That means the World Matchplay is going to take place as the Sessions were planned and that means beginning on Day 1 with an Evening Session featuring four First Round matches.
Some believe that this is the biggest Ranking tournament after the World Championships and the field is loaded with talent, although the stand out names remain the two Lukes and those who have competed in the Premier League.
You have to imagine the likes of Luke Woodhouse and Wessel Nijman will have something to say about that after the way they have performed on the floor and European Tour events all season, but Luke Littler and Luke Humphries will be the most difficult to stop in their bid to meet in yet another big Final next weekend.
The last couple of days at the last European Tour event were unbelievably tough to take and a bounce back effort is needed in Blackpool.
You can't get it all back at once, but continuing to work through the long Tour is the key and that begins on Day 1 at the World Matchplay with a long run still coming up through to the end of the World Championships in early January.
Josh Rock most 180s v Luke Woodhouse: This looks the perfect way to open the World Matchplay between two very talented younger players with one looking to move into the kind of role the other has been enjoying in 2026.
Josh Rock earned his spot in the Premier League, but you have to believe that Luke Woodhouse has ambitions to join that elite tournament sooner than later.
Both are closely matched and the layers are finding it pretty hard to separate the two in this First Round match, which is not a surprise. Luke Woodhouse has arguably been the more consistent performer, but Josh Rock is still playing at a strong level and he has the power scoring that can make the difference.
No one should doubt the abilities of Luke Woodhouse, but Josh Rock should have the edge in the maximum department- that may not be enough to win the match if the doubling continues to be inconsistent, but the Northern Irishman should edge the most maximums market in this good looking match.
Stephen Bunting to win & over 15.5 legs v Niels Zonneveld: If this match was played a couple of months ago, Niels Zonneveld would likely have had plenty more support in the market in his bid to earn this upset.
While the Dutchman is still playing decent enough, there is no doubt that the level has dipped and that has been reflected in some of the recent win-losses on the Tour.
Last week Niels Zonneveld had his chances against Ross Smith, but missed his doubles and that meant leaving Leverkusen with a big defeat. He should be far more competitive in this First Round match having already given Stephen Bunting challenges in a couple of European Tour events, but it also cannot be ignored that Zonneveld has come up short both times.
Stephen Bunting is not exactly putting strings of wins together and was also beaten early in Leverkusen last week, but he can battle and scrap in this one and another relatively tight victory looks the most likely outcome of this First Round contest.
Luke Littler-Niko Springer over 14.5 legs and over 2.5 180s each: He has not played in any Players Championship events this season and Luke Littler also skipped out on the European Tour last weekend meaning he has not played since losing the US Darts Masters Final against Luke Humphries.
Does that affect his performance? Most likely not, but Littler will be heading to Blackpool as the defending Champion knowing that he is always likely to be given a tough opening draw.
That did not stop him crushing Ryan Searle in the First Round twelve months ago, but Littler was then pushed all the way by the likes of Jermaine Wattimena and Andrew Gilding on his way to the title.
Opening up against Niko Springer should give Littler the chance to build up his rhythm with the opponent one that will push the better players- Springer has tended to play up and down to the level of the opponent and that has produced the inconsistent results.
Last week he gave Gian van Veen all he could handle, but missed doubles cost Springer and he cannot afford to do that again.
In a best of twenty-one Leg format, Niko Springer should have the time to contribute to the maximums market as long as he is not overwhelmed by the occasion. The expectation is that he will thrive in the situation and that should mean Springer can join Luke Littler in earning at least three maximums in a match that should need at least fifteen Legs to find a winner.
Nathan Aspinall to win & over 4.5 180s v Joe Cullen: There is an England football match scheduled to be played around the same time as this First Round match, but neither Nathan Aspinall nor Joe Cullen should be distracted by a Third Place Playoff at the World Cup.
If it had been the Final, that would have been a very different situation, but both players should be focused in rounding out Day 1 with what looks to be a very good match on paper.
Joe Cullen is still very capable on his day and everyone on the Tour will respect that.
However, Nathan Aspinall has continued to put together some very strong darts and only his doubling cost him in the Quarter Final in Leverkusen last week. That could still be an issue for Aspinall, but in this longer format, there is more opportunity for a scrapper like The Asp to dig himself out of a hole.
Nathan Aspinall is a former winner of the Matchplay and may take something from the fact that he beat Joe Cullen along the way- that was a Semi Final match in 2023, but Aspinall should be able to produce five maximums on his way to a winning effort in the First Round in 2026.
MY PICKS: Josh Rock Most 180s @ 1.80 Bet Victor (1 Unit)
Stephen Bunting to Win & Over 15.5 Total Legs @ 2.20 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Luke Littler-Niko Springer Over 14.5 Total Legs and Over 2.5 180s Each @ 1.95 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Nathan Aspinall to Win & Over 4.5 180s @ 2.15 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Darts 2026: 99-133, - 22.49 Units (229 Units Staked, - 9.82% Yield)
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