Luke Littler vs Beau Greaves Grand Slam 2026
The opening night of the Grand Slam of Darts 2026 has a headline match that needs no extra selling. Luke Littler vs Beau Greaves Grand Slam action takes place on Saturday 14 November, in the evening session from 7pm GMT at WV Active Aldersley in Wolverhampton, bringing together the defending champion and world number one against one of the most talked-about players in the field.
On this page
- Luke Littler vs Beau Greaves Grand Slam: The Opening-Night Headline
- The Head-to-Head Record
- Group A: Only the Winner Goes Through
- Littler’s Unbeaten Run and His 2026 Season
- Greaves: A Qualifier With a Record at This Event
- The Prize Money at Stake
- The Road Beyond the Group Stage
- How to Watch Littler vs Greaves
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Conclusion
There is a rematch story here, and a group-stage twist too. Littler is unbeaten at this event and chasing a third straight title, while Greaves has beaten him before. Only the group winner reaches the last 16, so the winner takes a huge step forward.
This guide covers the head-to-head record, what each player has said, the Group A picture, the prize money, the schedule and how to watch.
Luke Littler vs Beau Greaves Grand Slam: The Opening-Night Headline
The Grand Slam of Darts 2026 runs from 14 to 22 November 2026 at WV Active Aldersley, Wolverhampton. Luke Littler vs Beau Greaves Grand Slam action opens the tournament on Saturday 14 November, with the evening session starting at 7pm GMT.
Littler is the defending champion and the world number one. He won the title in 2024 and defended it in 2025, beating Luke Humphries 16-11 in the final. He is unbeaten at the Grand Slam, with a 14-match unbeaten run, and he is chasing a third straight title.
Greaves is one of the two women in the 48-player field, alongside Lisa Ashton, and she qualified through the secondary and affiliate tours route. On 12 November she said she is “excited” to face Littler. The Grand Slam of Darts 2026 schedule shows how much is packed into the nine days, but the opening night belongs to this match.
The Head-to-Head Record
Saturday night is not the first time these two have met. Their meetings so far have been close and competitive, and they are split between the two players.
Greaves beat Littler 6-1 in the semi-final of the 2025 World Youth Championship in November 2025. Littler beat Greaves 6-5 at Players Championship 24 in 2025, a match that went to a deciding leg.
| Meeting | Event | Result |
|---|---|---|
| World Youth Championship semi-final, November 2025 | 2025 World Youth Championship | Greaves won 6-1 |
| Players Championship 24, 2025 | Players Championship 24 | Littler won 6-5 |
| Grand Slam group stage, Saturday 14 November 2026 | Grand Slam of Darts 2026 | Opening-night headline match |
Saturday is their first meeting on a televised PDC stage since that World Youth Championship semi-final. The table tells a simple story: one win each, and nothing to choose between them. The Youth Championship result shows Greaves can beat Littler convincingly at her best. Saturday night decides who takes the lead in the rivalry.
Group A: Only the Winner Goes Through
The Grand Slam format is one of the most unforgiving in darts. There are 48 players in 16 groups of three, and only the group winner reaches the last 16. Every leg matters from the first night.
Group A is made up of (1) Luke Littler, Niels Zonneveld and Beau Greaves. Zonneveld beat Littler 6-5 at the 2026 Belgian Darts Open in March. Greaves beat Littler 6-1 in the World Youth Championship semi-final in November 2025. Both of Littler’s group opponents have beaten him before.
The Grand Slam of Darts 2026 groups page sets out all sixteen groups, and the Grand Slam of Darts 2026 draw has given the opening night a match that could decide the group on day one. Group matches are the best of nine legs, a short format that suits the underdog. Groups A to H finish on Monday 16 November.
Littler’s Unbeaten Run and His 2026 Season
Littler’s record at the Grand Slam is remarkable. He won the title in 2024, defended it in 2025 by beating Luke Humphries 16-11 in the final, and he is unbeaten at the event with a 14-match unbeaten run. He is chasing a third straight title. The Luke Littler Grand Slam unbeaten run is the record Greaves will be trying to end on Saturday night.
His 2026 season has been full of major success. He defended his World Championship title in January, then won the World Masters, the UK Open, the Premier League and the World Matchplay. He is the world number one on the PDC Order of Merit with £3,141,000 in ranking prize money.
But the second half of the year has told a different story. His bid to win every major in 2026 ended with a 10-4 quarter-final defeat to Jonny Clayton at the World Series of Darts Finals in September, and he has not won any of the last three major tournaments. On 12 November he said: “it feels like a year ago since I actually won something” and “I think I just need to get that winning feeling back and also be back on stage Saturday, and hopefully start the Grand Slam with a win.”
Those words matter for Saturday night. He needs the winning feeling back. The Luke Littler Grand Slam of Darts 2026 campaign is, in his own words, about getting the winning feeling back. A win over Greaves would do that and put him in control of Group A. A defeat would leave him with very little margin for error.
Greaves: A Qualifier With a Record at This Event
Beau Greaves has earned her place in this field, and her record at the Grand Slam shows she belongs at this level. She qualified through the secondary and affiliate tours route, and she is one of two women in the 48-player field, alongside Lisa Ashton.
At a previous Grand Slam, Greaves reeled off five consecutive legs to beat Niko Springer in the group stage. That is the kind of run that wins short-format matches: scoring power, finishing under pressure, and a player taking control and refusing to let go.
She was also agonisingly close to beating Michael van Gerwen at the same event, after missing a match dart in a final-leg decider. It shows she has the game to live with the very best, and that she was one dart away from beating a three-time world champion. A missed match dart is a hard memory to carry.
The Beau Greaves Grand Slam of Darts 2026 campaign starts with the hardest possible assignment: the defending champion, the world number one, on the opening night. That is why the Luke Littler vs Beau Greaves Grand Slam meeting is so hard to call. She beat Littler 6-1 in the World Youth Championship semi-final, and she has said she is “excited” to face him.
The Prize Money at Stake
The Grand Slam of Darts 2026 has a record prize fund of £1 million. The winner takes £200,000, the runner-up £100,000, the semi-finalists £60,000 each, the quarter-finalists £35,000 each, the group runners-up £12,500 each, and the players who finish third in their group £5,000 each.
| Stage reached | Prize money |
|---|---|
| Winner | £200,000 |
| Runner-up | £100,000 |
| Semi-finalists | £60,000 |
| Quarter-finalists | £35,000 |
| Group runner-up | £12,500 |
| Third in group | £5,000 |
That structure matters for a group-stage match like this one. The gap between first and second in the group is the gap between a place in the last 16 and an early exit. The Grand Slam of Darts 2026 prize money breakdown shows a tournament that rewards every stage of progress: a single match can be the difference between £5,000 and a shot at £200,000. For Littler, the prize is part of a bigger picture.
The Road Beyond the Group Stage
Winning Group A is only the first step. The group matches are the best of nine legs. The last 16 is the best of 19 legs, and the quarter-finals, the semi-finals and the final are all the best of 31 legs. That jump in distance rewards players who hold their scoring and nerve over a long match.
The Grand Slam of Darts 2026 opening day sets the tournament in motion on Saturday 14 November. Groups A to H finish on Monday 16 November. The last 16 starts on Wednesday 18 November. The quarter-finals take place on Friday 20 and Saturday 21 November. The semi-finals are on Sunday 22 November in the afternoon, and the final is that evening, when the champion lifts the Eric Bristow Trophy. The road to the title runs through Wolverhampton.
For the winner of Group A, the last 16 comes quickly, with very little time to rest. The winner of the Luke Littler vs Beau Greaves Grand Slam meeting takes a huge step towards that last-16 place. Littler has walked this road twice before, winning 14 matches in a row at the event. Greaves knows the first part of the road.
How to Watch Littler vs Greaves
The match is part of the evening session on Saturday 14 November, which starts at 7pm GMT. In the UK and Ireland, the tournament is shown on Sky Sports. Around the world, it is shown on DAZN and Viaplay. It is also available on PDCTV, excluding the UK, Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Fans can check what channel is the Grand Slam of Darts on for the broadcaster in their region. The Grand Slam of Darts 2026 Order of Merit shows the wider context: Littler sits at number one with £3,141,000. But rankings do not win legs. Once the first dart is thrown, what counts is who scores better and holds their nerve.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Luke Littler vs Beau Greaves at the Grand Slam of Darts 2026?
The match is the opening-night headline on Saturday 14 November 2026, in the evening session from 7pm GMT at WV Active Aldersley, Wolverhampton. It is their first meeting on a televised PDC stage since the 2025 World Youth Championship semi-final.
What group are Littler and Greaves in?
They are both in Group A, alongside Niels Zonneveld. Only the group winner reaches the last 16, so the result has a big effect on who goes through. Groups A to H finish on Monday 16 November.
What is the head-to-head record between Littler and Greaves?
It is one win each. Greaves beat Littler 6-1 in the semi-final of the 2025 World Youth Championship in November 2025, and Littler beat Greaves 6-5 at Players Championship 24 in 2025.
How long is Littler’s unbeaten run at the Grand Slam?
Littler is unbeaten at the Grand Slam with a 14-match unbeaten run. He won the title in 2024 and defended it in 2025, beating Luke Humphries 16-11 in the final.
What is the format for the group matches?
Group matches are the best of nine legs. The last 16 is the best of 19 legs, and the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final are the best of 31 legs. The final is on Sunday 22 November in the evening.
How much prize money is on offer at the Grand Slam of Darts 2026?
The prize fund is a record £1 million. The winner receives £200,000, the runner-up £100,000, the semi-finalists £60,000 each, the quarter-finalists £35,000 each, the group runners-up £12,500 each and third in the group £5,000.
Conclusion
Luke Littler vs Beau Greaves Grand Slam action on Saturday night is the perfect way to open the 2026 tournament: a defending champion chasing a third straight title, a qualifier who has beaten him before, a group where only the winner goes through, and a head-to-head record balanced at one win each.
The winner takes a huge step towards the last 16 and the £200,000 first prize, while the loser is left with almost no margin for error. Fans should tune in for the evening session from 7pm GMT, because this is the one opening-night match nobody will want to miss.
