Luke Humphries will begin his defence of the Betfred World Matchplay against Gian van Veen, as Dutch icons Michael van Gerwen and Raymond van Barneveld go head-to-head in Blackpool.
The 2025 Betfred World Matchplay will take place from July 19-27 at the iconic Winter Gardens, as a star-studded 32-player field compete for the £200,000 top prize at the Empress Ballroom.
Humphries lifted the Phil Taylor Trophy for the first time 12 months ago, and the world number one will mark his Winter Gardens return with a blockbuster clash against World Youth Champion Van Veen.
The first round of the sport’s summer showpiece sees the world's top 16 players seeded and pitted against the top 16 qualifiers from the one-year ProTour Rankings, as two Dutch legends collide.
Van Gerwen - the runner-up to Humphries last year - will begin his bid for a fourth World Matchplay title against five-time World Champion Van Barneveld, the runner-up at this event back in 2010.
World Champion Luke Littler will open his title challenge against 2023 quarter-finalist Ryan Searle, while former runner-up Jonny Clayton begins his campaign against German number one Martin Schindler.
Fourth seed Stephen Bunting will play Ryan Joyce in a repeat of their first round showdown 12 months ago, with 2023 champion Nathan Aspinall drawn against Dutch debutant Wessel Nijman.
Rob Cross and Peter Wright - the winners in 2019 and 2021 respectively - also face Dutch opposition in Dirk van Duijvenbode and Jermaine Wattimena, while 2018 champion Gary Anderson plays Luke Woodhouse for a place in the last 16.
2007 champion James Wade - also a five-time runner-up - will make his 20th consecutive World Matchplay appearance later this month, and he gets his bid underway against 2023 semi-finalist Joe Cullen.
Former finalist Gerwyn Price meets Northern Ireland’s newly crowned World Cup champion Daryl Gurney, whose Northern Ireland team-mate Josh Rock takes on former European Champion Ross Smith for the second straight year.
World number six Chris Dobey faces German number two Ricardo Pietreczko, as Australian number one Damon Heta goes up against former UK Open champion Andrew Gilding.
Five-time quarter-finalist Dave Chisnall and World Grand Prix champion Mike De Decker also collide, with 2022 semi-finalist Danny Noppert awaiting debutant Cameron Menzies in round one.
The sport's biggest names will compete across nine days of action at the Empress Ballroom, with £800,000 in prize money and the coveted Phil Taylor Trophy up for grabs.
Humphries will take centre stage on Saturday's opening night, as former champions Aspinall and Wade also star in a bumper line-up.
Littler will headline Sunday's double-session alongside the likes of Bunting, Clayton, Cross and Anderson, before Van Gerwen and Price enter the fray on Day Three, as the first round draws to a close on Monday evening.
This year's visit to the Winter Gardens will also feature the fourth staging of the Betfred Women's World Matchplay, as eight players compete on the afternoon of Sunday July 27. Click here to buy tickets.
Title sponsors Betfred have installed Littler as the 7/4 favourite to lift his first World Matchplay title, while Humphries is priced at 7/2 to go back-to-back.
Price is 9/1 to win his maiden title at the Winter Gardens, with Van Gerwen a 16/1 shot to repeat former glories in Blackpool.
2025 Betfred World Matchplay
Draw Bracket
(1) Luke Humphries v Gian van Veen
(16) Danny Noppert v Cameron Menzies
(8) Nathan Aspinall v Wessel Nijman
(9) James Wade v Joe Cullen
(4) Stephen Bunting v Ryan Joyce
(13) Gary Anderson v Luke Woodhouse
(5) Jonny Clayton v Martin Schindler
(12) Dave Chisnall v Mike De Decker
(2) Luke Littler v Ryan Searle
(15) Peter Wright v Jermaine Wattimena
(7) Damon Heta v Andrew Gilding
(10) Rob Cross v Dirk van Duijvenbode
(3) Michael van Gerwen v Raymond van Barneveld
(14) Ross Smith v Josh Rock
(6) Chris Dobey v Ricardo Pietreczko
(11) Gerwyn Price v Daryl Gurney
Session Schedule
Saturday July 19 (1900 BST)
First Round x4
James Wade v Joe Cullen
Danny Noppert v Cameron Menzies
Luke Humphries v Gian van Veen
Nathan Aspinall v Wessel Nijman
Sunday July 20
Afternoon Session (1300 BST)
First Round x4
Damon Heta v Andrew Gilding
Rob Cross v Dirk van Duijvenbode
Peter Wright v Jermaine Wattimena
Dave Chisnall v Mike De Decker
Evening Session (1900 BST)
First Round x4
Gary Anderson v Luke Woodhouse
Jonny Clayton v Martin Schindler
Luke Littler v Ryan Searle
Stephen Bunting v Ryan Joyce
Monday July 21 (1900 BST)
First Round x4
Chris Dobey v Ricardo Pietreczko
Gerwyn Price v Daryl Gurney
Michael van Gerwen v Raymond van Barneveld
Ross Smith v Josh Rock
Tuesday July 22 (1900 BST)
Second Round x4 - Match Order TBC
Humphries/Van Veen v Noppert/Menzies
Aspinall/Nijman v Wade/Cullen
Bunting/Joyce v Anderson/Woodhouse
Clayton/Schindler v Chisnall/De Decker
Wednesday July 23 (1900 BST)
Second Round x4 - Match Order TBC
Littler/Searle v Wright/Wattimena
Heta/Gilding v Cross/Van Duijvenbode
Van Gerwen/Van Barneveld v Smith/Rock
Dobey/Pietreczko v Price/Gurney
Thursday July 24 (2000 BST)
Quarter-Finals x2
Friday July 25 (2000 BST)
Quarter-Finals x2
Saturday July 26 (2000 BST)
Semi-Finals
Sunday July 27
Afternoon Session (1300 BST)
Betfred Women's World Matchplay
Quarter-Finals
Beau Greaves v Kirsi Viinikainen
Lisa Ashton v Robyn Byrne
Noa-Lynn van Leuven v Lorraine Winstanley
Fallon Sherrock v Gemma Hayter
Semi-Finals
Greaves/Viinikainen v Ashton/Byrne
Van Leuven/Winstanley v Sherrock/Hayter
Final
v
Evening Session (2000 BST)
Betfred World Matchplay Final
Schedule subject to change. Schedule for second round onwards will be confirmed at PDC website and via @OfficialPDC social media channels. Sky Sports coverage from July 24-27 begins from 1930, with play from 2000.
Betfred Odds
Tournament Winner
7/4 Luke Littler
7/2 Luke Humphries
9/1 Gerwyn Price
16/1 Michael van Gerwen
20/1 Nathan Aspinall, Stephen Bunting, Josh Rock
25/1 Gary Anderson
33/1 Gian van Veen, Chris Dobey
40/1 Rob Cross, Jonny Clayton
50/1 Mike De Decker, Wessel Nijman, Ross Smith, Damon Heta, Dirk van Duijvenbode
66/1 Martin Schindler, James Wade, Ryan Searle
80/1 Peter Wright, Dave Chisnall, Danny Noppert
100/1 Cameron Menzies, Jermaine Wattimena, Daryl Gurney
125/1 Joe Cullen
150/1 Ryan Joyce, Luke Woodhouse, Andrew Gilding, Raymond van Barneveld, Ricardo Pietreczko
Odds correct at time of writing and courtesy Betfred.com. Subject to fluctuation.