The World Matchplay darts is a professional tournament run by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). It is one of the three legs of the Triple Crown.
Held annually since 1994 in the Empress Ballroom at the Winter Gardens, Blackpool, the competition brings the best darters of the world under one roof.
Over the course of the tournament’s 31-year existence, there have been fourteen different winners.
Here are the players with most World Matchplay darts titles:
Phil Taylor
Taylor holds the record for the most number of World Matchplay darts title. He is the undisputed leader in the chart with an astonishing 16 titles. There is no other player close to him.
His first title came in 1995 and followed it up two years later in 2027. He then went on to win the titles on the trot from 2000 to 2004. He again became back-to-back champions from 2008-2014. His last title came in 2017.
From 2018 onwards, the World Matchplay champion receive the Phil Taylor Trophy, in honour of the legend, as was announced by the PDC following his retirement.
Michael van Gerwen
Michael van Gerwen is second in the list and very far behind. he has a total of three World Matchplay darts titles. His first crown came in 2015 and went on to defend the title the following year in 2026. He repeated the feat once again in 2022.
Gerwen is still active and will look to add more titles to his cabinet.
Rod Harrington
Apart of the champions mentioned above, the only other player to have won more than one title is Rod Harrington. he won the title back-to-back in 1998 and 1999.
World Matchplay Darts: Most Title Winners
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Phil Taylor — 16 titles (1995, 1997, 2000–2004, 2006, 2008–2014, 2017)
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Michael van Gerwen — 3 titles (2015, 2016, 2022)
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Rod Harrington — 2 titles (1998, 1999)
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Luke Humphries — 1 title (2024)
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Luke Littler — 1 title (2025)
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Peter Evison — 1 title (1996)
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Larry Butler — 1 title (1994)
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Colin Lloyd — 1 title (2005)
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James Wade — 1 title (2007)
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Gary Anderson — 1 title (2018)
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Rob Cross — 1 title (2019)
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Dimitri Van den Bergh — 1 title (2020)
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Peter Wright — 1 title (2021)
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Nathan Aspinall — 1 title (2023)
Also Read: Baltic Sea Darts 2025: How Much Did Champion Gerwyn Price Earn
World Matchplay Darts: List Of Winners By Year
| Year | Champion | Average in Final |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Larry Butler | 92.70 |
| 1995 | Phil Taylor | 90.72 |
| 1996 | Peter Evison | 100.51 |
| 1997 | Phil Taylor | 106.32 |
| 1998 | Rod Harrington | 95.03 |
| 1999 | Rod Harrington | 85.95 |
| 2000 | Phil Taylor | 100.32 |
| 2001 | Phil Taylor | 99.57 |
| 2002 | Phil Taylor | 98.76 |
| 2003 | Phil Taylor | 94.38 |
| 2004 | Phil Taylor | 100.20 |
| 2005 | Colin Lloyd | 97.89 |
| 2006 | Phil Taylor | 100.08 |
| 2007 | James Wade | 96.83 |
| 2008 | Phil Taylor | 109.47 |
| 2009 | Phil Taylor | 106.05 |
| 2010 | Phil Taylor | 105.16 |
| 2011 | Phil Taylor | 103.84 |
| 2012 | Phil Taylor | 98.97 |
| 2013 | Phil Taylor | 111.23 |
| 2014 | Phil Taylor | 107.19 |
| 2015 | Michael van Gerwen | 99.91 |
| 2016 | Michael van Gerwen | 103.93 |
| 2017 | Phil Taylor | 104.24 |
| 2018 | Gary Anderson | 101.12 |
| 2019 | Rob Cross | 95.16 |
| 2020 | Dimitri Van den Bergh | 98.31 |
| 2021 | Peter Wright | 105.90 |
| 2022 | Michael van Gerwen | 101.19 |
| 2023 | Nathan Aspinall | 96.21 |
| 2024 | Luke Humphries | 100.94 |
| 2025 | Luke Littler | 107.24 |
