The WDF has introduced an open category to replace the men's event, and ahead of the World Masters, set for Tuesday, July 14, to Sunday, July 19, 2026, in Las Vegas, the list of automatic qualifiers has been revealed. As ever, the tournament carries a multitude of qualification criteria, with players who aren't Tour Card holders but are previous winners of tournaments automatically qualifying. This means that Phil Taylor, as a former World Champion and World Master, qualifies automatically each year. The same applies to John Part, Steve Beaton, Glen Durrant, and John Lowe, who could have played to win the title all the way back in 1976.
Scott Mitchell, who recently confirmed he would be heading to Vegas, will use his former win at Lakeside to qualify by right. However, Mitchell Lawrie, perhaps the biggest name in the system right now, will not be playing in Las Vegas as he is on a family holiday. Most of the big names from the system have already been confirmed. Ben Robb and James Beeton are the latest two to have been confirmed this past week, with Neil Duff also involved after a year that has seen him add the Bucharest and Northern Ireland Opens to his collection. Moreno Blom, Marcus Maier, Aaron Turner, and Jason Brandon, among others, have either self-confirmed or are confirmed via the WDF socials as playing.
The event moves from Budapest, where it has been held in recent years. It has been noted that for Brandon, who wants to play in both, the CDC weekend is on at the same time. While some big names might not want to return, they still have a route back in to play this event if they would like. John Part, for instance, if at home could feasibly play despite not playing WDF Darts for a long time, and others could pitch up based solely on past achievement.
The full list of qualifiers includes players from over 40 nations, with England, the Netherlands, Australia, Canada, and the USA among the most represented. Notable names include former world champions such as Dennis Priestley, Keith Deller, Mark Webster, and Wayne Warren, as well as World Masters winners like Bob Anderson, Rod Harrington, and Robert Thornton. The list also features youth qualifiers and regional table entrants from countries as diverse as Bahrain, Uganda, and Mongolia.
