2026 Grand Slam of Darts group stage predictions and previews

November 10, 2026 · Yahoo Sports

2026 Grand Slam of Darts group stage predictions and previews originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

On Monday, the draw was released for the group stage of the 2026 Grand Slam of Darts.

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16 groups consisting of 3 players in each group will each have their own round-robin tournament in the group stage, to decide who advances to the last 16.

Many seeds are favored to win their group, but with a short format, it's not guaranteed for some in competitive groups.

2026 Grand Slam of Darts group stage predictions

Let's take a look at who has the strongest chance of winning each group.

MORE: 2026 Grand Slam of Darts: Draw, schedule, groups, prize money and format explained

Group A - (1) Luke Littler, Niels Zonneveld, Beau Greaves

Winner: Luke Littler

This will be one of the main groups people will have their eyes on this week.

That's mainly because Littler and Greaves are in the same group and will play their first TV match against each other.

However, don't forget about Niels Zonneveld. He already has a ranking win against Littler this year, in a very similar format (ET).

Littler has exited before the semifinals in each of the last three majors since the Matchplay (WSoD Finals, Grand Prix & European Championship). Before that, he had won every major to start 2026.

I expect quality fights from Greaves and Zonneveld, but it's hard to see Littler falling short at a major event once again.

Group B - (16) Jermaine Wattimena, Alan Soutar, Lisa Ashton

Winner: Jermaine Wattimena

Wattimena comes in as a favorite in this group.

Soutar and Ashton are arguably two of the lower sticks to be drawn from each pool they were in.

It will all depend on how Wattimena plays, because I don't see him losing the group if he plays his A/B game.

Group C - (8) Josh Rock, Kevin Doets, Tommy Morris

Winner: Josh Rock

Outside of Group A, this is probably going to be the next most entertaining group to watch.

Recent form suggests there's very little between all of these players.

Morris has had a few of the best weeks of his career, qualifying for the GSoD after winning a Pro Tour event, not long after having a runner-up finish first.

Doets himself is slowly getting more comfortable on the big stage at majors, and is capable of beating almost anyone if he plays to his ceiling.

This one is truly too close to call, but for the sake of having to choose someone, Rock is the more experienced player, so he has a slight edge, but anything can happen here.

Group D - (9) Stephen Bunting, Cameron Menzies, Raymond Smith

Winner: Cameron Menzies

This might not stand out among the elite groups, but it could be a competitive one that surprises some people.

Bunting has been shaky on the big stage this year, and he has some competition in his group that he won't want to mess around with.

Bunting failed to make it out of the group stage last year, and that could happen again.

Menzies is a player I think is capable of upsetting Bunting here, if he can recapture his form from the summer months.

Group E - (4) Gerwyn Price, Sebastian Bialecki, Joe Hunt

Winner: Gerwyn Price

Price has been one of the most consistent players in the PDC this year.

He has a relatively easy draw in this event, so he'll be the favorite with a target on his back.

Both Bialecki and Hunt haven't shown a consistent ceiling that suggests they can defeat an in-form star like Price right now.

Group F - (13) Ryan Searle, Andrew Gilding, Charlie Manby

Winner: Charlie Manby

Manby hasn't played on many big stages in his young PDC career, but his run at last year's WC was a prime example of how well he can play in front of a big crowd.

Searle and Gilding are quality players, but this feels like an open group anyone can win.

With Manby being a recent title winner on the Pro Tour, I'll give him the edge over Searle and Gilding, who both have been quiet over the last couple of months.

Group G - (5) Jonny Clayton, Rob Cross, Anton Ostlund

Winner: Jonny Clayton

This appears to likely be a two-man race between Clayton and Cross.

Ostlund had a few quality games at the Nordic and Baltic Championship, which is why he qualified, but Cross and Clayton will be tougher opponents that he'll have to be mistake-free against to have any chance at winning.

Cross has had some purple patches of quality form this year, but Clayton has had much higher peaks of form, and they've come more often.

Group H - (12) Wessel Nijman, Niko Springer, Adam Sevada

Winner: Wessel Nijman

It's been a career-best year for Sevada, who has had highlights that include winning the North American championship, debuting at the WC, and debuting at the World Cup.

He could be a sneaky under-the-radar player, as he's in a group with two players who have struggled at majors in their brief careers, but it's a tough assignment.

Nijman has been dominant on the Pro Tour this year, but tailed off at the end of the year.

He's still seeking his first career quarterfinal appearance at a major, so this could be his chance, but he'll have to get past a talented Niko Springer first.

Group I - (2) Luke Humphries, Joe Cullen, Paolo Nebrida

Winner: Luke Humphries

This appears to be another runaway group for the seeded player, which in this case is Humphries.

Cullen's seasonal form hasn't been anything to write home about, but a good day at the TCH qualifier is why he's going to be in Wolverhampton.

Nebrida's form, recently, has been even a step down from Cullen's, so it's tough to see anything else but a Humphries group win happening here.

Group J - (15) Luke Woodhouse, Krzysztof Ratajski, Tom Sykes

Winner: Luke Woodhouse

The upside of this group is intriguing, but there may be some who stand out more than others.

Sykes will be hoping to steal a game, but we've mostly seen averages around the 90-ish mark from him recently.

That leaves a likely two-player race between Ratajski and Woodhouse, and it's a tough one to call.

Ratajski is a few weeks off a semifinal run at the European Championship, but I still think Woodhouse is the more consistent performer and will top the group, continuing the steady progression he's been on the last couple of years.

Group K - (7) James Wade, Ricky Evans, Cam Crabtree

Winner: James Wade

Many will be hoping to see Evans go on a run at this event, so he can give himself a shot at making the WC.

He needs a lot to go right, and he'll have to replicate his performances at the TCH qualifier if he wants any shot at winning the group.

Crabtree was impressive on debut last year, but Wade's ceiling is something we can't ignore, as he's playing two players with only a little stage experience in the last 24 months.

Group L - (10) Michael van Gerwen, Jeffrey de Graaf, Henry Coates

Winner: Michael van Gerwen

MVG isn't the player he used to be, or even was a couple of years ago.

A group like this in the past would have virtually been a bye for the Dutchman, but it will be a challenge this time around.

Coates has been one of the big stories of the year, as he was one of a couple of non-tour card holders to win a Pro Tour event, which is how he qualified for the event.

De Graaf has had a fairly quiet year outside of his Pro Tour title and some other deep PC runs, so this group feels like a race between MVG and Coates.

As good as Coates has been at times on the Pro Tour, it's still hard to see him beat a player like MVG, but this is the type of format for it to happen if it were to happen.

Group M - (3) Gian van Veen, Bradley Brooks, Carl Sneyd

Winner: Bradley Brooks

Brooks has taken some positive steps in 2026.

He recently made a quarterfinal on the ET and was one of the best players at the TCH qualifier for the GSoD, averaging over 102 in all three matches.

GVV has rebounded in the second half of the year, but I do think he's vulnerable here against an in-form Brooks.

Group N - (14) Chris Dobey, Martin Schindler, Jan Schmidt

Winner: Martin Schindler

Dobey is arguably one of the weaker seeds in the event this year.

He's had success on the PC circuit, but outside of that, he's done very little at major events.

He'll have to face the recent European Championship runner-up, Schindler, in group play, who should have a quality chance at advancing if he plays similar to what we saw from him in Dortmund.

Schmidt's impressive run to the final at the World Youth Championship helped him qualify, but he'll likely be a tier below Schindler and Dobey, barring any surprises in the opening round.

Either way, Schmidt will be getting quality TV experience in the next couple of months, as he'll play at the Grand Slam of Darts, the World Youth Championship Final and possibly the World Championship if he wins the WYC.

Group O - (6) Ross Smith, Gabriel Clemens, Rusty-Jake Rodriguez

Winner: Ross Smith

Smith has been arguably the best player in the sport over the last two months.

He won both the World Series of Darts Finals and the European Championship.

On paper, he's a couple of tiers ahead of the likes of Clemens and Rodriguez, so it will be tough for them to pull off any kind of upset if Smith carries momentum into this event.

Group P - (11) Nathan Aspinall, Karel Sedlacek, Maik Kuivenhoven

Winner: Nathan Aspinall

It's felt like Aspinall has been bound for another deep run at a major, and this could be the event.

His kryptonite has been Luke Littler this year, but luckily for him, this time around they can't face each other until the final.

This year, Littler has eliminated him in the European Championship, World Series of Darts Finals and World Matchplay. He also beat Aspinall in the final of the PC Finals in 2025.

Sedlacek and Kuivenhoven are underrated players who will give Aspinall a run for his money, but I don't think either will have enough to win the group.