The World Matchplay is largely considered to be the second biggest of the PDC majors, behind the World Darts Championship, and we take a look at some of the records and statistics from the Blackpool showpiece.
Most World Matchplay Darts Titles
Who has won the most World Matchplay Darts titles?
Phil Taylor (16)
Phil Taylor simply loved Blackpool's Winter Gardens, capturing the coveted World Matchplay crown no fewer than 16 times!
It's a truly remarkable record, even for a player of the calibre of 'The Power' - who won 16 of the 17 finals he reached in the competition.
In fact, such is the difficulty in winning the World Matchplay, only Michael van Gerwen (3) and Rod Harrington (2) have been able to reign supreme in the event on more than one occasion.
Taylor's sensational form in Blackpool included a near decade of dominance there between 2000 and 2010, where he romped to glory on nine occasions.
Most World Matchplay Darts Titles:
- Phil Taylor (16)
- Michael van Gerwen (3)
- Rod Harrington (2)
- Luke Littler (2)
- James Wade (1)
- Gary Anderson (1)
- Peter Wright (1)
- Dimitri Van den Bergh (1)
- Larry Butler (1)
- Peter Evison (1)
- Colin Lloyd (1)
- Rob Cross (1)
- Nathan Aspinall (1)
- Luke Humphries (1)
Most World Matchplay Darts Finals
Who has reached the most World Matchplay Darts finals?
Phil Taylor (17)
What makes Phil Taylor's record haul of 16 World Matchplay crowns even more so remarkable is that he was only ever beaten in the final once!
That's right, the Power reached the tournament showpiece 17 times, 11 more than James Wade, who sits second in the list on six.
The Stoke-on-Trent star's solitary World Matchplay final defeat came at the hands of Michael van Gerwen towards the twilight of his professional playing career in 2016.
The Dutchman inflicted an 18-10 defeat upon the greatest arrowsmith ever to have toed the oche, before Taylor went to regain his crown for one final time 12 months later against Peter Wright.
Most World Matchplay Darts Appearances
Who has featured in the most World Matchplay Darts events?
Phil Taylor (24)
Like pretty much every other record in the World Matchplay, Phil Taylor also boasts the most appearances in the competition having featured in it on 24 separate occasions.
James Wade is second on the list, featuring 19 times, with Michael van Gerwen, Dennis Priestly, Ronnie Baxter and Adrian Lewis chalking up 17 inclusions.
Most World Matchplay Darts Appearances:
- Phil Taylor (24)
- James Wade (19)
- Dennis Priestly (17)
- Ronnie Baxter (17)
- Adrian Lewis (17)
- Michael van Gerwen (17)
- John Part (15)
- Gary Anderson (16)
- Colin Lloyd (15)
- Raymond van Barneveld (15)
- Alan Warriner (14)
- Peter Wright (14)
Biggest World Matchplay Darts Victories
What are the biggest victories ever recorded in the World Matchplay Darts?
There have been plenty of whitewashes in World Matchplay history, with Phil Taylor responsible for his fair share of them.
Fellow Stokies Adrian Lewis (10-0 v Andrew Gilding) and Ian White (10-0 v Joe Cullen) have also comprehensively won on the Winter Gardens stage in the past.
As far as the World Matchplay final goes, well Taylor holds the record for the biggest victory, romping to a resounding 18-4 success over Terry Jenkins in the 2009 showpiece.
Highest World Matchplay Darts Tournament Average
What's the highest three-dart tournament average in the World Matchplay Darts?
114.99 - Phil Taylor (2010)
No player has been able to better Phil Taylor's 114.99 tournament average from the 2010 World Matchplay.
'The Power' captured the title for an 11th time that year, seeing off a spirited Raymond van Barneveld in the final.
Luke Littler came agonisingly close as he averaged 113.68 in his superb victory over Nathan Aspinall in 2026 - a match that also so the Nuke start the contest with a magnificent nine-darter.
Incredibly, Taylor currently holds the record for the third, fourth and fifth highest highest tournament averages, ranging from a 113.43 World Matchplay average in 1997 to 111.23 in 2013.
Top 5 World Matchplay Darts Tournament Averages:
- 114.99 - Phil Taylor (2026)
- 113.68 - Luke Littler (2026)
- 113.43 - Phil Taylor (1997)
- 112.17 - Phil Taylor (2002)
- 111.53 - Luke Littler (2026)
Highest World Matchplay Darts Match Average
What's the highest three-dart average ever recorded at the World Matchplay Darts?
114.99 - Phil Taylor (2010)
Serial winner Phil Taylor hit a phenomenal 114.99 three-dart average in his 10-6 triumph over Barrie Bates in the last 32 of the World Matchplay in 2020.
Of course, like the vast majority of his other inclusions in the competition, Taylor went on to reign supreme that year, seeing off the Steve Beaton, Kevin Painter, Simon Whitlock and Raymond van Barneveld, hitting 103+ average in each match.
Highest World Matchplay Darts Averages:
- 114.99 - Phil Taylor (v Barrie Bates, 2010)
- 113.69 - Luke Littler (v Nathan Aspinall, 2026)
- 113.43 - Phil Taylor (v Gary Mawson, 1997)
- 112.17 - Phil Taylor (v Chris Mason, 2002)
- 111.53 - Luke Littler (v Gerwyn Price, 2026)
What's the highest three-dart average in a World Matchplay Darts final?
111.53 - Luke Littler (2026)
Luke Littler completed an incredible week at the 2026 World Matchplay by producing the highest ever average in a Blackpool final as he became the fourth player in history to go back-to-back at the Winter Gardens.
Despite a brave effort from Gerwyn Price, Littler was simply too good as he continued his darting dominance with a record-breaking display.
World Matchplay Darts Longest Unbeaten Run
How many matches did Phil Taylor win consecutively at the World Matchplay?
38 matches - Phil Taylor (2008 - 2015)
Astoundingly, Phil Taylor reeled off 38 successive victories at the World Matchplay across a sensational seven-year period of dominance.
'The Power' lifted the coveted title on seven occasions, from 2008 until 2014, before James Wade finally ended Taylor's stranglehold on the event in the semi-finals of the 2015 competition.
World Matchplay Darts 9-Dart Finishes
There have been a total of 10 perfect legs in World Matchplay history, with Phil Taylor responsible for two of them.
In fact, the Stoke-born star is the only player to have landed perfection on more than one occasion in the Blackpool-staged event, doing so for the first time against Chris Mason in 2002, before following it up some 12 years later during a second round success over Michael Smith.
Other players to have pinned double 12 for darting perfection in the World Matchplay include Raymond van Barneveld, John Part, Michael van Gerwen and Gary Anderson.
Player: | Method: | Year: |
Phil Taylor v Chris Mason | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | 2002 |
Raymond van Barneveld v Dennis Ovens | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | 2010 |
John Part v Mark Webster | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | 2011 |
Michael van Gerwen v Steve Beaton | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | 2012 |
Wes Newton v Justin Pipe | 3 x T20; 2 x T20, T19; 2 x T20, D12 | 2012 |
Phil Taylor v Michael Smith | 3 x T20; 2 x T20, T19; 2 x T20, D12 | 2014 |
Gary Anderson v Joe Cullen | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | 2018 |
Gerwyn Price v Danny Noppert | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | 2022 |
Dimitri van Den Bergh v Martin Schindler | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | 2024 |
Luke Littler v Nathan Aspinall | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T17, D15 | 2026 |
