The 2026 UK Open, dubbed the 'FA Cup of Darts', kicks off this weekend in Minehead, Somerset, running from Friday, 6 March to Sunday, 8 March. A massive field of 160 players will compete for the trophy and a winner's prize of £120,000, with world number one Luke Littler returning as defending champion after his dominant 11-2 victory over James Wade in the 2025 final at Butlin's. The tournament boasts a unique open-draw format that has produced nine different winners in the past nine editions.
Unlike most seeded darts events, the UK Open operates on an open draw where players enter based on PDC Order of Merit ranking. The world's top 96 receive preferential treatment, with the top 32 entering in round four, players ranked 33rd to 64th in round three, seeds 65 to 96 in round two, and the 32 qualifiers plus players seeded 97 to 128 starting in round one. The remaining 32 spots are filled by eight players from the PDC Development Tour, eight from the PDC Challenge Tour, and 16 amateur qualifiers. Among this year's amateur qualifiers is 16-year-old Kyle Gilding, the youngest player in the tournament, while women's world number one Beau Greaves, also PDC world number 96, will enter in the second round.
The schedule sees round one, two, and three played as best of 11 legs on Friday, 6 March starting at 11:00 GMT, with round four following at 19:00 GMT. Round five is on Saturday, 7 March at 13:00 GMT, round six at 19:00 GMT, quarter-finals on Sunday, 8 March at 13:00 GMT, and the semi-finals and final at 19:00 GMT. Matches progress to best of 19 legs from round four through the quarter-finals, with the semi-finals and final contested over best of 21 legs. A total prize pot of £750,000 is on offer, with rewards ranging from £1,250 for round two losers to £60,000 for the runner-up and £35,000 for semi-finalists.
Phil Taylor holds the record for most UK Open titles with five, while Michael van Gerwen, James Wade, and Raymond van Barneveld are the only other players to have won it more than once. Wade is a four-time finalist, trailing only Taylor in appearances. Recent winners include Luke Littler (2025), Dimitri Van den Bergh (2024), Andrew Gilding (2023), Danny Noppert (2022), James Wade (2021), and Michael van Gerwen (2020, 2016, 2015). Live text coverage will be available on the BBC Sport website and app on Sunday.
