The World Grand Prix is the only event each year in PDC Darts where players must hit a double to both start and end a leg to win it.
We’ve seen even the best players struggle with this format, which sometimes leads to a surprise player lifting the title.
With the tournament just about here, let’s take a look at everything you’ll need to know to follow along.
2026 World Darts Grand Prix: Draw, schedule, prize money and format explained
Let’s take a look at some of the specifics of the tournament.
MORE: 2026 World Darts Grand Prix qualifiers
2026 World Grand Prix schedule
Below is the schedule for the event.
First round (Day 1 evening session)
| Match | Date | Time (local) |
| Danny Noppert vs. Niko Springer | Mon., Sept. 28 | 6:15 p.m. |
| Ross Smith vs. Cameron Menzies | Mon., Sept. 28 | 6:45 p.m. |
| Nathan Aspinall vs. Kevin Doets | Mon., Sept. 28 | 7:15 p.m. |
| Jonny Clayton vs. Krzysztof Ratajski | Mon., Sept. 28 | 7:45 p.m. |
| Gerwyn Price vs. Sebastian Bialecki | Mon., Sept. 28 | 8:15 p.m. |
| Michael van Gerwen vs. Ryan Joyce | Mon., Sept. 28 | 8:45 p.m. |
| Luke Littler vs. Luke Woodhouse | Mon., Sept. 28 | 9:15 p.m. |
| Wessel Nijman vs. Rob Cross | Mon., Sept. 28 | 9:45 p.m. |
First round (Day 2 evening session)
| Match | Date | Time (local) |
| Chris Dobey vs. Jermaine Wattimena | Tue., Sept. 29 | 6:15 p.m. |
| Ryan Searle vs. William O’Connor | Tue., Sept. 29 | 6:45 p.m. |
| Josh Rock vs. Niels Zonneveld | Tue., Sept. 29 | 7:15 p.m. |
| James Wade vs. Joe Cullen | Tue., Sept. 29 | 7:45 p.m. |
| Gary Anderson vs. Damon Heta | Tue., Sept. 29 | 8:15 p.m. |
| Gian van Veen vs. Dirk van Duijvenbode | Tue., Sept. 29 | 8:45 p.m. |
| Luke Humphries vs. Dave Chisnall | Tue., Sept. 29 | 9:15 p.m. |
| Stephen Bunting vs. Andrew Gilding | Tue., Sept. 29 | 9:45 p.m. |
Second round (Day 3 evening session)
| Match | Date | Time (local) |
| Danny Noppert vs. Ryan Joyce | Wed., Sept. 30 | 7:15 p.m. |
| Jonny Clayton vs. Wessel Nijman | Wed., Sept. 30 | 8:15 p.m. |
| Gerwyn Price vs. Ross Smith | Wed., Sept. 30 | 9:15 p.m. |
| Luke Woodhouse vs. Nathan Aspinall | Wed., Sept. 30 | 10:15 p.m. |
Second round (Day 4 evening session)
| Match | Date | Time (local) |
| Niels Zonneveld vs. Gary Anderson | Thurs., Oct. 1 | 7:15 p.m. |
| James Wade vs. Stephen Bunting | Thurs., Oct. 1 | 8:15 p.m. |
| Luke Humphries vs. Jermaine Wattimena | Thurs., Oct. 1 | 9:15 p.m. |
| Gian van Veen vs. Ryan Searle | Thurs., Oct. 1 | 10:15 p.m. |
Quarterfinals (Day 5 evening session)
| Match | Date | Time (local) |
| Nathan Aspinall vs. Ryan Joyce | Fri., Oct. 2 | 7:15 p.m. |
| Gerwyn Price vs. Jonny Clayton | Fri., Oct. 2 | 8:15 p.m. |
| Gian van Veen vs. James Wade | Fri., Oct. 2 | 9:15 p.m. |
| Luke Humphries vs. Niels Zonneveld | Fri., Oct. 2 | 10:15 p.m. |
Semifinals (Day 6 evening session)
| Match | Date | Time (local) |
| Nathan Aspinall vs. Gerwyn Price | Sat., Oct. 3 | 8:15 p.m. |
| Luke Humphries vs. James Wade | Sat., Oct. 3 | 9:45 p.m. |
Final (Day 7 evening session)
| Match | Date | Time (local) |
| Nathan Aspinall/Gerwyn Price vs. Luke Humphries/James Wade | Sun., Oct. 4 | 8:15 p.m. |
Tournament bracket
Here is the event bracket after the first round.
MORE: Every darts player who’s qualified for the 2027 PDC World Championship
Second round
| Luke Woodhouse vs. Nathan Aspinall |
| Danny Noppert vs. Ryan Joyce |
| Gerwyn Price vs. Ross Smith |
| Jonny Clayton vs. Wessel Nijman |
| Luke Humphries vs. Jermaine Wattimena |
| Niels Zonneveld vs. Gary Anderson |
| Gian van Veen vs. Ryan Searle |
| James Wade vs. Stephen Bunting |
Quarterfinals
| Nathan Aspinall vs. Ryan Joyce |
| Gerwyn Price vs. Jonny Clayton |
| Luke Humphries vs. Niels Zonneveld |
| Gian van Veen vs. James Wade |
Semifinals
| Nathan Aspinall vs. Gerwyn Price |
| Luke Humphries vs. James Wade |
Final
| Nathan Aspinall/Gerwyn Price vs. Luke Humphries/James Wade |
MORE: Breaking down Ross Smith’s odds at making the 2027 Premier League lineup
Prize Money
*Data via Wikipedia
| Position (num. of players) | Prize money (Total: £750,000) |
|
|---|---|---|
| Winner | (1) | £150,000 |
| Runner-up | (1) | £80,000 |
| Semi-finalists | (2) | £50,000 |
| Quarter-finalists | (4) | £35,000 |
| Second round | (8) | £20,000 |
| First round | (16) | £7,500 |
MORE: Jonny Clayton ends Luke Littler’s perfect 2026 record at majors
Format
- 32-player field (Top 16 players on Main OoM & Top 16 on Pro Tour OoM that didn’t qualify already)
- Set play
- Double-in, double-out (players have to hit a double to start deducting points from 501 at the start of the leg, and then hit a double to win the leg)
- First round: best-of-3 sets (each set in best-of-5 legs)
- Second round: best-of-5 sets (each set in best-of-5 legs)
- Quarterfinals: best-of-5 sets (each set in best-of-5 legs)
- Semifinals: best-of-9 sets (each set in best-of-5 legs)
- Final: best-of-11 sets (each set in best-of-5 legs)
