WDF World Championship 2026 Draw: Full First Round Ties at Lakeside
The road to Lakeside is now mapped out. The WDF World Championship 2026 draw was made on Tuesday 3 November, and all 90 players across the four tournaments know who stands in their way. From teenage top seed Mitchell Lawrie to defending champion Deta Hedman, the countdown to Friday 27 November feels very different now the draw is done.
On this page
- Table of Contents
- WDF World Championship 2026 Draw: Open First Round Ties
- Mitchell Lawrie Heads the Seeds After Last Year’s Final
- WDF World Championship 2026 Draw: Women’s First Round Ties
- Youth and Girls Draws at Lakeside
- WDF World Championship 2026 Draw: Dates, Venue and Prize Money
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Conclusion
It is the fifth staging, with the biggest field ever assembled: 48 in the Open, 24 in the Women’s, 12 in the Youth and six in the Girls. It runs from 27 November to 6 December at the Lakeside Country Club in Frimley Green, with £223,500 in prize money shared across the four events.
Table of Contents
WDF World Championship 2026 Draw: Open First Round Ties
Sixteen seeds enter in the last 32, so 32 players must first survive a first-round tie to reach them. The WDF World Championship 2026 draw produced these 16 ties.
- Harry Lane v Declan Bailey → Mitchell Lawrie (1)
- Alex Williams v Dmitrii Rogov → Scott Robertson (16)
- Stefan Schroder v Pat Scurfield → Kaya Baysal (8)
- Daniel Zapata v Jack Drayton → Mursel Yavuz (9)
- Ben Townley v Shane Sakchekapo → Leonard Gates (4)
- Franko Giuliani v Joey Lynaugh → Chris Lim (13)
- Petri Rasmus v Ryusei Azemoto → James Beeton (5)
- Liam Maendl-Lawrance v Berry Pater → Jarno Bottenberg (12)
- Mark Cleaver v Blake Hatchett → Jenson Walker (2)
- Lewis Gurney v Ron Meulenkamp → Neil Duff (15)
- Carsten Hoffmann v Dennis Nilsson → Moreno Blom (7)
- Sean Fisher v Jitse Van der Wal → Ross Montgomery (10)
- Matt Clark v Terry Tan → Paul Krohne (3)
- Anthony Brown v Paul Lewis → Brian Raman (14)
- Haupai Puha v Tomoya Goto → Matthew Edgar (6)
- Jeff Smith v David Davies → Corne Groeneveld (11)
Gurney against Meulenkamp pits two Lakeside veterans together, Meulenkamp back for the first time in 12 years, while Puha against Goto is another heavyweight clash. There is history too: Zapata is the first player ever to represent Catalonia at Lakeside, Tan the first Malaysian, and Montgomery begins his 14th Lakeside campaign.
Mitchell Lawrie Heads the Seeds After Last Year’s Final
All eyes will be on Mitchell Lawrie. The 15-year-old Scot finished runner-up to Jimmy van Schie last year, and he returns as number one seed, opening against either Harry Lane or Declan Bailey.
Walker, winner of eight ranking titles this season, is second seed, Krohne third and Gates fourth, while Duff, the 2022 champion, is 15th. Lawrie is the story, though: a year ago he nearly won it all.
WDF World Championship 2026 Draw: Women’s First Round Ties
The WDF World Championship 2026 draw gives defending champion Deta Hedman a first match against a debutant, either the USA’s Cali West or Philippines Open champion Lovely-Mae Orbeta. Second seed Rhian O’Sullivan starts against Dursun or Holden, third seed Steenbergen faces the winner of Cisarova against Watson, and fourth seed Carli meets the winner of Hyde against Ouchi.
The standout tie is Lerena Rietbergen against Sophie McKinlay: last year’s runner-up against the 2024 finalist, with the winner facing seventh seed Aileen de Graaf. Elsewhere, Regnaud awaits Armstrong or Richardson, Viinikainen faces the winner of Fochesato against Clarke, and Jacklin meets Zijlstra or Murphy. Fochesato, the 2023 Girls world champion, steps up as Italy’s first ever representative in the women’s draw.
Youth and Girls Draws at Lakeside
The Youth tournament has been extended to 12 players for 2026. Defending champion Mitchell Lawrie is top seed again, and his title-double bid starts against either Jack Nankervis or Cori Wiltshire. Second seed Kaya Baysal meets the winner of Clements against Ennis, third seed Kai Burger faces the winner of Donnevert against Dopfer, and fourth seed Mason Teese plays the winner of Townley against Hefferon, who at 12 is the youngest player in the event.
Townley is pulling double duty: as well as his Youth tie, he is in the Open first round against Sakchekapo, with Gates waiting for the winner. The Girls tournament has just six players. Top seed Paige Pauling, the 2024 winner, plays her final Girls event against the winner of Grey against Allen in the semi-finals, while second seed Macy Gibbons meets the winner of Gemi against Glaser, with Gemi defending her 2025 title.
WDF World Championship 2026 Draw: Dates, Venue and Prize Money
The tournament runs from Friday 27 November to Sunday 6 December 2026 at the Lakeside Country Club in Frimley Green. The playing schedule for all four events was due to be finalised on or before Monday 9 November. Tickets are on sale through Eventbrite, and the full draw is listed on Live Darts for anyone who wants every tie in one place.
The £223,500 prize fund is shared across the four events. A record 90 players, first-time representatives from Catalonia and Malaysia, and a 15-year-old top seed chasing the title he nearly won last year. Lakeside also opens on the same weekend as the Players Championship Finals in Minehead, and runs right up to the week before the PDC World Championship begins at Alexandra Palace on 11 December. Our WDF World Championship 2026 guide has the full event details, and the PDC World Championship field is taking shape for December.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the WDF World Championship 2026?
Friday 27 November to Sunday 6 December 2026, at the Lakeside Country Club in Frimley Green. The WDF World Championship 2026 draw was made on Tuesday 3 November.
Where is the WDF World Championship 2026 played?
At the Lakeside Country Club in Frimley Green, Surrey, the historic home of world darts. It is the fifth staging at the venue.
Who is the top seed in the WDF World Championship 2026 draw?
Mitchell Lawrie is the top seed in the WDF World Championship 2026 draw. The 15-year-old Scot was runner-up in 2025, and he opens in the last 32 against either Harry Lane or Declan Bailey.
How many players are in the WDF World Championship 2026?
90 players across the four tournaments, the biggest field in the event’s history. The Open has 48, the Women’s 24, the Youth 12 and the Girls six.
Who does Deta Hedman play first at Lakeside?
Against the winner of Cali West against Lovely-Mae Orbeta. Both are making their Lakeside debuts.
What is the prize money for the WDF World Championship 2026?
£223,500 in total, shared across the Open, the Women’s, the Youth and the Girls events.
Conclusion
The WDF World Championship 2026 draw has given us a Lakeside field full of stories before a dart has been thrown. Lawrie arrives as top seed with a final to avenge, Hedman defends her title, and first-timers from Catalonia and Malaysia show how far this tournament now reaches.
Keep an eye on the first round. That is where Lakeside so often produces its shocks, from Gurney against Meulenkamp to Rietbergen against McKinlay. The seeds have the rankings on their side, but at Lakeside the draw is only the beginning.
