Michael van Gerwen to face former world champion in first TV major since darts star announced divorce

The Sun

10-07-2025

MICHAEL VAN GERWEN will face Raymond van Barneveld in a clash of the Dutch darts titans at the Betfred World Matchplay in his first TV major since the announcement of his divorce.
Mighty Mike plays his fellow countryman in the first round of the prestigious PDC event, which starts on Saturday, July 1,9 at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool.
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The three-time world champion shocked his fans by revealing on social media on May 24 that he is splitting from his wife, Daphne, after 11 years of marriage.
The 36-year-old – who has two children under the age of seven – pulled out of the Elten Safety Shoes Dutch Darts Championship in his homeland when the news broke.
And he did not appear for his country at last month's PDC World Cup of Darts in Frankfurt.
In his next two competitive appearances, on the World Series of Darts circuit, Van Gerwen lost in the quarter-finals, first to Gerwyn Price in New York and then to Rob Cross in Poland.
This will be his first televised slot on Sky Sports since the family break-up went public, in a competition in which he has won on three occasions.
And the No.3 seed will battle legendary five-time world champion Van Barneveld, 58, in round one over the best of 19 legs.
Defending champion and No.1 seed Luke Humphries is up against Holland's Gian van Veen on the opening night in front of more than 2,000 fans.
On day two, reigning world champion Luke Littler will tackle Ryan Searle in the seaside resort, looking to lift The Phil Taylor Trophy for the first time.
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List of all-time Darts World Champions
BELOW is a list of darts world champions by year.
The list does not include winners from the pre-Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) era or BDO world champions.
That means Raymond van Barneveld, for example, is only listed once - Barney also won four BDO titles - and none of Eric Bristow's five BDO titles are included.
1994 - Dennis Priestley
1995 - Phil Taylor
1996 - Phil Taylor (2)
1997 - Phil Taylor (3)
1998 - Phil Taylor (4)
1999 - Phil Taylor (5)
2000 - Phil Taylor (6)
2001 - Phil Taylor (7)
2002 - Phil Taylor (8)
2003 - John Part
2004 - Phil Taylor (9)
2005 - Phil Taylor (10)
2006 - Phil Taylor (11)
2007 - Raymond van Barneveld
2008 - John Part (2)
2009 - Phil Taylor (12)
2010 - Phil Taylor (13)
2011 - Adrian Lewis
2012 - Adrian Lewis (2)
2013 - Phil Taylor (14)
2014 - Michael van Gerwen
2015 - Gary Anderson
2016 - Gary Anderson (2)
2017 - Michael van Gerwen (2)
2018 - Rob Cross
2019 - Michael van Gerwen (3)
2020 - Peter Wright
2021 - Gerwyn Price
2022 - Peter Wright (2)
2023 - Michael Smith
2024 - Luke Humphries
2025 - Luke Littler
Most World Titles
14 - Phil Taylor
3 - Michael van Gerwen
2 - John Part, Adrian Lewis, Gary Anderson, Peter Wright
1 - Dennis Priestley, Raymond van Barneveld, Rob Cross, Gerwyn Price, Michael Smith, Luke Humphries, Luke Littler
Former world champion Michael Smith – who lost to Cross in the 2019 World Matchplay final – is not part of the 32-man field for the first time in 12 years after slumping to 21st spot on the PDC Order of Merit.
The winner of the World Matchplay will receive a £200,000 prize with £100,000 going to the runner-up – those figures rise by £25,000 respectively for the 2026 tournament.
There will also be a Women's World Matchplay for the fourth successive time, with Beau Greaves as the defending champion.