Stephen Bunting’s World Matchplay seeding line has become one of the sharpest ranking markers before the PDC circuit moves through its final July push.
The latest live World Matchplay race has Bunting ninth on the main Order of Merit list at £608,750, only narrowly behind Josh Rock’s £609,500 mark and just ahead of Danny Noppert on £596,500. That puts the St Helens thrower in a compressed band where one strong European Tour weekend can alter the Blackpool picture quickly.
BUNTING SWEEPS SPELLMAN ASIDE!
Stephen Bunting completes our quarter-final line-up at Madison Square Garden, dispatching a struggling Alex Spellman 6-2!
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) June 26, 2026
Leverkusen Now Carries Extra Weight
Bunting is listed among the seeded players for the European Darts Open in Leverkusen, with the tournament scheduled for 10-12 July at the Ostermann-Arena. PDC Europe’s event page frames Leverkusen as one of the European Tour’s standout stops, while the live rankings underline why the trip matters beyond the trophy.
For Bunting, the equation is not simply qualification. It is position. A top-eight Matchplay place would influence his first-round route at the Winter Gardens, where the draw often punishes even minor ranking slippage. It also keeps the NineDartNews rankings page central to a volatile fortnight.
The recent Madison Square Garden run gave him visible momentum before Luke Humphries ended his US Darts Masters campaign. The bigger test now is whether that level travels back into ranking darts, where the prize money is less theatrical but far more consequential.
With Leverkusen approaching and the Matchplay cut-off closing in, Bunting’s margin has turned thin enough to make every board session count.
