IDF World Matchplay

IDF World Matchplay
Founded	2023
First season	2023
Organising body	International Darts Federation
Country	England
Venue(s)	Winter Gardens (2023–)
Most recent; champion(s)	Max Mad ; (2025)
TV partner(s)	Sky Sports (2023–)
Tournament format	Legs
	2026 IDF World Matchplay

The IDF World Matchplay is a professional darts tournament organised by the International Darts Federation (IDF). Founded in 2025, it is held annually at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool, England, and is contested in a legs format. It is one of the IDF's most prestigious ranking events, alongside the IDF World Darts Championship, the IDF Grand Prix of Darts and the IDF Darts Premier League.

The tournament was introduced during the IDF's first full competitive season as a summer major designed to test players across longer legs-only matches. Unlike the set-play format used at the IDF World Darts Championship, the World Matchplay is played entirely in legs, placing greater emphasis on sustained scoring, finishing consistency and momentum over extended match distances.

The inaugural edition was won by Max Mad, who defeated Lukas Parker 18–14 in the 2025 final.

History

The IDF World Matchplay was established in 2025 as part of the International Darts Federation's expansion of its professional calendar. The tournament was created to provide the IDF circuit with a summer major played in a traditional legs-only format, contrasting with the set-play structure of the IDF World Darts Championship.

The first edition was staged at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool, a venue selected for its association with long-format professional darts. The decision to launch the tournament in England also gave the IDF a permanent major outside Australia, where the World Championship had been established. The tournament immediately became one of the most important events on the IDF Order of Merit because of its large prize fund, ranking value and prime broadcast position.

Max Mad won the inaugural title in 2025, defeating Lukas Parker 18–14 in the final. Mad's victory completed a strong first year on the IDF circuit and helped establish him as one of the organisation's leading early players.

Format

The IDF World Matchplay has used a 32-player knockout format since its foundation. The field is made up of the highest-ranked available players from the IDF Order of Merit and selected qualifiers from the IDF Pro Tour and regional ranking events. The top 16 players are seeded.

All matches are played in legs, with each leg played over 501, straight start and double finish. Matches must be won by two clear legs unless the match reaches the maximum extension limit, at which point a deciding leg is played.

Round	First to legs	Maximum legs before sudden death
First round	10	24
Second round	11	26
Quarter-finals	16	36
Semi-finals	17	38
Final	18	40

Prize money

The prize fund increased from £750,000 in 2023 to £1,000,000 in 2026. The 2026 champion received £200,000.

Year	Total prize fund	Winner	Runner-up
2023	£750,000	£150,000	£70,000
2024	£750,000	£150,000	£70,000
2025	£850,000	£175,000	£85,000
2026	£1,000,000	£200,000	£100,000