Nathan Aspinall and Luke Humphries feature on night one of the Betfred World Matchplay in Blackpool
Last year’s winner, Nathan Aspinall, and world champion, Luke Humphries, headline the opening night of the 2024 Betfred World Matchplay at Blackpool’s Winter Gardens on July 13.
The schedule of play has been confirmed as Aspinall begins his title defence against debutant Luke Woodhouse.
Humphries, the number one seed, will start his challenge against Germany's Ricardo Pietreczko on an opening night that also features former finalists Gerwyn Price, Jonny Clayton and Raymond van Barneveld.
Clayton, last year’s runner-up, takes on five-time world champion van Barneveld for a place in the last 16, while 2022 finalist Price will play two-time semi-finalist Daryl Gurney in the tournament’s opening match (7.30pm).
Sunday’s afternoon session will see 2020 champion Dimitri Van den Bergh meet German number one Martin Schindler, as Danny Noppert faces 2007 winner James Wade.
Former European champion Ross Smith kicks off Sunday’s action against Josh Rock at 1pm, while Masters winner Stephen Bunting enters the fray against Ryan Joyce.
The evening session (7pm) will be headlined by former champions Rob Cross and Peter Wright, who have been pitted against Dutch debutant Gian van Veen and Andrew Gilding respectively.
Joe Cullen makes his return to the Winter Gardens stage against Brendan Dolan, while Dave Chisnall plays Krzysztof Ratajski.
However, should England reach the Euro 2024 final – which kicks off at 8pm on that Sunday – then session times for that day will be amended.
The first round will conclude on July 15 (7pm), when three-time champion Michael van Gerwen goes head-to-head with Luke Littler .
World number three Michael Smith and 2018 champion Gary Anderson will lock horns, while Damon Heta plays Ryan Searle in the night’s opening match.
Chris Dobey completes the first round action when he takes on Ritchie Edhouse.
The second round is on July 16 and 17, before the quarter-finals are played on July 18 and 19 with the semi-finals on the 20th.
Sunday, July 21 sees the final, following on from the Betfred Women’s World Matchplay that afternoon.
Starting at 1pm, that sees defending champion Beau Greaves play Katie Sheldon with the winner meeting either Mikuru Suzuki or Noa-Lynn van Leuven in the last four.
Fallon Sherrock, the 2022 winner, takes on Anastasia Dobromyslova for the right to play either Lisa Ashton or Rhian O’Sullivan in the semi-final.