The 2026 Grand Slam of Darts gets underway on Saturday 14 November at WV Active Aldersley in Wolverhampton, for nine days of competition concluding on Sunday 22 November. This 20th edition is the first to feature 48 players, compared with 32 in previous years, and the first to offer prize money in excess of one million pounds.
Prize money tops the million mark
The total prize fund has risen from £650,000 in 2025 to £1,000,000 this year, an increase of £350,000. The winner will take home £200,000 and the Eric Bristow Trophy, renamed in 2018 in tribute to the five-time world champion who passed away that same year. The runner-up will receive £100,000, the semi-finalists £60,000, the quarter-finalists £35,000 and those eliminated in the round of 16 £20,000.
The format ensures that every player in the field wins a prize. Each runner-up in a group will receive £12,500 and each third-placed player £5,000. None of the 48 qualifiers will therefore leave Wolverhampton without at least £5,000 in their pocket.
Sixteen groups of three, with just one qualifying place per group
The 48 players are divided into sixteen groups of three, each centred around a top seed. Each player faces the other two once, in matches played under the legs format. A win is worth two points, and only the top player from each group progresses to the knockout stage.
The format leaves no room for error: two defeats spell the end for a player even before their final match. The full group line-ups and the opening fixture between Luke Littler and Beau Greaves are detailed in the draw for the sixteen groups.
How the field was assembled
The qualification criteria were revised in February 2026 to accompany the expansion to 48 players. The top 40 places go to the finalists of PDC televised tournaments over the past twelve months (a maximum of 24 players), followed by additional qualifiers (a maximum of 12), and then the winners of European Tour and Players Championship events, in that order. The final eight places were allocated via a qualifying tournament reserved for Pro Tour cardholders.
Littler the defending champion, Humphries the challenger
Luke Littler arrives in Wolverhampton as the two-time defending champion. Having already won in 2024, he retained his title in 2025 by defeating Luke Humphries 16-11 in the final - a victory that saw him take the world number one spot at the expense of his opponent that evening.
Humphries, winner of the 2026 World Grand Prix, remains the main contender. The line-up also includes Gerwyn Price, Ross Smith, Gian van Veen, James Wade, Nathan Aspinall, Michael van Gerwen and Martin Schindler, all of whom have qualified via their televised results.
Twenty editions and a transformed tournament
Launched in 2007 at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall, the Grand Slam of Darts was originally open to both PDC and BDO players, with Barry Hearn’s stated ambition being to crown the greatest of them all. Only one BDO player has ever won the tournament: Scott Waites in 2010, after coming back from an 8-0 deficit against James Wade to win 16-12.
The dissolution of the BDO in 2020 brought an end to this open format. The 2021 edition was the first without any players from the organisation, who were replaced by qualifiers from the PDC’s secondary circuits. Five years on, the tournament is taking on a new dimension once again, with eight additional players and prize money increased by more than 50 per cent.
Where to watch the tournament
The Grand Slam of Darts takes place from 14 to 22 November at WV Active Aldersley in Wolverhampton. In the UK, the event is broadcast by Sky Sports. Outside the UK, the official PDC TV service broadcasts the tournament, subject to the broadcasting rights restrictions specific to each country.
