Grand Slam of Darts 2026 Underdogs: 7 English Threats
On this page
- A New Format That Favours the Underdog
- The Grand Slam of Darts 2026 Underdogs by the Numbers: Last 12 Months
- Grand Slam Records: 2016 to 2025
- Beau Greaves: The Most Dangerous Underdog in the Field
- Lisa Ashton: Five Appearances, Still Waiting for a Win
- Andrew Gilding: The Winnable Group
- Joe Cullen: The Major Champion Back After Three Years Away
- Ricky Evans and Cam Crabtree: Two Underdogs in One Group
- Bradley Brooks: The Quiet Threat in Group M
- Which Underdog Is Most Likely to Reach the Last 16?
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Conclusion
The grand slam of darts 2026 underdogs have never had a better chance to cause an upset. The 2026 Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts runs from 14 to 22 November at the WV Active Aldersley in Wolverhampton, and this year it uses a brand-new group format: 48 players in 16 groups of three, with only the group winner reaching the last 16. Group matches are best of nine legs, so a single upset can decide a whole group.
There are 23 English players in the field, including seven seasoned underdogs who have all played at the Grand Slam before: Joe Cullen, Andrew Gilding, Bradley Brooks, Beau Greaves, Ricky Evans, Cam Crabtree and Lisa Ashton. In a format where one defeat can end a seed’s tournament, that experience matters.
A New Format That Favours the Underdog
In previous years, eight groups of four sent their top two through, and a seed who lost one match could recover. That safety net is gone: each player now plays two group matches, and only the group winner advances.
The prize fund is £1 million in total, with £200,000 for the winner, £100,000 for the runner-up, and £5,000 guaranteed for every player. The defending champion is Luke Littler, unbeaten in 14 Grand Slam matches, who beat Luke Humphries 16-11 in the 2025 final. See the Grand Slam of Darts 2026 draw and the Grand Slam of Darts 2026 groups.
The Grand Slam of Darts 2026 Underdogs by the Numbers: Last 12 Months
The statistics below cover the previous 12 months of recorded matches.
| Underdog | Average | Deciding Legs Won | Group Seed | Seed Average | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Cullen | 93.36 | 39.29% | Luke Humphries | 99.98 | -6.62 |
| Andrew Gilding | 92.66 | 54.55% | Ryan Searle | 94.54 | -1.88 |
| Bradley Brooks | 91.98 | 40.74% | Gian van Veen | 95.43 | -3.45 |
| Beau Greaves | 91.43 | 58.00% | Luke Littler | 101.50 | -10.07 |
| Ricky Evans | 90.60 | 43.48% | James Wade | 94.90 | -4.30 |
| Cam Crabtree | 88.80 | 34.00% | James Wade | 94.90 | -6.10 |
| Lisa Ashton | 79.81 | 52.17% | Jermaine Wattimena | 94.03 | -14.22 |
Two things stand out. The smallest gap belongs to Andrew Gilding, less than two points behind Ryan Searle on average. And several of these players are at their best when a match goes the distance: Greaves has won 58.00% of her deciding legs, Gilding 54.55% and Ashton 52.17%.
Grand Slam Records: 2016 to 2025
| Player | Appearances | Won-Lost | Best Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Cullen | 3 | 5-4 | Quarter-final 2022 |
| Ricky Evans | 2 | 3-3 | Quarter-final 2025 |
| Andrew Gilding | 2 | 3-3 | Last 16 in 2023 |
| Bradley Brooks | 1 | 2-2 | Last 16 in 2021 |
| Beau Greaves | 3 | 3-6 | Group stage |
| Cam Crabtree | 1 | 1-2 | Group stage |
| Lisa Ashton | 5 | 0-15 | Group stage |
Cullen and Evans are the only two underdogs who have reached a Grand Slam quarter-final, and Evans did it as recently as last year. Gilding and Brooks have both reached the last 16. Greaves, Crabtree and Ashton have been stuck in the group stage so far, but the new format changes the maths: they need to win a three-player group.
Beau Greaves: The Most Dangerous Underdog in the Field
Beau Greaves is the underdog with the biggest gap to close on paper and the strongest case for closing it. Ranked world number 74, she won Players Championship 11 in her first year on tour, and on the Women’s Series she has won 17 of 24 events. Her first-nine average is 101.31, and her checkout rate is 39.96%.
Her Grand Slam record so far is frustrating rather than poor: four of her six defeats have gone to a deciding leg. Last year she beat Niko Springer 5-3, then lost 5-4 to Michael van Gerwen and Gary Anderson while averaging over 100 in defeat.
She has never passed the group stage, but she has never had a format that suits her as well as this one. She faces Luke Littler in her opening match, the defending champion, who averages 101.50. A win there would shake the whole tournament, and she has already beaten Littler in the World Youth Championship. Our guide to Beau Greaves at the Grand Slam of Darts 2026 and our look at Luke Littler vs Beau Greaves at the Grand Slam 2026 cover the opening-night meeting.
Lisa Ashton: Five Appearances, Still Waiting for a Win
Lisa Ashton, 56, is the most experienced player on this list. A former Women’s World Champion, she has played at the Grand Slam five times and lost all 15 of her matches. Yet she is far from finished: she won Women’s Series events 5, 15 and 17 in 2026, earning £18,700, and has won 52.17% of her deciding legs over the past year.
Her closest call came last year, when she lost a last-leg decider to Gian van Veen. This year she is in Group B with Jermaine Wattimena and Alan Soutar.
Andrew Gilding: The Winnable Group
Andrew Gilding, 55, has the best chance of any underdog on this list: the smallest gap to close and the most winnable group. His average over the last 12 months is 92.66, just 1.88 points behind Ryan Searle on 94.54. He hits doubles at 39.14%.
He won his first Players Championship event in 2026, reached three finals, and beat Michael van Gerwen 6-4 on the European Tour while averaging 103.51. He is also a major champion, having won the 2023 UK Open. Group F is an all-English group of Searle, Gilding and debutant Charlie Manby, and none of the three has ever won a Grand Slam group.
Joe Cullen: The Major Champion Back After Three Years Away
Joe Cullen returns to the Grand Slam after three years away, as a former major champion with a quarter-final here already on his record. He won the 2022 Masters, reached the Grand Slam quarter-finals in the same year, and has a 5-4 record at the event across three appearances. His average over the last 12 months is 93.36, the highest of the seven underdogs.
He lost the Players Championship 8 final to Wessel Nijman, lost 10-8 to Martin Schindler at the UK Open, and suffered first-round exits at the World Matchplay and the World Grand Prix. The problem is his group: Group I, with Luke Humphries and Paolo Nebrida. Humphries averages 99.98, a gap of 6.62 points, and reached the final here last year. Cullen will need to be at his very best to beat him. See our Luke Humphries at the Grand Slam of Darts 2026 guide.
Ricky Evans and Cam Crabtree: Two Underdogs in One Group
Group K is the only group in the draw with two of the seven underdogs. James Wade is the seed: his average of 94.90 is the highest of the three, and he has won six of the nine Grand Slam groups he has played in. But only one of the three will advance.
Evans is the more experienced of the two. He won 36 of his 86 floor matches in 2026, a win rate of 42%, and averaged 97.33 in beating Cristo Reyes 5-3 in the qualifier final. Last year he beat Gerwyn Price 5-4, beat Stefan Bellmont 5-4, lost 5-2 to Wade, then beat Luke Woodhouse 10-9 in the last 16 before losing 16-9 to Price in the quarter-final.
Crabtree is younger and less experienced, but his numbers are eye-catching. He is 69th on the Order of Merit with £107,750. He beat Luke Littler 6-5 in the World Youth Championship semi-final, averaging 97.91. On his Grand Slam debut last year he averaged 102.07 in beating Jonny Clayton 5-1, then lost 5-4 to Danny Noppert and 5-1 to Lukas Wenig.
Group K in Detail
| Player | Average | First Nine Average | Checkout % | Deciding Legs Won | Grand Slam Groups Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Wade | 94.90 | 102.18 | 43.24% | 62.07% | 6 of 9 |
| Ricky Evans | 90.60 | 97.14 | 39.49% | 43.48% | 0 of 2 |
| Cam Crabtree | 88.80 | 97.48 | 37.02% | 34.00% | 0 of 1 |
Wade’s deciding-leg record of 62.07% is the strongest in the group by a distance, and if either of them takes Wade to a deciding leg, the history says Wade wins it more often than not. See our James Wade at the Grand Slam of Darts 2026 and Cam Crabtree Grand Slam of Darts 2026 guides.
Bradley Brooks: The Quiet Threat in Group M
Bradley Brooks is the seventh underdog on the list, in Group M against Gian van Veen. His average over the last 12 months is 91.98, just 3.45 points behind van Veen on 95.43, and he has won 40.74% of his deciding legs. He played at the Grand Slam once before, in 2021, when he went 2-2 and reached the last 16.
Brooks is easy to overlook. Van Veen is the third seed and will be expected to win the group comfortably, but in a best-of-nine match against a player who has already reached the last 16 here, comfort is not guaranteed. See our Gian van Veen at the Grand Slam of Darts 2026 guide.
Which Underdog Is Most Likely to Reach the Last 16?
Gilding is the single most likely underdog to reach the last 16: he sits less than two points behind Searle, has the second-best deciding-leg record of the seven, and faces a group in which no player has ever won a Grand Slam group. Group K is the other group to watch, with two underdogs against a seed whose deciding-leg record is superb but whose average lead is not overwhelming. Greaves is the player most likely to produce the single biggest upset of the group stage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are the underdogs at the Grand Slam of Darts 2026?
Joe Cullen, Andrew Gilding, Bradley Brooks, Beau Greaves, Ricky Evans, Cam Crabtree and Lisa Ashton, all with previous Grand Slam experience. They are among 23 English players in the 48-player field.
How does the new Grand Slam group format work?
The 48 players are split into 16 groups of three, and only the group winner advances to the last 16. Each player plays two group matches, both best of nine legs, so one upset can decide a whole group.
Which grand slam of darts 2026 underdogs have the best chance of reaching the last 16?
Andrew Gilding has the best chance on the numbers: his average is 92.66, just 1.88 points behind Ryan Searle, and Group F is the most winnable group in the draw, with no player in it ever having won a Grand Slam group.
Has Beau Greaves ever beaten Luke Littler?
Yes. Greaves beat Littler in the World Youth Championship, and the two meet again in the opening match of the Grand Slam, in Group A. She has never passed the group stage, but four of her six defeats there have gone to a deciding leg.
What is at stake for Ricky Evans at the Grand Slam?
Evans reached the quarter-final last year and needs a quarter-final run to protect his place at the World Championship. He is in Group K with James Wade and Cam Crabtree, and reaching the last 16 alone is worth £20,000.
When does the Grand Slam of Darts 2026 take place?
The tournament runs from 14 to 22 November 2026 at the WV Active Aldersley in Wolverhampton. The last 16 are on 18 and 19 November, the quarter-finals on 20 and 21 November, and the semi-finals and final on Sunday 22 November. The prize fund is £1 million, with £200,000 for the winner.
Conclusion
The grand slam of darts 2026 underdogs are not there to make up the numbers. Seven experienced English players arrive in Wolverhampton when the format has never been kinder to them: only the group winner advances. Gilding has the most winnable group, Evans and Crabtree share the most open group, and Greaves has the chance to produce the result of the week against the defending champion. But at least one of them has a real chance of reaching the last 16.
