The 2026 World Grand Prix (known for sponsorship reasons as the 2026 BOYLE Sports World Grand Prix) was a professional darts tournament that took place at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester, England, from 28 September to 4 October 2026. It was the 29th staging of the World Grand Prix by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). The total prize fund was an increased total of £750,000, with the winner receiving £150,000.
Sponsored by BoyleSports, the tournament was played in the World Grand Prix's traditional "double in, double out" format. It featured 32 players, comprising the top 16 players in the PDC World Rankings and the top 16 players from the one-year PDC Pro Tour rankings who had not yet qualified. Luke Littler was the defending champion, having defeated Luke Humphries 6–1 in the 2025 final, but he lost 2–1 to Luke Woodhouse in the first round.
Humphries won the tournament for the second time in his fourth consecutive final, defeating Gerwyn Price 6–4 after going 0–3 down in sets. Price broke the record for the highest average in a World Grand Prix set, averaging 132.62 in the first set of the final.
Overview Background The 2026 World Grand Prix was the 29th edition of the tournament to be staged by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) since the inaugural tournament in 1998. The tournament is unique as it is the only event in the PDC calendar that uses the "double in, double out" format, in which players must start on a double or the bullseye to start scoring and do the same to win a leg. The inaugural edition featured matches consisting of sets played to the best of three legs, with Phil Taylor winning the final 13–8 against Rod Harrington. Taylor is the most successful player in the tournament's history, winning 11 titles in total. In 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Grand Prix was relocated to England due to the Citywest being used for health services, with the event being held in Leicester since 2021. Brendan Dolan, James Wade and Robert Thornton are the only players to hit a double-start nine-dart finish at the World Grand Prix.
The 2026 edition took place from 28 September to 4 October 2026 at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester. Irish gambling company BoyleSports continued its sponsorship of the event, having extended its partnership with the PDC until 2027. Luke Littler entered the tournament as defending champion after defeating Luke Humphries 6–1 in the 2025 final to win his first World Grand Prix title.
Format The tournament featured 32 players; the top 16 players in the PDC World Rankings were seeded and were drawn against the 16 qualifiers from the PDC Pro Tour rankings in the first round. All matches were in set play format, with each set being played to the best of five legs (first to three). As per the "double in, double out" format, players had to begin a leg by hitting a double or the bullseye and do the same to win a leg. The amount of sets required to win a match increased as the tournament progressed:
RoundBest of (sets)First to (sets)First 3 2Second 5 3Quarter-finals 5 3Semi-finals 9 5Final 11 6
Prize money The prize fund for the event increased to £750,000, up from the previous year's total of £600,000. The winner received £150,000. The prize money breakdown is shown below.
Position (num. of players) Prize money(Total: £750,000)Winner (1) £150,000Runner-up (1) £80,000Semi-finalists (2) £50,000Quarter-finalists (4) £35,000Second round (8) £20,000First round (16) £7,500
Qualification The field of 32 players consisted of the top 16 players in the PDC World Rankings, who were seeded, and the top 16 non-qualified players from the PDC Pro Tour rankings as of 14 September.
PDC World Rankings (first round) (champion) (quarter-finals) (runner-up) (quarter-finals) (semi-finals) (first round) (second round) (first round) (second round) (second round) (second round) (second round) (second round) (first round) (semi-finals)
PDC Pro Tour Rankings (second round) (first round) (second round) (first round) (first round) (first round) (first round) (first round) (quarter-finals) (first round) (quarter-finals) (first round) (first round) (first round) (first round) (first round)
Draw
References