The schedule of play for the opening two nights of the 2026 Winmau World Masters has been confirmed, following the conclusion of the Preliminary Rounds in Milton Keynes on Wednesday.
The Preliminary Rounds consisted of 120 players competing for the eight remaining places in the 32-player tournament at Arena MK, which will be held from Thursday January 29 to Sunday February 1.
Thursday’s opening night of action will see eight opening round ties take place in Milton Keynes, as five-time Masters winner Michael van Gerwen headlines a stacked evening against Australian number one Damon Heta.
New Dutch number one and world number three Gian van Veen will play Ryan Joyce in his first ever appearance at the World Masters, whilst two-time World Champion Gary Anderson locks horns with Niels Zonneveld.
2023 Masters champion Chris Dobey will do battle with former European Championship runner-up Jermaine Wattimena in the opening match of the evening, as Welsh duo Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton face James Hurrell and Niels Zonneveld respectively.
James Wade - who lifted the Masters trophy 12 years ago - takes on Madars Razma, and former World Matchplay champion Nathan Aspinall plays new Tour Card holder Shane McGuirk.
On the second and concluding day of round one action on Friday, reigning World Masters champion Luke Humphries and back-to-back World Champion Luke Littler will both open their title bids.
Humphries takes on St Helens star Dave Chisnall, whilst Littler will begin his second World Masters appearance by facing former World Grand Prix champion Mike De Decker.
2024 Masters winner Stephen Bunting takes on Jeffrey de Graaf in the final round one match in Milton Keynes, with World Cup winners Josh Rock and Daryl Gurney up against Connor Scutt and Dutch arrowsmith Danny Noppert respectively.
Elsewhere, World Championship semi-finalist Ryan Searle will lock horns with 2017/18 World Champion Rob Cross, as German number one Martin Schindler plays Luke Woodhouse and Ross Smith faces WDF Champion Jimmy van Schie.
Following the conclusion of round one, round two will be held across two sessions on Saturday January 31, before the tournament reaches a blockbuster Finals Day with the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final taking place on Sunday at Arena MK.
The 2026 Winmau World Masters champion will take home a £100,000 prize, with £50,000 on offer to the runner-up.
2026 Winmau World Masters
Draw Bracket
(1) Luke Littler v Mike De Decker
(16) Ross Smith v Jimmy van Schie
(8) Ryan Searle v Rob Cross
(9) Josh Rock v Connor Scutt
(4) Michael van Gerwen v Damon Heta
(13) Chris Dobey v Jermaine Wattimena
(5) Jonny Clayton v Wessel Nijman
(12) Gerwyn Price v James Hurrell
(2) Luke Humphries v Dave Chisnall
(15) Martin Schindler v Luke Woodhouse
(7) Stephen Bunting v Jeffrey de Graaf
(10) Danny Noppert v Daryl Gurney
(3) Gian van Veen v Ryan Joyce
(14) Nathan Aspinall v Shane McGuirk
(6) Gary Anderson v Niels Zonneveld
(11) James Wade v Madars Razma
Thursday January 29 (1900 GMT)
Round One x8
Chris Dobey v Jermaine Wattimena
Gary Anderson v Niels Zonneveld
James Wade v Madars Razma
Nathan Aspinall v Shane McGuirk
Jonny Clayton v Wessel Nijman
Gerwyn Price v James Hurrell
Michael van Gerwen v Damon Heta
Gian van Veen v Ryan Joyce
Friday January 30 (1900 GMT)
Round One x8
Martin Schindler v Luke Woodhouse
Ross Smith v Jimmy van Schie
Danny Noppert v Daryl Gurney
Ryan Searle v Rob Cross
Josh Rock v Connor Scutt
Luke Littler v Mike De Decker
Luke Humphries v Dave Chisnall
Stephen Bunting v Jeffrey de Graaf
Saturday January 31
Afternoon Session (1300 GMT)
Round Two x4
Evening Session (1900 GMT)
Round Two x4
Sunday February 1
Afternoon Session (1300 GMT)
Quarter-Finals
Evening Session (1900 GMT)
Semi-Finals
Final
Format
Round One - Best of five sets
Round Two - Best of seven sets
Quarter-Finals - Best of seven sets
Semi-Finals - Best of nine sets
Final - Best of 11 sets
Best of Three Legs per set for every match