World Matchplay

The World Matchplay is beside the World Championship the oldest and most important of the PDC tournaments.

It is played since 1994 and was first sponsored by Proton Cars, 1995 and 1996 by Websters and after some years without a main sponsor since 2000 by the betting company Stan James. By now it is sponsored by the betting company bet victor. The tournament is always played at the end of July in the Empress Ballroom of the Winter Gardens in Blackpool, an older building, were no air condition is allowed to build in so that in hot summers players sometimes get health problems on the very hot stage. That happened last in 2008 when Dennis Smith almost had a breakdown on stage.
Due to the Corona Crisis the World Matchplay is played 2020 behind closed doors at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes.

32 players take part in the tournament. Qualified are the top 16 of the PDC Order of Merit + the top 16 of the Players Championship Order of Merit who are not already qualified by the Order of Merit.

Played is always 501 SIDO in legs. The format chaged over the years. Initially it was played played till one of the players got a two leg lead. So it happened already twice that the finale was played over 36 legs. The longest first round match was played 2002 between Peter Manley and Bob Anderson, it took 32 legs before Bob Anderson was a 17:15 legs winner.
2016 there once again was an amendment: Only five additional legs will be played. should after those still none of the players have got a two leg lead the sixth "extra" leg will be a sudden death leg.

The first round is supposed to be Best of 19 legs, round two Best of 21, quarterfinals Best of 31, semi-finals Best of 33 and final Best of 35.

In 2022 a Women's World Matchplay with eight women will be played in the afternoon of the Finals Day.

In it's very first year it was won by a non-British player - the American legend Larry Butler. One year later, in 1995, the World Matchplay was the last time Jocky Wilson played a darts match, after he lost second round to Nigel Justice he withdraw from darts. In 2002 Phil Taylor threw during the tournament his first ever televised Nine-Darter.

From 1984 to 1988 the BDO had organised a World Matchplay as well which is not related in any way to the PDC tournament. It's of historical interest because during this tournament John Lowe in a match against Keith Deller threw the first ever televised Nine-Darter for which he got the record price money of Pound 102.000.







Winners
1994Larry Butler16:12Dennis Priestley
1995Phil Taylor16:11Dennis Priestley
1996Peter Evison16:14Dennis Priestley
1997Phil Taylor16:11Alan Warriner
1998Rod Harrington19:17Ronnie Baxter
1999Rod Harrington19:17Peter Manley
2000Phil Taylor18:12Alan Warriner
2001Phil Taylor18:10Richie Burnett
2002Phil Taylor18:16John Part
2003Phil Taylor18:12Wayne Mardle
2004Phil Taylor18:8Mark Dudbridge
2005Colin Lloyd18:12John Part
2006Phil Taylor18:11James Wade
2007James Wade18:7Terry Jenkins
2008Phil Taylor18:9James Wade
2009Phil Taylor18:4Terry Jenkins
2010Phil Taylor18:12Raymond van Barneveld
2011Phil Taylor18:8James Wade
2012Phil Taylor18:15James Wade
2013Phil Taylor18:13Adrian Lewis
2014Phil Taylor18:9Michael van Gerwen
2015Michael van Gerwen18:12James Wade
2016Michael van Gerwen18:10Phil Taylor
2017Phil Taylor18:8Peter Wright
2018Gary Anderson21:19Mensur Suljovic
2019Rob Cross18:13Michael Smith
2020Dimitri van den Bergh18:10Gary Anderson
2021Peter Wright18:9Dimitri van den Bergh
2022Michael van Gerwen18:14Gerwyn Price
2023Nathan Aspinall18:6Jonny Clayton
2024Luke Humphries18:15Michael van Gerwen




Price Money
WinnerRunner-UpSemifinalsQuarterfinalsLast 16Last 32
2012100 000 £ 50 000 £ 25 000 £15 000 £ 7500 £ 5000 £
2014100 000 £ 50 000 £ 27 000 £ 17 500 £ 10 000 £ 6000 £
2015/16100 000 £ 50 000 £ 27 000 £ 17 500 £ 10 000 £ 6000 £
2017/18115 000 £ 55 000 £ 30 000 £ 17 500 £ 11 000 £ 7000 £
2019/20/21150 000 £ 70 000 £ 50 000 £ 25 000 £ 15 000 £ 10 000 £
2022/23/24200 000 £ 100 000 £ 50 000 £ 30 000 £ 15 000 £ 10 000 £











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