Wednesday, July 15, 2026
Column CM162
World MatchPlay 2026 – Debutants
As happens every year, there will be several debutants at the World Matchplay. Four players will stand on the stage at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool for the first time: Germany’s Niko Springer, Dutchmen Niels Zonneveld and Kevin Doets, and Irishman William O’Connor, who is by far the oldest of the debutants.
Niko Springer
Born: July 11, 2000, in Mainz, Germany
Nickname: Meenzer Bub
Darts: 23g Bull’s Signature
Began his darts career: 2019 in the DDV
Tour Card holder: since 2025 based on his performances on the Development Tour
World Ranking: 43rd
Pro Tour Ranking: 21st
European Tour Ranking: 24th
Players Championship Ranking: 39th
Key Achievements: 3rd Round UK Open 2025 and 2026, Winner Hungarian Darts Trophy 2025, Last 16 Grand Slam of Darts 2025
Best Pro Tour performances this year: one quarter-final and one semi-final at Players Championships, one quarter-final on the European Tour, Named Best Newcomer 2025
Participated in the PDC World Championship: twice so far, losing in the first round on both occasions.
First-round opponent at the World Matchplay: Luke Littler
Niko Springer has been handed an incredibly tough draw on his debut – he will face the defending champion and world number one Luke Littler. The first round of a tournament is tough for any player – even Luke Littler – and Niko Springer is known for delivering particularly strong performances against strong opponents and big names. Nevertheless, it remains doubtful whether he will actually get a chance to win.
Niels Zonneveld
Born: July 22, 1998, in Uitgeest, Netherlands
Nickname: Triple Z
Darts: 23g Shot
Began his darts career: in the BDO Youth in 2014
Tour Card Holder: since 2019, returned it at the end of 2021, regained it at Q School in 2022
World Ranking: 37th
Pro Tour Ranking: 22nd
European Tour Ranking: 10th
Players Championship Ranking: 54th
Key Achievements: 3rd Round, PDC World Championship 2026, 4th Round, UK Open 2026, Last 16 Players Championship Finals 2023 and 2024
Best Pro Tour performances this year: two quarterfinals at Player Championships, two semi-finals on the European Tour
Participated in the PDC World Championship: five times to date
First-round opponent at the World Matchplay: Stephen Bunting
Niels Zonneveld will face Stephen Bunting in the first round – a match with an unpredictable outcome. Stephen Bunting has not always been in top form recently – at the European Darts Open in Leverkusen last weekend, he lost his opening match to Ryan Joyce with an average of 87.50. However, Zonneveld is no longer in the form he showed during the first half of the year – he lost in the second round in Leverkusen to Ross Smith, who was playing exceptionally well. It is possible that both players struggled with the heat in Leverkusen. Normally, Bunting would be expected to win, but it wouldn’t be surprising if he proved to be a bit of a “wobbly” prospect.
Kevin Doets
Born: May 5, 1998, in Almere, Netherlands
Nickname: Hawk Eye
Darts: 21g Target
Began his darts career: in the BDO; has been playing darts since 2011.
Tour Card holder: since 2022
World Ranking: 30th place
Pro Tour Ranking: 7th place
European Tour Ranking: 7th place
Players Championship Ranking: 3rd place
Key Achievements: Last 16: PDC World Championship 2025 and 2026, 5th Round: UK Open 2023, 2024, and 2026
Best Pro Tour performances this year: five quarterfinals and four semi-finals at Players Championships, three third-round appearances and one final on the European Tour
Participated in the PDC World Championship: three times so far.
First-round opponent at the World Matchplay: Ross Smith
Kevin Doets is certainly the most successful of the debutants on this year’s Pro Tour – he is one of the players expected to soon be among the tournament winners. He has already caused trouble for some of the big names and beaten many of them. Overall, Ross Smith is the more successful and significantly more experienced player, though he does have the occasional slip-up. He has competed in the World Matchplay four times, losing in the first round on three of those occasions. It could well turn out to be a fiercely contested match.
William O’Connor
Born: July 15, 1986, Limerick, Republic of Ireland
Nickname: The Magpie
Darts: 22g Winmau
Began his PDC career: in 2009 (has been playing darts since 2005)
Tour Card holder: since 2011
World Ranking: 36th
Pro Tour Ranking: 19th
European Tour Ranking: 29th
Players Championship Ranking: 23rd
Key Achievements: 2019 World Cup of Darts finalist, 2022 UK Open semi-finalist, 2020 Players Championship Finals quarterfinalist, 2022 PDC World Championship third round
Best Pro Tour performances this year: two quarterfinals and one final at Players Championships; two third-round appearances on the European Tour
Participated in the PDC World Championship: nine times so far
First round opponent at the World Matchplay: Ryan Searle
William O’Connor faces Ryan Searle in his debut. One would normally assume that Searle – ranked in the world’s top 16 – should win comfortably. However, Searle seems not to be in top form at the moment, and he skipped the European Tour event last weekend. It remains to be seen whether that was good or bad preparation for the World Matchplay. O’Connor has become a fairly consistent player, even though he didn’t play particularly well against Sebastian Bialecki in Leverkusen, missing several match darts. However, it is quite possible that he was unsettled by the circulatory issues suffered by the marker, whom he immediately rushed to help. It is hard to predict his chances against Searle – ultimately, it depends on the form Searle will display.
