The World Matchplay of Darts is right around the corner.
It’s one of the most coveted titles a player can win on the darts calendar.
On Thursday, the draw for the 2025 World Matchplay of Darts was conducted.
After finding out the 32 qualifiers after Wednesday’s action, we now know what the matchups for the first round of action will be.
MORE: Who qualified for the 2025 World Matchplay of Darts?
What to know about the World Matchplay of Darts
Let’s take a look at some of the specifics of the tournament.
2025 World Matchplay draw & schedule
Below are the draw results and schedule that were released today.
First round (Day 1 evening session)
| Match | Date | Time (local) |
| James Wade (9) vs. Joe Cullen | Sat., Jul. 19 | 7:15 p.m. |
| Danny Noppert (16) vs. Cameron Menzies | Sat., Jul. 19 | 8:15 p.m. |
| Luke Humphries (1) vs. Gian van Veen | Sat., Jul. 19 | 9:15 p.m. |
| Nathan Aspinall (8) vs. Wessel Nijman | Sat., Jul. 19 | 10:15 p.m. |
MORE: These 3 major PDC stars didn’t qualify for the 2025 World Matchplay of Darts
First round (Day 2 afternoon session)
| Match | Date | Time (local) |
| Damon Heta (7) vs. Andrew Gilding | Sun., Jul. 20 | 1:15 p.m. |
| Rob Cross (10) vs. Dirk van Duijvenbode | Sun., Jul. 20 | 2:15 p.m. |
| Peter Wright (15) vs. Jermaine Wattimena | Sun., Jul. 20 | 3:15 p.m. |
| Dave Chisnall (12) vs. Mike De Decker | Sun., Jul. 20 | 4:15 p.m. |
First round (Day 2 evening session)
| Match | Date | Time (local) |
| Gary Anderson (13) vs. Luke Woodhouse | Sun., Jul. 20 | 7:15 p.m. |
| Jonny Clayton (5) vs. Martin Schindler | Sun., Jul. 20 | 8:15 p.m. |
| Luke Littler (2) vs. Ryan Searle | Sun., Jul. 20 | 9:15 p.m. |
| Stephen Bunting (4) vs. Ryan Joyce | Sun., Jul. 20 | 10:15 p.m. |
First round (Day 3 evening session)
| Match | Date | Time (local) |
| Chris Dobey (6) vs. Ricardo Pietreczko | Mon., Jul. 21 | 7:15 p.m. |
| Gerwyn Price (11) vs. Daryl Gurney | Mon., Jul. 21 | 8:15 p.m. |
| Michael van Gerwen (3) vs. Raymond van Barneveld | Mon., Jul. 21 | 9:15 p.m. |
| Ross Smith (14) vs. Josh Rock | Mon., Jul. 21 | 10:15 p.m. |
MORE: Bradley Brooks has career day, wins Players Championship 21
Tournament bracket
Here are the matchups for the tournament after the first round.
Second round
| Match | Date |
| Gian van Veen vs. Danny Noppert | Tue., Jul. 22 |
| Wessel Nijman vs. James Wade | Tue., Jul. 22 |
| Stephen Bunting vs. Gary Anderson | Tue., Jul. 22 |
| Jonny Clayton vs. Mike De Decker | Tue., Jul. 22 |
| Luke Littler vs. Jermaine Wattimena | Wed., Jul. 23 |
| Andrew Gilding vs. Dirk van Duijvenbode | Wed., Jul. 23 |
| Michael van Gerwen vs. Josh Rock | Wed., Jul. 23 |
| Chris Dobey vs. Gerwyn Price | Wed., Jul. 23 |
Quaterfinals
| Match | Date |
| Gian van Veen vs. James Wade | Thu., Jul. 24 |
| Stephen Bunting vs. Jonny Clayton | Thu., Jul. 24 |
| Luke Littler vs. Andrew Gilding | Fri., Jul. 25 |
| Josh Rock vs. Gerwyn Price | Fri., Jul. 25 |
Prize Money
*Data via Wikipedia
| Position (no. of players) | Prize money (Total: £800,000) |
|
|---|---|---|
| Winner | (1) | £200,000 |
| Runner-up | (1) | £100,000 |
| Semi-finalists | (2) | £50,000 |
| Quarter-finalists | (4) | £30,000 |
| Second round | (8) | £15,000 |
| First round | (16) | £10,000 |
MORE: 2025 Baltic Sea Darts Open: Draw, schedule, prize money and format explained
Format
16 players qualified for the tournament through the Main OoM and 16 qualified through the ProTour OoM.
The Main OoM players were all seeded and matched up with a ProTour qualifier for the round of 32 (first round).
First-round games are played best-of-19 legs, with the games getting longer as the tournament progresses.
In the round of 16 (second round), games are played best-of-21 legs.
It jumps up quite a bit once the quarterfinals arrive, as the format increases to best-of-31 legs.
Lastly, the semifinal round is best-of-33 legs and the final is best-of-35 legs.
It’s important to note that “All matches have to be won by two clear legs; if the scores are tied after the full distance and six extra legs, the match will be decided by a sudden death leg”(Wikipedia).
This has gone into effect before, including in the 2018 final when Gary Anderson defeated Mensur Suljovic 21-19.
MORE DARTS ARTICLES:
