Big names set to miss the 2026 World Matchplay of Darts originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The 2026 World Matchplay of Darts begins in a couple of weeks, as 32 players will head to Blackpool to fight for one of the most desired titles on the darts calendar.

16 of the top players on the Pro Tour OoM will qualify, which means some big names outside of the top 16 in the world will miss out on the event.

Big names set to miss the 2026 World Matchplay of Darts

Here are players who won't compete/are provisionally set to miss the event.

MORE: 2026 World Matchplay Darts qualifiers

Mike De Decker

De Decker won the World Grand Prix in 2024, but since then has really struggled to play consistently on the circuit.

He's only made the Matchplay twice before, and will have to wait at least another year to make a third appearance.

He's currently ranked #21 in the world, and is set to be the highest-ranked player on the OoM to not qualify for the event.

Dave Chisnall

Chisnall is one of the few players on this list who still has a realistic chance of making the event, but as of now he's a few thousand pounds short of qualifying.

If he doesn't qualify, it would end a 15-year streak of Chisnall playing at the event, as 2010 was the last time he didn't play in Blackpool.

Chisnall is a five-time quarterfinalist, but he hasn't won a game in Blackpool since 2022.

Michael Smith

This is now the second year in a row that Smith will miss the event.

He was a semifinalist just two years ago, but has struggled with injuries and has dropped down the OoM as a result.

Peter Wright

Wright has had several deep runs at this event, including 2021 when he won the title.

This will be the first time he hasn't qualified since 2012, as his form has dropped significantly over the last 12+ months.

Wright will continue to move down the rankings, and may drop out of the top-40 by the end of the year, as he's defending £50,000 from a quarterfinal run at the 2025 WC.

Dimitri Van den Bergh

This isn't a major shock as Dimi missed out last year, but he is a former winner at the Matchplay and made an additional final in 2021.

He's been fairly inactive on tour over the last year, which has contributed to him not qualifying.

Belgium, as of now, is set to have zero players represented at the Matchplay this year. That will only change if we see a late surge from Kim Huybrechts.

Raymond van Barneveld

One of the most tenured PDC players won't qualify for this year's Matchplay, as last year's edition might have been the last time we saw Barney playing in Blackpool.

He's failed to win a match there since 2018. A runner-up finish in 2010 was his best finish in 15 appearances.

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