2026 World Grand Prix Preview: Quarter-by-Quarter Analysis & Predictions

Who lifts the 2026 World Grand Prix title?

The World Grand Prix is almost upon us, now just a day away. The only tournament on the PDC calendar with a truly unique setup, in which players not only have to finish on a double to win a leg, but also start on one before they can begin scoring.

It's often seen as a leveller among darts fans, with the first-round format of best-of-three sets leaving the door open for anyone to cause an upset.

We've seen shocks down the years, from Andy Callaby defeating Phil Taylor in 2004 to Adrian Gray also dispatching the legendary 16-time World Champion in 2007. More recently, Daryl Gurney swept aside six-time World Champion Michael van Gerwen, winning 2-0 in sets and 6-0 in legs in 2024.

And while the elite have enjoyed plenty of success, with six of the previous 12 champions in this year's field (Luke Littler, Gerwyn Price, Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen, Jonny Clayton and James Wade), this tournament can still throw up a surprise winner. Just look at 100/1 outsider Mike De Decker, who lifted the trophy and £120,000 top prize in 2024, only to miss out on qualification in 2026 and a chance to defend his prize money.

For 19 of the tournament's 28 editions, the World Grand Prix was held at the fabulous Citywest Hotel in Dublin, an iconic venue that became synonymous with this unique major. Much like the Winter Gardens held at the World Matchplay in Blackpool over the summer holidays, it just made sense.

The tournament has since found a home at the Leicester Arena. Perhaps some of that exciting Irish atmosphere and feel has been lost, but what remains is a format that darts fans adore and crave more of, something a bit different, with the potential for unexpected winners.

With some huge names facing difficult opening ties and plenty of players arriving in contrasting form, this year's tournament feels like a big opportunity for many.

There are also questions surrounding World No.1 Luke Littler and which version of him will turn up in his bid to defend the title. His target of a full sweep of the major titles in 2026 came crashing down with a quarter-final defeat at the World Series of Darts Finals last week.

Following a rough ride with the Amsterdam crowd, what will his mindset be heading into Leicester, and will he be ready to switch on again?

I've gone through the draw quarter by quarter, looking at form, numbers and potential upsets, alongside my graphics breaking down the key underlying stats and metrics.

Now, it's time to predict who I think will make it through each quarter, and ultimately lift the title next Sunday evening in Leicester.

Quarter 1

Eyes will always be drawn to any section involving the World No.1 Luke Littler - and this is no different.

Littler has been dealt a tough opening section, with the top half looking particularly difficult. Luke Woodhouse and Kevin Doets have had real breakthrough seasons in 2026, while Nathan Aspinall always proves a tricky customer for the teenage sensation.

The bottom half, meanwhile, is made up of players who aren't in the strongest form. Danny Noppert has not built on his 2025 form, Niko Springer similarly has failed to kick on after his Hungarian Darts Trophy triumph last September.

Also, six-time Grand Prix champion Michael van Gerwen has seemingly lost the winning formula. Elsewhere, Ryan Joyce has the second-lowest running average in the entire competition.

There is certainly scope for shock results in this section.

Woodhouse, into his fourth consecutive World Grand Prix, is arguably in the form of his life. The Bewdley man has won both a Players Championship title and a European Tour title in 2026 and sits 9th on the year-to-date Order of Merit.

He represents a serious challenge to the wounded Littler, who will be looking to bounce back after his major clean sweep attempt was emphatically stopped by Jonny Clayton in Amsterdam, losing 10-4 in the last eight of the World Series Finals.

Doets is another player enjoying a fine breakthrough this season, with this his World Grand Prix debut. The Dutchman has made six Pro Tour semi-finals this season, two finals, and claimed a maiden PDC ranking title at Players Championship 13.

Sitting 7th on the year-to-date Order of Merit, he could prove a real threat to 'The Asp', who is yet to reach a major televised quarter-final in 2026.

At the other end of the section, Springer is yet to kick on after landing his maiden European Tour title in 2025. The German has reached just two Pro Tour semi-finals this season and is yet to win a game in a televised major in 2026.

His opponent Danny Noppert has also not hit the heights of his 2025 season, in which he reached four televised major semi-finals, yet has remained steady. 'The Freeze' could perhaps feel hard done by not making the Premier League earlier this year, but sits 12th on the year-to-date Order of Merit and 9th on the post-World Championship Order of Merit.

He will be frustrated not to have added to his six career ranking titles and will look to put right the wrongs after first-round exits at both the World Matchplay and World Series Finals, following two televised quarter-final runs earlier this year.

The final game in this section sees Michael van Gerwen take on Ryan Joyce, and while it may look like a statistical mismatch on paper, the Geordie ace is more than capable of dumping out the six-time World Grand Prix champion.

Speaking on Darts Draait Door, van Gerwen's closest friend Vincent van der Voort said:

"We also have to judge him (MvG) on how he’s playing now. Then we might just have to say Ryan Joyce is a slight favourite."

That is a damning assessment from someone so close to the 'Green Machine'. While Joyce won't be the bookmakers' favourite, an upset is a serious possibility.

Van Gerwen, now World No. 9, is set to drop to No.19 post-World Championship and is currently 19th on the year-to-date Order of Merit. In his last ten televised ranking majors, he has made just one semi-final, with the rest ending in early exits.

Despite showing flashes of his peak levels in unranked World Series events earlier this year, winning two titles, MvG enters this tournament under huge pressure.

Joyce, meanwhile, will feel little to no pressure. His record on the outer ring speaks for itself, boasting a 42.01% checkout percentage across 2026, the best in the quarter, even ahead of Littler.

My Predictions:

I expect Littler to navigate through a tricky opener against Woodhouse, with Doets defeating Aspinall.

At the other end, Noppert should be too strong for Springer, while I am backing Joyce to dump out van Gerwen in another disappointing major tournament for the Dutchman.

From there, I think Doets shocks Littler in a high-quality second-round encounter before meeting Joyce in the quarter-finals.

My prediction is that 'Hawkeye' continues his breakthrough year and enjoys a deep run in a major tournament for the first time, reaching the semi-finals from this section.

Quarter One Prediction:

Kevin Doets defeats Ryan Joyce to make the semi-finals on debut.

Quarter 2

Quarter two boasts two former champions and is arguably the hardest section to predict, with all eight players enjoying strong 2026 campaigns. In fact, it is the only section where every player has won a PDC title this year.

The headline act is Gerwyn Price, with the World No.4 the only player in 2026 to reach at least the semi-finals of every individual televised major.

He has also reached the final of the two most recent majors at the World Matchplay and last weekend's World Series Finals in Amsterdam.

Boasting the highest running average in this section, and the third-best in world darts behind Luke Littler and Luke Humphries, Price has been handed a tough assignment against debutant Sebastian Białecki.

'Bolt' boasts the highest checkout percentage of any player in the 32-man field this year at 44.20%, while he also claimed a second Players Championship title in July. The diminutive Pole will be looking to make an impression on his World Grand Prix debut.

Ross Smith enters as one of the favourites to lift the title after capturing his second televised major last week, defeating Price 11-5 in the World Series Finals final.

It has been the finest year of his long PDC career, winning two Players Championship titles and two European Tour titles before lifting the trophy in Amsterdam to take his 2026 title tally to five.

His World Grand Prix record, however, leaves a lot to be desired, having failed to make it beyond the Last 16 in any of his five appearances.

His opponent Cameron Menzies also comes into this one in fine form, having landed his second Players Championship title of the season - and fourth of his career - at PC29 in Den Bosch on Tuesday.

The Scotsman has recovered remarkably well since his World Championship incident and will make his third consecutive appearance at this event, having reached the quarter-finals last year before losing 3-1 to eventual finalist Luke Humphries.

In the bottom half of quarter two, we introduce another Welshman and former champion in Jonny Clayton.

The World No.5 has enjoyed a steady, yet not spectacular season to date, winning one PDC title in 2026.

He sits 14th on the year-to-date Order of Merit, with much of his best work coming in unranked events, including victory at the New Zealand Darts Masters last month.

His early exits at the World Masters and World Matchplay will be a frustration, but a prolific double 16 hitter, Clayton knows exactly what it takes to win this event.

We cannot forget his 2021 encounter with first-round opponent Krzysztof Ratajski either. The 4-time major winner battled back from 2-1 down to defeat the 'Polish Eagle' 3-2 en route to lifting the World Grand Prix title.

Ratajski is certainly not to be written off, though, especially given the opening round format is just best-of-three sets.

The Pole sits 13th on the year-to-date Order of Merit, one place ahead of Clayton, and claimed his 12th PDC ranking title earlier this year at the European Darts Open.

It would not surprise me if this was the tightest contest of the first round and went all three sets.

The final match-up of this quarter sees Wessel Nijman take on Rob Cross in a repeat of their first-round meeting in 2025, when Cross was a 2-1 winner.

Nijman was hoovering up Pro Tour titles in the opening six months of the year, securing six Players Championship titles and two European Tour titles before July had even begun.

Those European Tour victories also put to bed questions over whether he could replicate his floor form on a stage.

However, despite already boasting 11 PDC Pro Tour titles in just over two and a half years as a professional, his record in televised majors will irk him. Nijman has failed to reach a single quarter-final in the 20 televised majors he has played.

His remarkable 2026 has inevitably cooled in recent months, with no further titles and a string of early Pro Tour exits.

His opponent Rob Cross has enjoyed a solid year, but his World Grand Prix record can be described as appalling. As a four-time major champion and former World Champion, making just one quarter-final in nine appearances equates to a poor return.

'Voltage' has improved his level of consistency this season but sits 16th on the year-to-date Order of Merit, and 22nd on the post-World Championship Order of Merit, leaving him in need of a big televised run to return to the World's Top 16.

My Predictions:

Price will continue his excellent form and come through a tricky opener against Białecki, while I am backing Menzies to shock the newly crowned World Series Finals Champion Smith.

Clayton will edge past Ratajski once again in this event, while Nijman will have too much for Cross.

From there, I think 'The Iceman' will power past Menzies, while Nijman defeats Clayton to set up a fascinating quarter-final clash in Leicester.

Overall, I see Price and Nijman doing battle in another high-quality affair, with the World No.4 coming out on top in a five-set thriller to reach yet another televised major semi-final.

Quarter Two Prediction:

Gerwyn Price edges past Wessel Nijman to make the semi-finals.

Quarter 3

We now turn our attention to the bottom half of the draw, beginning with quarter three, where one standout name leads the way but plenty of questions surround the other seven.

Luke Humphries jumps off the page in this section and has enjoyed a strong year in terms of titles won, but his major record in 2026 will be a cause for concern.

'Cool Hand' has been accustomed to being in the business end of televised majors, making 16 major finals since the back end of 2023 and winning eight.

For somebody once viewed as Luke Littler's closest rival, there is now a recognisable gap, with Humphries battling more closely with the likes of Gian van Veen and Gerwyn Price, both of whom have made bigger impacts in majors over the last year.

What will please Humphries is his floor form. He has picked up three Players Championship titles, a European Tour title, and defended his US Darts Masters crown in New York, amassing five titles in 2026 so far.

He is the overwhelming favourite in this section and has arguably the most favourable first-round tie against Dave Chisnall.

Chisnall surprisingly leads their head-to-head 10-9, although Humphries has won their last four meetings. 'Chizzy' also holds the lowest seasonal average in the 32-man field at 90.84 and has made just one Pro Tour semi-final this season.

For a six-time major finalist and 26-time PDC ranking title winner, his decline has been huge. He has failed to make a quarter-final in his last 18 televised majors also.

The pair have already met twice in 2026, with Humphries winning 3-1 at the World Masters and 10-4 at the UK Open, both in the Last 32.

The next match-up pits two magnificent floor players against each other in Chris Dobey and Jermaine Wattimena.

In the Players Championship Order of Merit, Dobey sits 3rd, and Wattimena 6th, but neither have been able to translate that floor form onto the big stage. Dobey has not won a televised match since reaching the World Masters quarter-finals in January, while Wattimena is yet to win a single televised game in 2026.

It truly feels like a toss of the coin, with Wattimena reaching four Pro Tour finals and winning one, while Dobey has reached three finals and won two.

Looking at the numbers, they do favour 'Hollywood' though, as he has a higher seasonal average, more 171-180s per leg, and a higher checkout percentage.

The bottom half feels like picking a name out of a hat.

Josh Rock endured a tough debut Premier League campaign, but has since won the Austrian Darts Open in May and has three televised major quarter-finals and a UK Open semi-final in 2026.

However, this format is just one that does not suit him, winning just one game in his three appearances so far. His explosive scoring is up there with the very best at times, but too often the outer ring is the Northern Irishman's Achilles' heel.

His opponent Niels Zonneveld makes his debut in Leicester, having enjoyed a decent year on the Pro Tour with three quarter-finals and three semi-finals. He also pushed Stephen Bunting all the way on his World Matchplay debut in July, losing 13-12 after missing multiple match darts.

The final game of quarter three is an intriguing clash between Gary Anderson and Damon Heta.

Anderson feels like a player winding down an illustrious career, yet his numbers suggest that he still has plenty to offer. His 98.21 seasonal average is the fourth-highest in world darts, behind only Littler, Humphries and Price.

The concern is match practice, as that is over a small sample size. Anderson has played just 58 games this season and featured in only 14 of 30 Players Championship events, failing to make a final. His last tournament came over three weeks ago, losing 6-3 to Cameron Menzies in the second round of the Czech Darts Open.

Heta is also going through a difficult year results-wise, yet to win a ranking title after collecting two Players Championship titles in each of the previous four seasons. He has made one final in 2026, losing an extraordinary contest to non-tour-card holder Henry Coates in July.

'The Heat' still boasts a strong 41.19% checkout percentage for the season, the highest in the quarter, but bizarrely has never won a game at the World Grand Prix in five attempts.

My Predictions:

Humphries should have no trouble coming through against Chisnall, while I expect Dobey to shrug off his tough 9-4 losing record against Wattimena.

On debut, Zonneveld will dispatch Rock, with the format simply not suiting the 2025 World Cup champion, while Anderson has just enough to bypass Heta.

From there, I like the numbers Dobey is producing after a strong week in Den Bosch, and I think he shocks Humphries to send the World No.2 out early in a major once again. Meanwhile, Anderson's experience should be enough to bypass Zonneveld.

That sets up a last-eight clash between Dobey and Anderson, with 'Hollywood' booking his place in the last four in Leicester.

Quarter Three Prediction:

Chris Dobey sees off Gary Anderson to reach a second World Grand Prix semi-final.

Quarter 4

The final quarter of this draw offers the biggest opportunity for surprises, with some of the seeds here in serious danger of exiting in Round 1.

The opening tie between Dutch stars Gian van Veen and Dirk van Duijvenbode is one of the most exciting clashes of the opening round.

Van Duijvenbode leads their head-to-head 4-2, but van Veen has won their two most recent meetings, including a 10-8 victory in the last eight of the World Series finals just over a week ago.

It will be van Duijvenbode's sixth appearance in this event and van Veen's third, with the former a runner-up in 2020, while the latter has exited in Round 1 on both appearances.

However, the World No.3 holds the record average in this tournament at 106.47, breaking a record that stood since 2001 by Alan Warriner-Little. 'The Giant', was incredibly defeated 2-0 by Littler, who averaged 105.58 himself, in a remarkable game en route to lifting the title.

Van Veen has spoken about his lack of PDC titles beginning to get under his skin, with just two ranking titles to his name, but his consistency in reaching the latter stages of events cannot be underestimated.

He has made three major semi-finals this season at the World Matchplay, World Masters and World Series Finals, while sitting sixth on the year-to-date Order of Merit despite having only the 17th highest seasonal average.

Van Duijvenbode has four quarter-finals and one final on the Pro Tour in 2026 without picking up a ranking title, but his World Matchplay semi-final and World Series Finals quarter-final runs prove he is entering this one in good form. He also boasts the highest seasonal average in this quarter at 95.56.

The next tie of this section sees Ryan Searle take on William O'Connor, who returns to this event for the first time since 2015.

Searle has picked up his customary Players Championship title this season, as he has done so every year since 2020, yet continues to flatter to deceive on the major stage after his magnificent run to the World Championship semi-finals earlier this year.

His double 20 hitting is among the best in the game, and this is a format that lends itself to his game, I feel, with his best run in the event coming back in 2021, when he reached the quarter-finals.

His opponent William O'Connor has earned his return to this event through his strong Pro Tour form over the last 18 months. 'The Magpie' has made three quarter-finals, one semi-final and one final this season, with his only deep televised run at the World Cup alongside Mickey Mansell, making the quarter-finals for the Republic of Ireland.

Searle leads their head-to-head 8-4, although their meetings are split 1-1 in 2026, with O'Connor winning their most recent encounter 6-4 at the Czech Darts Open, gaining revenge after a 10-6 loss on his World Matchplay debut to 'Heavy Metal'.

The bottom half features two-time champion James Wade against 2023 semi-finalist Joe Cullen.

Wade has quietly built an impressive year, sitting 5th on the year-to-date Order of Merit and securing three PDC titles. He has won a Players Championship title, his first European Tour title since 2016, and his first-ever World Series title at last month's Australian Darts Masters.

He also holds the highest checkout percentage in this quarter at 43.42%, but his World Grand Prix record since 2015 is surprisingly patchy, with just one quarter-final in his last 11 appearances.

Cullen, meanwhile, is clinging onto a place inside the world's top 32 and is yet to win a ranking title this season after collecting two Players Championship titles in 2025.

His seasonal average has actually improved from 91.76 in 2025 to 93.98 in 2026, but results have been harder to come by. He can take some encouragement from making two quarter-finals and one semi-final in his last six appearances in this event, though.

The final Round 1 tie sees Stephen Bunting take on Andrew Gilding.

Bunting is enduring a difficult year after an extraordinary 2025 in which he picked up six titles. He is currently the World No.11 but only 22nd on the year-to-date Order of Merit, with no titles in 2026.

He has made just one Players Championship final and one European Tour quarter-final, while failing to reach a quarter-final in his last ten televised majors. His 95.24 seasonal average shows the level is still there to compete, but his results suggest that last year was an outlier, having only amassed five PDC titles in his previous 11 years as a tour card holder.

Gilding sits two places ahead of Bunting on the year-to-date Order of Merit and has enjoyed a decent year, winning his first Players Championship title. Remarkably, his only previous PDC title was the 2023 UK Open.

'Goldfinger' has also reached three European Tour quarter-finals and two further Players Championship finals, making this a much closer contest than the seeds would suggest.

My Predictions:

In the battle of the Dutchmen, I am going to side with van Duijvenbode in a three-set encounter, while Searle condemns O'Connor to another early exit on his return to this event.

'The Rockstar' will stun Wade, despite 'The Machine's strong form, while Gilding edges Bunting in another tight contest.

From there, I think Searle wins a fast-flowing contest against van Duijvenbode to book his place in the last eight, while Cullen continues a fine run by defeating Gilding.

That would pit Ryan Searle against Joe Cullen in the final quarter-final, and I think Searle is well overdue a deep major run.

Quarter Four Prediction:

Ryan Searle dispatches Joe Cullen to reach a first World Grand Prix semi-final.

Semi-Finals & Final Prediction

Following a deep dive into the draw, dissecting each quarter, my semi-final line-up for next Saturday is Kevin Doets vs Gerwyn Price in the top half and Chris Dobey vs Ryan Searle in the bottom half.

I think debutant Doets' admirable run will come to an end at the hands of Price in a high-quality contest, with 'The Iceman' reaching a third consecutive televised major final.

In the bottom half, I think Dobey will reach a second career major final, sneaking past Searle in a nip and tuck last-four battle that goes the distance.

From there, I think Price finally ends his major drought and lands an eighth career major honour and second World Grand Prix title, defeating Dobey in the final on Sunday evening.

The World No.4 is long overdue another televised major title, and his superb consistency throughout 2026 has seen him become the only player to reach the semi-finals or better in every individual major this season, including the finals of the last two.

While Luke Littler has denied him many opportunities to add to his haul across the last two years, I think this is where Price finally returns to the winners' circle.

Quick-Fire Predictions

🏆 Champion	Gerwyn Price
🥈 Runner-up	Chris Dobey
🎯 Dark Horse	Kevin Doets
😬 Seed most in danger	Michael van Gerwen
🔥 Tie of the first round	Gian van Veen vs. Dirk van Duijvenbode
⚡ Biggest first-round upset	Joe Cullen defeating James Wade
💥 Bold prediction	Luke Littler does not make the quarter-finals