2026 World Matchplay of Darts semifinals predictions and previews: Can anyone threaten Littler?

We are down to just four players in Blackpool, as Luke Littler looks to defend his title, while the other three remaining players are seeking their first Matchplay title.

Saturday evening will feature two semifinal matches, with each match deciding who will advance and play in the final on Sunday evening.

2026 World Matchplay of Darts semifinals predictions

Here are my predictions for the semifinals.

MORE: 2026 World Matchplay of Darts: Draw, schedule, prize money and format explained

(7) Gerwyn Price vs. (3) Gian van Veen

Winner: Gerwyn Price, 17-14

Price has been the clear better player out of the two this tournament, despite a slow start in the first round.

He has a chance to advance to the final after a scare against Martin Schindler in the first round, which almost knocked him out.

He’s been able to raise his average through each of the past two rounds, peaking at a 102.78 in his quarterfinal against Ross Smith on Friday.

Now, this doesn’t mean he’ll score even better against van Veen, but it’s encouraging to see him on an upward trajectory.

Van Veen just got by against Wade in their quarterfinal, but it wasn’t nearly as impressive as the performance we saw from Price.

Van Veen could very well have a bounce-back performance on Saturday, but recent form indicates to me that Price should be viewed as the favorite here, in what should still be a close contest.

Even when van Veen has lacked in scoring, he’s made up for it on the doubles and in the clutch do-or-die moments, so he has that going at the very least.

(1) Luke Littler vs. Dirk van Duijvenbode

Winner: Luke Littler, 17-9

DvD has put together a very impressive tournament so far, making it to the semifinal as an unseeded player.

It hasn’t been easy, as he’s had to beat several former/current Premier League players, including Chris Dobey in the opening round, Michael van Gerwen in the second round and Gary Anderson in the quarterfinals.

Two of the three matches went to tiebreakers, and DvD won, gaining valuable experience in moments when everything had to go right for him to come through.

He now has the tough task of beating another Premier League player, Luke Littler, but he’ll give it his best shot.

Littler’s path so far hasn’t been easy by any means, but he’s playing at a historic pace that makes him virtually unbeatable.

We should see some great scoring again in this match, from both players, but I just think it would take a career-best day from DvD and an off day from Littler for DvD to have any chance at winning, let alone finishing within arm’s length of Littler when the match ends.

DvD will have to defend his throw well and will need some breaks of throw, which we have learned is extremely difficult to do against Luke Littler.

In the 2026 Matchplay, Littler has held his throw 75.9% of the time (22/29 legs).

2026 World Matchplay of Darts semifinals predictions and previews: Can anyone threaten Littler?