Darts' World Grand Prix: Format, results and prize money

Jonty Colman - BBC Sport journalist Tue, September 29, 2026 at 6:22 PM UTC

0

Defending champion Luke Littler was knocked out in the opening round

The 2026 Darts World Grand Prix starts on Monday, 28 September and is one of the Professional Darts Corporation's major titles.

Unlike the rest of the sport's majors, the tournament uses a 'double in, double out' format.

The 32 players featuring are made up of the 16 best-ranked players from the PDC's Order of Merit, and the best 16 from the past 12 months via the Order of Merit who had not already qualified.

A total prize fund of £750,000 is up for grabs, with the winner earning £150,000.

Teenager and current world number one Luke Littler was the winner in 2025, cruising to a 6-1 victory over Luke Humphries in the final.

But he was knocked out in the opening round by Luke Woodhouse in 2026.

What is 'double in, double out?'

The 'double in, double out' darts format presents a big twist to the gameplay.

It means that a player must start all legs on a double, rather than on any scoring zone on the board.

The use of 'double in, double out' has been in use in the World Grand Prix since its inaugural year in 1998.

How many sets are in each match?

The format is in set play, with each set being the best of five legs.

The first round is a best-of-three-sets match, increasing to five sets in the second round.

The quarter-finals stay at the best of five sets, before an increase to nine sets in the semi-finals.

The final is a best-of-11 match, also described as a race to six sets.

Schedule, results & order of play

First round

Monday, 28 September

(8) Danny Noppert 2-1 Niko Springer

(13) Ross Smith 2-1 Cameron Menzies

(16) Nathan Aspinall 2-1 Kevin Doets

(5) Jonny Clayton 2-1 Krzysztof Ratajski

(4) Gerwyn Price 2-0 Sebastian Bialecki

(9) Michael van Gerwen 1-2 Ryan Joyce

(1) Luke Littler 1-2 Luke Woodhouse

(12) Wessel Nijman 2-0 Rob Cross

Tuesday, 29 September (18:00 BST)

Advertisement

(15) Chris Dobey 0-2 Jermaine Wattimena

(14) Ryan Searle 2-1 William O'Connor

(7) Josh Rock v Niels Zonneveld

(6) James Wade v Joe Cullen

(10) Gary Anderson v Damon Heta

(3) Gian van Veen v Dirk van Duijvenbode

(2) Luke Humphries v Dave Chisnall

(11) Stephen Bunting v Andrew Gilding

Second round

Wednesday, 30 September (19:00 BST)

Order of play TBC

Luke Woodhouse v Nathan Aspinall (16)

(8) Danny Noppert v Ryan Joyce

(4) Gerwyn Price v Ross Smith (13)

(5) Jonny Clayton v Wessel Nijman (12)

Thursday, 1 October (19:00 BST)

Order of play TBC

Humphries/Chisnall v Jermaine Wattimena

Rock/Zonneveld v Anderson/Heta

Van Veen/Van Duijvenbode v Ryan Searle (14)

Wade/Cullen v Bunting/Gilding

Quarter-finals

Friday, 2 October (19:00 BST)

Four matches

Semi-finals

Saturday, 3 October (20:00 BST)

Two matches

Final

Sunday, 4 October (20:00 BST)

One match

What is the prize money?

The prize money for the whole tournament has increased to £750,000 this year, an increase of 25% from last year's £600,000.

The winner will take home £150,000 instead of the £120,000 jackpot 12 months ago. Barring the prize money given to players who lose in the first round, every other value has also increased.

Winner - £150,000

Runner-up - £80,000

Semi-final loser - £50,000

Quarter-final loser - £35,000

Second round loser - £20,000

First round loser - £7,500

Who has previously won the World Grand Prix?

Mike De Decker beat Luke Humphries in 2024's World Grand Prix final to win his first major title

Phil Taylor is the most successful player in World Grand Prix history, winning the tournament 11 times.

Michael van Gerwen is the next most successful player with six titles, with James Wade (twice) being the only other player to win it multiple times.

The World Grand Prix has produced six different winners in the last six years.

2025 - Luke Littler

2024 – Mike De Decker

2023 – Luke Humphries

2022 – Michael van Gerwen

2021 – Jonny Clayton

2020 – Gerwyn Price

2019 – Michael van Gerwen

2018 - Michael van Gerwen

2017 - Daryl Gurney

2016 - Michael van Gerwen

2015 – Robert Thornton

2014 - Michael van Gerwen

2013 – Phil Taylor

2012 - Michael van Gerwen

2011 – Phil Taylor

2010 – James Wade

2009 - Phil Taylor

2008 - Phil Taylor

2007 – James Wade

2006 - Phil Taylor

2005 - Phil Taylor

2004 – Colin Lloyd

2003 - Phil Taylor

2002 - Phil Taylor

2001 – Alan Warriner

2000 – Phil Taylor

1999 - Phil Taylor

1998 - Phil Taylor

This article is the latest from BBC Sport's Ask Me Anything team.

More questions answered... -

Why are Kazakhstan part of Uefa?

What is the Ryder Cup envelope rule and how does it work?

Do NFL players watch the Super Bowl half-time show?

When are the 2026 NFL London games taking place?

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Sports”