The 2026 World Matchplay is underway in Blackpool, with the best 32 darts players from around the world competing for the Triple Crown event, and Luke Littler is looking to defend the title he won last year.And Betfred are offering new customers £50 in free bets when they bet £10 on any of the darts across the World Matchplay, which can be claimed by following this link*, as well as a number of other exclusive offers which can be found below.Betfred: Bet £10 on Matchplay Darts and get £50 in free bets – CLAIM HERE*Exclusive Betfred offers for the 2026 World Matchplay:Guaranteed Top Price on Luke Littler to win in the 2026 Betfred World Matchplay – CLAIM HEREPlace a Pre-Match win bet on a player in any match in the 2026 Betfred World Matchplay Darts and if your selection hits a 9 darter, get paid out as a winner in cash – CLAIM HEREPlace a Pre-Match win bet on a player in any match in the 2026 Betfred World Matchplay Darts and if your selection hits a 170 checkout, get paid out as a winner in cash – CLAIM HERELittler makes the trip to Blackpool with the intention of defending the World Matchplay title he won last year, in which he defeated 2007 winner James Wade in the final to get his hands on the trophy for the very first time.The 19-year-old is the overwhelming favourite to become the first man to defend his World Matchplay title since Michael van Gerwen in 2016, and heads to the Winter Gardens in formidable form having won all five of the PDC televised events in 2026.The world number one already has the World Championship, the World Masters and the UK Open titles under his belt for this calendar year, and in the last two months has also added both the Premier League and World Cup to his tally.The World Cup victory means that the the European Championship is the only PDC televised event the teenage sensation is yet to get his hands on.World number two Luke Humphries is priced as the second favourite to win what would be his second time lifting the World Matchplay trophy following his 18-15 win over three-time champion Michael van Gerwen two years ago.The 31-year-old was also part of England’s World Cup winning campaign last month, the second time Humphries has won the tournament, but it’s now been over a year since his last solo PDC televised title, which came in last year’s Premier League.Humphries will head to Blackpool in confident mood though, having won the US Darts Masters in his most recent outing three weeks ago, beating some big names – the likes of Stephen Bunting, Gian van Veen and even Littler in the final – on the way.Wessel Nijman is perhaps not the most well known name in the field but heads into just his second ever World Matchplay tournament as third favourite for victory at 10/1.The 26-year-old Dutchman has been by far and away the most impressive player in the PDC Players Championship series this year, with six victories already in 2026 (the next best being two), while also having more victories than anyone else on the European Tour.Gerwyn Price has been the nearly man on so many occasions over the last year or so, reaching at least the quarter finals in 11 of his last 15 PDC televised events, including eight semi finals appearances in his last nine tournaments, though has won only one of them.The Welshman will be hoping to go at least one step further over the next week and a half, though the World Matchplay hasn’t always been his favourite event, only going past the last eight on one occasion, when he lost in the final to van Gerwen.Dutch duo van Gerwen and van Veen are the next two in the odds list, also priced at 14/1 each, marginally ahead of Jonny Clayton and former champions Gary Anderson and Nathan Aspinall.World Matchplay winner odds (Betfred):Luke Littler – EVSLuke Humphries – 4/1Wessel Nijman – 10/1Gerwyn Price – 14/1Michael van Gerwen – 14/1Gian van Veen – 14/1Gary Anderson – 22/1Jonny Clayton – 22/1Nathan Aspinall – 28/1James Wade – 28/133/1 BARHow to watch the World MatchplayLocation: Winter Gardens, Blackpool, UKDate and time: Saturday 18th – Sunday 26th July 2025How to watch: Sky Sports ActionBetfred: Bet £10 on Matchplay Darts and get £50 in free bets – CLAIM HERE*Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to talkSPORT. 18+. T&Cs apply. Begambleaware.orgRemember to gamble responsiblyA responsible gambler is someone who:Establishes time and monetary limits before playingOnly gambles with money they can afford to loseNever chase their lossesDoesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressedGamcare – www.gamcare.org.ukGamble Aware – www.gambleaware.orgFor help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to www.gamstop.co.uk to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites.*New customers only. Register, deposit with Debit Card, and place first bet £10+ at Evens (2.0)+ on Sports within 7 days to get 3 x £10 in Sports Free Bets & 2 x £10 in Acca Free Bets within 10 hours of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility exclusions & T&Cs Apply. Eligibility & payment exclusions apply. Full T&Cs apply.