2026 World Grand Prix Darts preview and prediction

From 28 September to 4 October, the English city of Leicester will be completely taken over by the World Grand Prix 2026. Why? Because 32 players will take to the oche for one of the most special tournaments on the PDC calendar. Who will be the big winner of £150,000?

What really sets the World Grand Prix apart is its famous double-in, double-out format. In this format, you must not only finish a leg with a double, but also start it with one. Defending champion Luke Littler is once again among the big names, but with Luke Humphries, Gian van Veen, Gerwyn Price and six-time winner Michael van Gerwen, the competition is fierce. Oranje Palace tells you more about this prestigious tournament in the United Kingdom.

Betting at Oranje Palace

Do you already have an account with Oranje Palace? If so, you’ll know where to find the Sportsbook. If not, as a new player you can take advantage of a welcome bonus of 3 x €14 Free Bets. You’ll receive a Pre-match Free Bet, a Live Free Bet and a Bet Builder Free Bet.

The 2026 World Grand Prix offers a whole week of opportunities to place these Free Bets. For example, predict the winner of a match in advance, place live bets during a match, or combine different selections in a Bet Builder. One thing is clear: thanks to the unique format, a match can turn on a sixpence, especially if a player struggles to land that all-important first double.

World Grand Prix 2026 preview

The World Grand Prix has for many years been one of the most important televised tournaments organised by the PDC, the world’s largest darts organisation. This year, the World Grand Prix will be held at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester, where 32 players will compete for the title. These participants comprise the sixteen highest-ranked players on the PDC Order of Merit. In the first round, they will face sixteen players who have qualified via the ProTour rankings.

It will come as no surprise that Luke Littler is travelling to Leicester as the defending champion. The Nuke won the tournament for the first time in 2025 by beating Luke Humphries 6-1 in sets in the final. The latter is, incidentally, no stranger to the tournament either. He was the champion in 2023.
Of course, ‘we’ have also enjoyed our fair share of success at the World Grand Prix. Michael van Gerwen has won the World Grand Prix no fewer than six times, making him one of the most successful players in the event’s history. The question, however, is whether he can still match the form he once displayed.

How does the World Grand Prix work?

The World Grand Prix has a rule that you’ll find in virtually no other major darts tournament: double-in, double-out. This means that a player does not automatically start a leg on 501 points. Only after they have hit a double do their points start to count down. After that, as usual, they must also finish the leg with a double.

Unlike, for example, last week’s World Series of Darts, the World Grand Prix 2026 is all about winning sets. In the early rounds, the player who wins two sets first is declared the winner. In the all-deciding final, you must win six sets to pull away from your opponent for good. Below is the format of the World Grand Prix 2026:

It is clear that the first round, in particular, proves to be a stumbling block for many players. Winning two sets is by no means an insurmountable task, especially if, as the favourite, you don’t start the match on top form. Losing two sets means immediate elimination, and thanks to the format, it’s quite possible that a number of top players could find themselves in trouble early on.

World Grand Prix 2026 Fixtures

Monday 28 September

Danny Noppert - Niko Springer
Ross Smith - Cameron Menzies
Nathan Aspinall - Kevin Doets
Jonny Clayton - Krzysztof Ratajski
Gerwyn Price - Sebastian Bialecki
Michael van Gerwen - Ryan Joyce
Luke Littler - Luke Woodhouse
Wessel Nijman - Rob Cross

Tuesday 29 September

Chris Dobey - Jermaine Wattimena
Ryan Searle - William O'Connor
Josh Rock - Niels Zonneveld
James Wade - Joe Cullen
Gary Anderson - Damon Heta
Gian van Veen - Dirk van Duijvenbode
Luke Humphries - Dave Chisnall
Stephen Bunting - Andrew Gilding

Favourites for the 2026 World Grand Prix

Luke Littler

Defending champion Luke Littler is once again among the top contenders. Last year, ‘The Nuke’ won his first World Grand Prix by beating Luke Humphries 6–1 in the final. In Leicester, Littler will start against Luke Woodhouse. He will then face either Nathan Aspinall or Kevin Doets.

Luke Humphries

Luke Humphries also has fond memories of the World Grand Prix. He won the tournament in 2023 and reached the final again last year. This time, the Englishman will face Dave Chisnall, who has himself been a finalist at this tournament on two occasions.

Gian van Veen

Gian van Veen is now among the world’s best and is seeded third. However, he has been waiting a while to win a major title. Shortly before the World Grand Prix, he did reach the final of Players Championship 29. In the first round, Gian van Veen will face Dirk van Duijvenbode.

Michael van Gerwen

With six titles to his name, Michael van Gerwen is one of the most successful players in the history of the World Grand Prix. Unfortunately, his recent form speaks volumes, as he was knocked out far too early at both the World Series Finals and the Players Championship 29. Can he pull it off in Leicester?

##World Grand Prix prediction
Of course, it’s obvious to pick Luke Littler as the winner of the World Grand Prix. The still-young Englishman has won almost every title there is to win and is once again the clear favourite in Leicester. A win for Luke Littler will earn you odds of 1.73.

Would you rather watch the matches featuring our Dutch players? It might then be worth taking a look at Michael van Gerwen’s recent slump. He was knocked out in the first round at both the World Series of Darts and the Player Championships 29 and is going through a significant dip in form. We reckon he’ll be knocked out in the first round for the third time in a row, this time by Ryan Joyce. A win for Ryan Joyce in Monday evening’s match will earn you odds of 2.45.