Beau Greaves will face Kirsi Viinikainen in the opening quarter-final of the 2026 Betfred Women’s World Matchplay after the eight-player field and draw were confirmed for Blackpool.
The fifth staging of the televised women’s event will be played at the Winter Gardens on Sunday, July 26, with Lisa Ashton returning as defending champion and Fallon Sherrock keeping up her ever-present record in the tournament.
Greaves, the top seed and a two-time Women’s World Matchplay winner, has been paired with Finland’s Viinikainen in a repeat of last year’s quarter-final, according to the PDC’s confirmed field and draw.
Greaves Leads A Compact But Loaded Blackpool Field
The draw also sends Ashton into a title defence against Rhian O’Sullivan, while Sherrock meets Deta Hedman and Gemma Hayter takes on Vicky Pruim.
That gives the event a neat split between established Blackpool names and fresh storylines. Greaves brings the top-seed pressure, Ashton carries the champion’s target, Sherrock remains the player most closely associated with the event’s early profile, and Hedman’s qualification adds a veteran edge.
The winner will secure a Grand Slam of Darts place and a spot at the 2026/27 World Darts Championship, while the increased £15,000 top prize gives the afternoon session added weight beyond the trophy itself. For Greaves, it is another immediate test of whether her Women’s Series dominance can translate back onto the Blackpool stage.
