0 | 1 | 1 | 17 |
| 17 | Mensur Suljović | Austria | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| 17 | Michael Smith | England | 0 | 1 | 1 | 12 |
| 17 | Gerwyn Price | Wales | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 17 | Jonny Clayton | Wales | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
* Active players are shown in bold
* Only players who reached the final are included
* In the event of identical records, players are sorted in alphabetical order by family name

### Champions by country

| Country | Players | Total | First title | Last title |
| England | 8 | 24 | 1995 | 2024 |
| Netherlands | 1 | 3 | 2015 | 2022 |
| USA | 1 | 1 | 1994 | 1994 |
| Scotland | 2 | 2 | 2018 | 2021 |
| Belgium | 1 | 1 | 2020 | 2020 |

### Nine-dart finishes

Nine nine-dart finishes have been thrown at the World Matchplay. The first one was in 2002, when Phil Taylor hit the first live 9-darter in UK television history.
| Player | Year (+ Round) | Method | Opponent | Result |
| Phil Taylor | 2002, Quarter-Finals | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | Chris Mason | Won |
| Raymond van Barneveld | 2010, 1st Round | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | Denis Ovens | Won |
| John Part | 2011, 1st Round | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | Mark Webster | Lost |
| Michael van Gerwen | 2012, 2nd Round | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | Steve Beaton | Won |
| Wes Newton | 2012, 2nd Round | 3 x T20; 2 x T20, T19; 2 x T20, D12 | Justin Pipe | Lost |
| Phil Taylor | 2014, 2nd Round | 3 x T20; 2 x T20, T19; 2 x T20, D12 | Michael Smith | Won |
| Gary Anderson | 2018, Quarter-Finals | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | Joe Cullen | Won |
| Gerwyn Price | 2022, Semi-Finals | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T19, T20, D12 | Danny Noppert | Won |
| Dimitri Van den Bergh | 2024, 1st Round | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T19, T20, D12 | Martin Schindler | Won |

### Tournament records
#### Longest match in Matchplay history

    The 2018 final went to 40 legs as a result of the format of "2 clear legs".

#### Longest unbeaten run

    Phil Taylor from 2008 to 2015: Won 38 matches in a row. Taylor only lost eight matches in the history of the event:
* 1994 Bob Anderson 9–11 (tiebreak, second round)
* 1996 Peter Evison 1–8 (second round)
* 1998 Ronnie Baxter 10–13 (quarter-finals)
* 1999 Peter Manley 14–17 (semi-finals)
* 2005 John Part 11–16 (quarter-finals)
* 2007 Terry Jenkins 11–17 (semi-finals)
* 2015 James Wade 14–17 (semi-finals)
* 2016 Michael van Gerwen 10–18 (Final)

### Averages

An average over 100 in a match in the PDC World Matchplay has been achieved 142 times, of which Phil Taylor is responsible for 62. In 2010, Phil Taylor became the first player to average over 100 in all five rounds of the tournament. He repeated this feat in 2011 and 2013.
An average of over 105 in a match in the World Matchplay has been achieved 35 times, of which Phil Taylor is responsible for 24. The highest match average ever in the World Matchplay is 114.99 by Phil Taylor in his Last 32 victory over Barrie Bates in 2010. The highest match average ever in the World Matchplay Final is 111.23 by Phil Taylor against Adrian Lewis in 2013.
Ten highest PDC World Matchplay one-match averages :
| Average | Player | Year (+ Round) | Opponent | Result |
| 114.99 | Phil Taylor | 2010, Last 32 | Barrie Bates | 10–6 |
| 113.43 | Phil Taylor | 1997, Last 32 | Gary Mawson | 8–0 |
| 112.17 | Phil Taylor | 2002, Quarter-Final | Chris Mason | 16–7 |
| 111.23 | Phil Taylor | 2013, Final | Adrian Lewis | 18–13 |
| 110.93 | Michael van Gerwen | 2015, Last 16 | Jamie Lewis | 13–2 |
| 110.51 | Adrian Lewis | 2014, Last 32 | Andrew Gilding | 10–0 |
| 110.37 | Peter Wright | 2021, Semi-Final | Michael van Gerwen | 17–10 |
| 109.71 | Phil Taylor | 2008, Last 16 | Colin Osborne | 13–5 |
| 109.47 | Phil Taylor | 2008, Final | James Wade | 18–9 |
| 109.47 | Phil Taylor | 2009, Last 16 | Kevin Painter | 13–3 |
Five highest losing averages :
| Average | Player | Year (+ Round) | Opponent | Result |
| 105.92 | Adrian Lewis | 2013, Final | Phil Taylor | 13–18 |
| 105.68 | Gary Anderson | 2014, Semi-Final | Phil Taylor | 15–17 |
| 105.17 | Gary Anderson | 2017, Last 16 | Daryl Gurney | 9–11 |
| 104.57 | Peter Wright | 2019, Quarter-Final | Daryl Gurney | 13–16 |
| 104.43 | Mensur Suljović | 2018, Final | Gary Anderson | 19–21 |
Different players with a 100+ match average (Updated 21/07/24) :
| Player | Total | Highest Av. | Year (+ Round) |
| Phil Taylor | 62 | 114.99 | 2010, Last 32 |
| Michael van Gerwen | 20 | 110.93 | 2015, Last 16 |
| Peter Wright | 15 | 110.37 | 2021, Semi-Final |
| Gary Anderson | 11 | 106.06 | 2018, Semi-Final |
| Adrian Lewis | 9 | 110.51 | 2014, Last 32 |
| James Wade | 8 | 103.59 | 2015, Last 32 |
| Luke Humphries | 7 | 108.76 | 2024, 1st Round |
| Rob Cross | 7 | 106.99 | 2024, 2nd Round |
| Dimitri Van den Bergh | 6 | 103.68 | 2021, Last 16 |
| Gerwyn Price | 4 | 104.64 | 2022, Quarter-Final |
| Michael Smith | 4 | 102.08 | 2024, 1st Round |
| Ryan Searle | 3 | 105.19 | 2023, Last 32 |
| Daryl Gurney | 3 | 104.43 | 2023, Last 16 |
| Raymond van Barneveld | 3 | 103.86 | 2010, Last 16 |
| Mervyn King | 3 | 101.06 | 2014, Last 32 |
| Krzysztof Ratajski | 2 | 107.53 | 2020, Last 32 |
| Glen Durrant | 2 | 106.93 | 2020, Last 32 |
| Mensur Suljović | 2 | 104.43 | 2018, Final |
| Peter Evison | 2 | 103.77 | 1996, Last 16 |
| Ian White | 2 | 103.51 | 2015, Last 32 |
| Dave Chisnall | 2 | 103.02 | 2018, Last 16 |
| Stephen Bunting | 2 | 102.48 | 2016, Last 32 |
| Danny Noppert | 2 | 102.36 | 2022, Last 16 |
| Jonny Clayton | 2 | 101.90 | 2023, Last 16 |
| Steve Beaton | 2 | 100.98 | 2011, Last 32 |
| Joe Cullen | 2 | 100.67 | 2023, Last 32 |
| Dirk van Duijvenbode | 1 | 103.61 | 2022, Last 32 |
| José de Sousa | 1 | 103.26 | 2022, Last 16 |
| Jeffrey de Zwaan | 1 | 103.22 | 2018, Quarter-Final |
| Nathan Aspinall | 1 | 102.96 | 2019, Last 32 |
| Colin Lloyd | 1 | 102.57 | 2005, Last 16 |
| Shayne Burgess | 1 | 102.03 | 1999, Last 16 |
| Andy Hamilton | 1 | 101.88 | 2006, Semi-Final |
| Alan Warriner-Little | 1 | 101.55 | 1997, Quarter-Final |
| John Henderson | 1 | 101.33 | 2019, Last 32 |
| Cristo Reyes | 1 | 101.29 | 2017, Last 32 |
| Rod Harrington | 1 | 101.22 | 1997, Last 32 |
| Jamie Hughes | 1 | 101.13 | 2020, Last 32 |
| Kevin Painter | 1 | 101.01 | 2009, Last 32 |
| Damon Heta | 1 | 100.93 | 2024, 1st Round |
| Luke Littler | 1 | 100.83 | 2024, 1st Round |
| Gian van Veen | 1 | 100.81 | 2024, 1st Round |
| Ricardo Pietreczko | 1 | 100.74 | 2024, 1st Round |
| Mark Walsh | 1 | 100.41 | 2008, Last 32 |
Five highest tournament averages :
| Average | Player | Year |
| 106.31 | Phil Taylor | 2010 |
| 105.81 | Phil Taylor | 2013 |
| 105.73 | Phil Taylor | 2009 |
| 105.50 | Phil Taylor | 2011 |
| 104.82 | Phil Taylor | 2008 |

## Format

From the beginning of the tournament in 1994, the World Matchplay has always been a legs only event. The length of matches for each round has changed several times over the years, as shown below.

### 1994

* First Round: First to 8 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs)
* Second Round: First to 8 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs)
* Quarter Finals: First to 11 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs)
* Semi Finals: First to 11 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs)
* Final: First to 16 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs)

### 1995–1996

* First Round: First to 8 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs)
* Second Round: First to 8 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs)
* Quarter Finals: First to 11 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs)
* Semi Finals: First to 13 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs)
* Final: First to 16 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs)

### 1997

* Preliminary Round: First to 6 legs (no tiebreak; sudden death leg at 5–5)
* First Round: First to 8 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs)
* Second Round: First to 8 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs)
* Quarter Finals: First to 11 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs)
* Semi Finals: First to 13 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs)
* Final: First to 16 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs)

### 1998

* First Round: First to 8 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs)
* Second Round: First to 8 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs)
* Quarter Finals: First to 13 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs)
* Semi Finals: First to 13 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs)
* Final: First to 18 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs)

### 1999–2012

* First Round: First to 10 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs)
* Second Round: First to 13 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs)
* Quarter Finals: First to 16 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs)
* Semi Finals: First to 17 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs)
* Final: First to 18 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs)

### 2013–2015

* First Round: First to 10 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs; sudden death leg at 12–12)
* Second Round: First to 13 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs; sudden death leg at 15–15)
* Quarter Finals: First to 16 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs; sudden death leg at 18–18)
* Semi Finals: First to 17 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs; sudden death leg at 19–19)
* Final: First to 18 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs; sudden death leg at 20–20)

### 2016–present

* First Round: First to 10 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs; sudden death leg at 12–12)
* Second Round: First to 11 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs; sudden death leg at 13–13)
* Quarter Finals: First to 16 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs; sudden death leg at 18–18)
* Semi Finals: First to 17 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs; sudden death leg at 19–19)
* Final: First to 18 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs; sudden death leg at 20–20)

## Media coverage

The World Matchplay has been broadcast in the UK by Sky Sports since the first tournament.

## Sponsors

There have been seven different sponsors for the World Matchplay:
| Sponsor | Years |
| Proton Cars | 1994 |
| Webster's | 1995–1997 |
| No sponsor | 1998–1999 |
| Stan James | 2000–2010 |
| Skybet | 2011 |
| Betfair | 2012 |
| BetVictor | 2013–2018 |
| Betfred | 2019– |