2026 World Matchplay of Darts second round predictions and previews

July 20, 2026 · Yahoo Sports

2026 World Matchplay of Darts second round predictions and previews originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

After three days of first-round action, we turn our attention to the second round, as 16 players will battle it out for the 8 remaining spots up for grabs in the quarterfinals.

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Tuesday and Wednesday are packed with quality matches, so let's take a look at what to expect.

2026 World Matchplay of Darts second round predictions

Here are my predictions for the second round.

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(5) Jonny Clayton vs. (12) Gary Anderson

Winner: Gary Anderson, 13-11

Gary Anderson had one of the standout performances of the first round, averaging nearly 100 in a dominant 10-2 win over Ryan Joyce.

As always, he looked comfortable on the oche, and his throw was very fluid.

It will be hard to replicate a dominant performance like that against Clayton, who will likely pressure Anderson a lot more than Joyce did.

I expect this to be a close contest, but Anderson's form at recent events has indicated to me that he's dialed in and can beat anyone on any given day.

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(4) Michael van Gerwen vs. Dirk van Duijvenbode

Winner: Michael van Gerwen, 11-7

Neither player had their best performance in the opening round, but both stepped up when they needed to, and it was enough to get the job done.

I'd expect more of a bounce-back match from both players, as their ceilings are incredibly high when the scoring power is present.

The two players have faced each other on every stage there is, and DvD has actually won a few matches against MVG recently.

However, I don't see DvD beating MVG here, as I see more room for growth in this match from MVG's end, compared to DvD, who may not be able to keep pace with MVG for the entirety of a potential ~15-20 leg match.

(1) Luke Littler vs. (16) Nathan Aspinall

Winner: Luke Littler, 11-8

The type of performance a player has to have these days to defeat Littler is one that practically needs to be error-free.

Aspinall played a fantastic opening match against Joe Cullen in the first round, and despite a 105 average on his end, I do believe he has room to grow, as crazy as that sounds.

He may not produce a better average, but he did let Cullen stay in the match at times when he should have had cleaner legs.

All of that may not matter, though, if Littler plays how he did against Springer, because when he's in a rhythm, he's very difficult to keep up with on the scoreboard.

Littler averaged 109.5 in that match, but that was mainly due to the surge he had in the second half of the match, meaning if he played a more well-rounded game and was better on the outer ring, he could have had a near event-record average.

At the end of the day, It's hard seeing Littler fall to Aspinall, but it should be another fairly tight contest, as long as Aspinall plays his part.

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(8) Josh Rock vs. (9) Stephen Bunting

Winner: Stephen Bunting, 11-9

Both players made hard work out of their first-round matches.

Rock was fortunate that Luke Woodhouse had an even bigger off-day, but Bunting really had to fight through every dart in a 24-leg match that went several legs deep into a tiebreaker.

This match can really go either way, but I liked what I've seen from Bunting recently, and believe he'll win this contest.

His close call against Zonneveld could be the early wakeup call he needed, and is a good battle test for him ahead of his match with Rock, and a potential clash with Littler in the quarterfinal, if both players advance.

(6) James Wade vs. (11) Ryan Searle

Winner: Ryan Searle, 12-10

This match has the potential to be a very fun one.

Searle and Wade have only played each other a handful of times in their careers, with this being the first time they clash in over two years. Wade has only beaten Searle once before, in the four times they played.

Both have been very good on the outer ring, so for me, the better scorer will have the edge in this contest.

Searle seems to have something to prove, as he's had a slow six months since his semifinal run at the WC.

Wade could very well use his experience and composure to his advantage here, but I like Searle's odds in this case.

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(3) Gian van Veen vs. (14) Wessel Nijman

Winner: Wessel Nijman, 11-9

Most anticipated this to be a match we would get to watch the second the draw was conducted.

It's one of the key matches of the second round, as the winner may very well go on to play in the semifinal or even make the final.

The 'Wesselmania' hype is real, and he's been the better player in 2026, compared to van Veen, who has had a rocky stretch since winning the European Championship and making the final of the WC.

They each have a win against each other in 2026, as both were dominant wins where the winner averaged over 105 in ET events.

I expect a closer contest this time around. The stakes are higher, and both will like their chances, especially since the pace of the match will suit both players.

Nijman had a huge win over Nathan Aspinall at the Matchplay this year, but a win against van Veen would arguably be one of the biggest of Nijman's career, and it would put him in his first career major quarterfinal.

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Cameron Menzies vs. (15) Ross Smith

Winner: Cameron Menzies, 11-8

Although Smith statistically played better than Menzies in the first round, I was more encouraged by Menzies' upset win over Luke Humphries.

We're really witnessing a different Menzies on the oche than the one we've seen as early as six months ago.

He's able to be much more composed, and aside from his increased mental strength, he's overall just playing very quality darts.

Smith will have a great chance to take the win here if he can replicate his first-round performance, but I'm struggling to see him having another consistent match like that against Menzies.

(7) Gerwyn Price vs. Rob Cross

Winner: Gerwyn Price, 11-9

Cross dominated against Noppert in the first round, but Price will be a very different opponent he'll have to face this round.

It should be a quality contest, as we'll get an early tournament duel between two of the sport's veterans.

I'd expect Price to bounce back after a below-par performance against Martin Schindler, but it was encouraging to see him stick with it in that match, as he could have given up easily when he was down several legs.

Cross has been in very respectable form in recent weeks/months, but I'd give Price the edge here, because if he reaches his A/B game, he'll be the favorite.