{"id":14618,"date":"2026-07-10T06:58:47","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T23:58:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/?p=14618"},"modified":"2026-07-10T06:58:49","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T23:58:49","slug":"littler-to-face-springer-in-world-matchplay-opener","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/littler-to-face-springer-in-world-matchplay-opener\/","title":{"rendered":"Littler to face Springer in World Matchplay opener"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"\">Luke Littler will begin\u00a0the defence of his World Matchplay title\u00a0against Niko Springer, with the draw for the showpiece event of the\u00a0summer now confirmed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">The 2026 World Matchplay will take place from July 18-26 in Blackpool, as a star-studded 32-player field\u00a0competes\u00a0for the iconic Phil Taylor Trophy and a boosted top prize of \u00a3225,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Littler is aiming to become only the fourth player to retain the coveted title, although he faces a tough opener against German star Springer \u2013 one of four debutants at the Winter Gardens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">The opening round sees the world&#8217;s top 16 players drawn against the top 16 qualifiers from the one-year ProTour Rankings, as 2024 champion Luke Humphries takes on Scottish number two Cameron Menzies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Michael van Gerwen opens his bid for a fourth World Matchplay title against Andrew Gilding, in a repeat of their memorable 2023 UK Open final, while Dutch number one Gian van Veen kicks off his campaign against Poland\u2019s premier player Krzysztof Ratajski.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">2007 champion James Wade &#8211; runner-up to Littler last year &#8211; plays Jermaine Wattimena, with former finalists Jonny Clayton and Gerwyn Price pitted against Damon Heta and Martin Schindler respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Josh Rock returns to the Empress Ballroom to take on&nbsp;ProTour leader Luke Woodhouse,&nbsp;while Danny Noppert has been handed an intriguing tie against 2019 champion Rob Cross.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">2018 winner Gary Anderson begins his latest title tilt against Ryan Joyce, as 2023 champion Nathan Aspinall locks horns with Joe Cullen in a repeat of their semi-final showdown three years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Elsewhere, Wessel Nijman &#8211; a winner of eight ProTour titles in 2026 &#8211; goes head-to-head with five-time quarter-finalist Dave Chisnall, who sealed his qualification in last-gasp fashion earlier this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Aspinall out to defend European crown<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Aspinall-v-Van-Veen1-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4881\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Aspinall-v-Van-Veen1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Aspinall-v-Van-Veen1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Aspinall-v-Van-Veen1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Aspinall-v-Van-Veen1-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Aspinall-v-Van-Veen1.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Nathan Aspinall (Photo by Sebastian Doppstadt\/PDC )<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Defending champion Nathan Aspinall will face Mickey Mansell or Michal Smejda at the European Darts Open, with the draw and schedule for this weekend\u2019s event in Leverkusen now confirmed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">The tenth European Tour event of the season will see 48 players battle for the \u00a335,000 top prize at the Ostermann-Arena from July 10-12, with Dutch number one and two Gian van Veen and Michael van Gerwen also in action.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Tonight\u2019s opening round will see 16 players in action across the day, with Joe Cullen taking on Charlie Manby for the right to face five-time European Darts Open champion Van Gerwen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Rising Dutch star Kevin Doets takes on Dominik Gruellich, while Irish number one William O\u2019Connor locks horns with Sebastian Bialecki in an intriguing affair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Hungarian Darts Open champion Niko Springer faces Lithuania\u2019s premier player Darius Labanauskas, as fellow upcoming World Matchplay debutant Niels Zonneveld faces Daniel Klose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Slovak Darts Open runner-up Rob Cross must navigate the tricky test of Max Hopp, while former World Cup winner Daryl Gurney faces Maik Kuivenhoven.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Players Championship 23 winner Cameron Menzies opens his title bid against Jan Schmidt, as Welsh duo Rhys Griffin and Rob Owen play Karel Sedlacek and Andrew Gilding respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Kim Huybrechts looks to continue his resurgent 2026 against European Tour debutant Samuel Price, with Lukas Wenig taking on Bradley Brooks.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Dirk van Duijvenbode and Mario Vandenbogaerde face Host Nation Qualifiers Jaimy Van de Weerd and Dragutin Horvat respectively, as Friday\u2019s action kicks off with Ryan Joyce up against Nordic &amp; Baltic qualifier Mio Varila.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">The top 16 players on the PDC Rankings Ladder will enter the tournament in round two on Saturday, as Van Veen hunts down a maiden European Tour title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">The European Champion &#8211; the top seed in Leverkusen &#8211; will take on Springer or Labanauskas, as last year\u2019s runner-up Damon Heta faces Gilding or Owen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Aspinall&#8217;s title defence kicks off against Mansell or Smedja, while Van Gerwen searches for a sixth title in Leverkusen against Cullen or Manby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Two-time European Tour winner Wessel Njiman will face Wenig or Brooks, as number three seed Jonny Clayton meets Sedlacek or fellow Welshman Griffin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Tuesday\u2019s ProTour runner-up Luke Woodhouse faces a potential showdown with Vandenbogaerde, while German number one Martin Schindler eyes a possible contest against the in-form Doets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Zonneveld or Klose await International Darts Open winner Ross Smith, with former World Grand Prix winner Mike De Decker taking on Menzies or Schmidt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">James Wade eyes a possible showdown with Gurney, whereas Stephen Bunting opens his title bid against Joyce or Varila.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Danny Noppert will face a stern test in the form of either O\u2019Connor or Bialecki, while fellow Dutchman Jermaine Wattimena will play Huybrechts or Price in Leverkusen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Former Masters winner Chris Dobey will look towards a possible meeting with Van Duijvenbode, as Polish number one Krzysztof Ratajski plays Cross or Hopp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Following the conclusion of round two, the last 16 return to the stage on Sunday afternoon, before the tournament concludes with the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final in a dramatic evening session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Luke Littler will begin\u00a0the defence of his World Matchplay title\u00a0against Niko Springer, with the draw for the showpiece<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12043,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[59],"class_list":["post-14618","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsbeat","tag-darts"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO 4.9.10 - aioseo.com -->\n\t<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Luke Littler will begin the defence of his World Matchplay title against Niko Springer, with the draw for the showpiece event of the summer now confirmed. 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15:18:43","updated":"2026-07-10 00:39:39","seo_analyzer_scan_date":null},"aioseo_breadcrumb":"<div class=\"aioseo-breadcrumbs\"><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\" title=\"Home\">Home<\/a>\n\t\t<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb-separator\">&raquo;<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/category\/newsbeat\/\" title=\"Newsbeat\">Newsbeat<\/a>\n\t\t<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb-separator\">&raquo;<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb\">\n\t\t\tLittler to face Springer in World Matchplay opener\n\t\t<\/span><\/div>","aioseo_breadcrumb_json":[{"label":"Home","link":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news"},{"label":"Newsbeat","link":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/category\/newsbeat\/"},{"label":"Littler to face Springer in World Matchplay 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