Grand Slam of Darts 2026 Opening Day: Schedule
The grand slam of darts 2026 opening day arrives on Saturday 14 November 2026, when the Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts begins at WV Active Aldersley in Wolverhampton. Sixteen group matches are scheduled across two sessions, with the afternoon session starting at 1pm GMT and the evening session at 7pm GMT. Every match is a seeded player against Player C of the group, and every match is best of nine legs. It is a long, busy first day, and by the end of it every player in the field will have a result that shapes the rest of their group.
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The headline match is the evening meeting of Luke Littler and Beau Greaves, but the opening day is much more than one match. Michael van Gerwen, Luke Humphries, Gerwyn Price, Gian van Veen, Josh Rock, Stephen Bunting and James Wade all play on Saturday too. This guide sets out the full opening-day schedule, session by session, and explains the storylines to follow.
Grand Slam of Darts 2026 Opening Day: Full Schedule
The opening day has 16 group matches, eight in the afternoon and eight in the evening. Each match is seeded player against Player C, which means the seeded players open their campaigns against the third player in their group. The group winners will not meet until later in the group stage, so Saturday is about the favourites making a safe start and the debutants and qualifiers trying to cause an early upset.
For the full tournament running order beyond Saturday, see our Grand Slam of Darts 2026 schedule, and for the groups in full, see our Grand Slam of Darts 2026 groups guide.
Afternoon Session: 1pm GMT, Eight Matches
The afternoon session begins at 1pm GMT with eight matches. The full afternoon order is set out below.
| Match | Group |
|---|---|
| Luke Woodhouse v Tom Sykes | J |
| Jermaine Wattimena v Lisa Ashton | B |
| Stephen Bunting v Raymond Smith | D |
| Ryan Searle v Charlie Manby | F |
| Josh Rock v Tommy Morris | C |
| Wessel Nijman v Adam Sevada | H |
| Nathan Aspinall v Maik Kuivenhoven | P |
| Jonny Clayton v Anton Ostlund | G |
Several afternoon matches deserve attention. Jermaine Wattimena opens against Lisa Ashton in Group B, a favourable draw for the Dutchman, who is well placed to reach the knockout stage. Stephen Bunting, the number nine seed, opens against Raymond Smith in Group D. Josh Rock opens against debutant Tommy Morris in Group C, and Morris arrives with confidence after winning Players Championship 34 by beating Luke Humphries 8-5. Wessel Nijman, the ProTour Order of Merit number one for 2026, opens against American Adam Sevada in Group H, while Nathan Aspinall, the number 11 seed, opens against Maik Kuivenhoven in Group P. Jonny Clayton faces Anton Ostlund in Group G, Ryan Searle faces Charlie Manby in Group F, and Luke Woodhouse faces Tom Sykes in Group J.
The afternoon is also a chance for the debutants to settle. Morris, Sevada, Kuivenhoven, Manby, Sykes and Ostlund all play in the afternoon, and a win in the first match would change their group completely. In a best-of-nine format, a fast start can be enough, and the seeded players will know they cannot afford a slow opening.
Evening Session: 7pm GMT, Eight Matches
The evening session begins at 7pm GMT with eight more matches, including the biggest names in the field.
| Match | Group |
|---|---|
| Gerwyn Price v Joe Hunt | E |
| James Wade v Cam Crabtree | K |
| Ross Smith v Rusty-Jake Rodriguez | O |
| Michael van Gerwen v Henry Coates | L |
| Luke Humphries v Paolo Nebrida | I |
| Luke Littler v Beau Greaves | A |
| Gian van Veen v Carl Sneyd | M |
| Chris Dobey v Jan Schmidt | N |
The evening session is where the defending champion, the world number two, and three former champions all begin their campaigns. Littler against Greaves closes the night as the headline match, but Van Gerwen against Coates, Humphries against Nebrida, Price against Hunt, Van Veen against Sneyd, Wade against Crabtree, Dobey against Schmidt and Ross Smith against Rodriguez all matter. A loss in the evening would leave any of these players needing to win both remaining group matches to reach the last 16.
Luke Littler v Beau Greaves: The Headline Match
The headline match of the grand slam of darts 2026 opening day is Luke Littler against Beau Greaves in the evening session, in Group A. Littler is the two-time defending champion, the world number one, and unbeaten in 14 matches at the Grand Slam. He has won the title for the past two years and has never lost at the event. Greaves is a Grand Slam debutant, a three-time Women’s World Matchplay champion, and a player with a history against Littler.
That history makes the match more interesting than a routine opener. Greaves beat Littler in last year’s World Youth Championship semi-final, a result that shows she can beat him on a big stage. Littler beat Greaves 6-5 at Players Championship 24 in 2025, so their most recent meeting was decided by a single leg. Over nine legs, with only the group winner advancing, that kind of close history matters.
Zonneveld completes Group A and plays on Sunday and Monday, so Saturday’s match is only the first part of the group story. But the winner of Littler against Greaves will take a big step towards the last 16, and the loser will face a much harder route. For Greaves, a win would be one of the biggest results of the tournament. For Littler, it would be another step towards a third straight Grand Slam title. Read our full guides to both players: Luke Littler Grand Slam of Darts 2026 and Beau Greaves Grand Slam of Darts 2026.
Other Opening-Day Storylines to Follow
Luke Humphries opens against PDC Asian Champion Paolo Nebrida in Group I, with Joe Cullen as the third player in the group. Humphries is the 2023 champion and the world number two, so he will be expected to win the group, but Nebrida is a champion in his own right and will not be overawed. A win for Humphries would put him in control of the group from the start.
Michael van Gerwen opens against Henry Coates in Group L. Van Gerwen is a three-time Grand Slam champion, and his draw against Coates and Dutch-born Swede Jeffrey de Graaf is favourable on paper. He will be expected to win his opener and take charge of the group early.
Gerwyn Price, another three-time champion, opens against Challenge Tour champion Joe Hunt in Group E. Price has the experience and the record at this event to be a contender again, and an opening win would set him on his way. James Wade, a three-time runner-up at the Grand Slam, opens against Cam Crabtree in Group K. Wade’s record at this event is strong, and Crabtree is a young player who will see this as a free hit against a proven major finalist. Read our Cam Crabtree Grand Slam of Darts 2026 guide for more on Wade’s opponent.
Gian van Veen, the Dutch number one and world number three, opens against debutant Carl Sneyd in Group M. Van Veen is the number three seed and is best placed, with Jermaine Wattimena, among the Dutch players to reach the knockout stage. Read our Gian van Veen Grand Slam of Darts 2026 guide. Josh Rock opens against Tommy Morris, and our Josh Rock Grand Slam of Darts 2026 guide covers his group in detail. Stephen Bunting, the number nine seed, opens against Raymond Smith, while Chris Dobey opens against Jan Schmidt and Ross Smith opens against Rusty-Jake Rodriguez.
The Format: Why Saturday Matters So Much
The Grand Slam has 48 players in 16 groups of three, and only the group winner advances to the last 16. That makes Saturday’s results unusually important. A win in the opener puts a player in control of the group; a loss leaves them needing to win both remaining matches, with no margin for error. Group matches are best of nine legs, so a slow start or a missed double at a key moment can decide a match, and a match can decide a group.
The group stage continues on Sunday 15 November, with an afternoon session at 1pm and an evening session at 7:30pm, and then on Monday 16 November for Groups A to H and Tuesday 17 November for Groups I to P. The last 16 starts on Wednesday 18 November in the evening. The quarter-finals are on Friday 20 and Saturday 21 November, and the semi-finals and final are on Sunday 22 November, with the semi-finals in the afternoon at 1pm and the final in the evening at 7:30pm.
The prize fund is £1 million, with £200,000 for the winner. That is the reward on offer at the end of the week, but on Saturday the prize is simpler: a win, control of the group, and a place in the race for the last 16. For more on the money on offer, see our Grand Slam of Darts 2026 prize money guide.
How to Watch the Opening Day
The Grand Slam is broadcast on Sky Sports in the UK, DAZN and Viaplay worldwide, and PDCTV, excluding UK, Germany, Austria and Switzerland subscribers. PDCTV also has an Italian commentary option. The afternoon session starts at 1pm GMT and the evening session at 7pm GMT on Saturday 14 November. For full channel details, see our what channel is the Grand Slam of Darts on guide.
If you are watching from the UK, Sky Sports carries the full day. Viewers elsewhere can follow through DAZN or Viaplay, depending on their region, or through PDCTV where available. The two-session structure means there is darts from early afternoon through to late evening, with the Littler against Greaves match closing the night.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the Grand Slam of Darts 2026 opening day?
The opening day is Saturday 14 November 2026 at WV Active Aldersley in Wolverhampton. The afternoon session starts at 1pm GMT and the evening session at 7pm GMT.
How many matches are played on the opening day?
Sixteen group matches are played on the opening day: eight in the afternoon session and eight in the evening session. Each match is best of nine legs.
What is the headline match on the opening day?
The headline match is Luke Littler against Beau Greaves in the evening session. Littler is the two-time defending champion and unbeaten in 14 matches at the Grand Slam, while Greaves is a debutant and three-time Women’s World Matchplay champion.
How does the Grand Slam group stage work?
There are 48 players in 16 groups of three, and only the group winner advances to the last 16, which starts on Wednesday 18 November in the evening.
How much is the Grand Slam of Darts 2026 prize fund?
The prize fund is £1 million, with £200,000 for the winner. The semi-finals and final are on Sunday 22 November.
Conclusion
The grand slam of darts 2026 opening day sets the tone for the whole tournament. Sixteen matches, two sessions, and a headline meeting between the defending champion and a debutant who has already beaten him. Littler against Greaves will take the attention, but Van Gerwen, Humphries, Price, Van Veen, Wade and Bunting all begin their campaigns on the same day, and any of them could lose their group with one bad match. In a format where only the group winner advances, Saturday is not a warm-up. It is the first step towards the last 16, and by the end of the evening every player will know exactly what their group demands.
