​Defending champion Luke Littler was knocked out in the opening round [Getty Images]The 2026 Darts World Grand Prix starts on Monday, 28 September and is one of the Professional Darts Corporation’s major titles.Unlike the rest of the sport’s majors, the tournament uses a ‘double in, double out’ format.The 32 players featuring are made up of the 16 best-ranked players from the PDC’s Order of Merit, and the best 16 from the past 12 months via the Order of Merit who had not already qualified.A total prize fund of £750,000 is up for grabs, with the winner earning £150,000.Teenager and current world number one Luke Littler was the winner in 2025, cruising to a 6-1 victory over Luke Humphries in the final.But he was knocked out in the opening round by Luke Woodhouse in 2026. What is ‘double in, double out?’The ‘double in, double out’ darts format presents a big twist to the gameplay.It means that a player must start all legs on a double, rather than on any scoring zone on the board.The use of ‘double in, double out’ has been in use in the World Grand Prix since its inaugural year in 1998.How many sets are in each match?The format is in set play, with each set being the best of five legs.The first round is a best-of-three-sets match, increasing to five sets in the second round.The quarter-finals stay at the best of five sets, before an increase to nine sets in the semi-finals.The final is a best-of-11 match, also described as a race to six sets.Schedule, results & order of playSecond roundWednesday, 30 September (19:00 BST)(8) Danny Noppert 0-3 Ryan Joyce(5) Jonny Clayton 3-1 Wessel Nijman (12)(4) Gerwyn Price v Ross Smith (13)Luke Woodhouse v Nathan Aspinall (16)Thursday, 1 October (19:00 BST)Niels Zonneveld v Gary Anderson (10)(6) James Wade v Stephen Bunting (11)(2) Luke Humphries v Jermaine Wattimena(3) Gian van Veen v Ryan Searle (14)Quarter-finalsFriday, 2 October (19:00 BST) Order of play to be confirmedWoodhouse/Aspinall v Ryan JoycePrice/Smith v Jonny Clayton (5)Humphries/Wattimena v Zonneveld/AndersonVan Veen/Searle v Wade/BuntingSemi-finals Saturday, 3 October (20:00 BST)Two matchesFinalSunday, 4 October (20:00 BST)One matchFirst round results (8) Danny Noppert 2-1 Niko Springer(13) Ross Smith 2-1 Cameron Menzies(16) Nathan Aspinall 2-1 Kevin Doets(5) Jonny Clayton 2-1 Krzysztof Ratajski(4) Gerwyn Price 2-0 Sebastian Bialecki(9) Michael van Gerwen 1-2 Ryan Joyce(1) Luke Littler 1-2 Luke Woodhouse(12) Wessel Nijman 2-0 Rob Cross(15) Chris Dobey 0-2 Jermaine Wattimena(14) Ryan Searle 2-1 William O’Connor(7) Josh Rock 1-2 Niels Zonneveld(6) James Wade 2-1 Joe Cullen(10) Gary Anderson 2-1 Damon Heta(3) Gian van Veen 2-0 Dirk van Duijvenbode(2) Luke Humphries 2-0 Dave Chisnall(11) Stephen Bunting 2-1 Andrew GildingWhat is the prize money?The prize money for the whole tournament has increased to £750,000 this year, an increase of 25% from last year’s £600,000.The winner will take home £150,000 instead of the £120,000 jackpot 12 months ag