The 2026 Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts gets underway on Saturday, as Luke Littler begins his pursuit of a third consecutive title in Wolverhampton.
The newly-expanded 48-player tournament will take place at WV Active Aldersley from November 14-22, as the sport’s biggest names go head-to-head for the iconic Eric Bristow Trophy and £1m in prize money.
Littler is yet to taste defeat in 14 Grand Slam matches, as he bids to join Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen by becoming the third player to win three successive titles in the West Midlands.
However, the world number one has been pitted in a blockbuster Group A alongside Dutch Darts Champion Niels Zonneveld and Women’s World Matchplay champion Beau Greaves.
Greaves won the pair’s previous meeting in last year’s World Youth Championship semi-finals, while Zonneveld inflicted Littler’s solitary defeat on the 2026 European Tour during March’s Belgian Darts Open.
“It’s like a little Champions League knockout,” admitted the reigning champion. “It’s not easy going back-to-back in any competition and I’ve done it here.
“To remain unbeaten and come out of the group stage, that’s when the longer format comes into play and that’s when you see the best out of me. A longer format suits myself, but any short games are tough, you can’t afford to drop off.”
2023 champion Luke Humphries will also headline in Wolverhampton, as the world number two faces former Masters winner Joe Cullen and PDC Asian Champion Paolo Nebrida in Group I.
Dutch number one Gian van Veen will meet former World Youth Champion Bradley Brooks and newcomer Carl Sneyd, while three-time champion Michael van Gerwen plays debutants Jeffrey de Graaf and Henry Coates in Group L.
Gerwyn Price – also a three-time winner in Wolverhampton – heads up Group E, which includes Poland’s number two Sebastian Bialecki and Challenge Tour champion Joe Hunt.
Ross Smith, meanwhile, has claimed two of the last three televised titles on offer and the newly-crowned European Champion is confident of maintaining his sparkling form in Wolverhampton.
Smith, who also won September’s World Series of Darts Finals, will play former World Championship semi-finalist Gabriel Clemens and Austria’s Rusty-Jake Rodriguez in the round-robin phase.
“I believe in myself, and years ago I probably didn’t,” conceded Smith, the current world number six. “I suppose how do you believe in yourself when you’re not winning anything?
“Winning breeds confidence and I’m playing with confidence, so life’s good! I take each game as it comes and play one game at a time. Every game I play is a final and I give it my all. It’s working for me at the moment.”
James Wade will make his record-equalling 19th Grand Slam appearance alongside Dutch superstar Van Gerwen, as the left-hander aims to lift the coveted Eric Bristow Trophy for the first time.
The three-time runner-up faces a tough assignment in Group K, with last year’s quarter-finalist Ricky Evans and World Youth Championship finalist Cam Crabtree awaiting him.
World number five Jonny Clayton is the seeded player in Group G, which features 2023 runner-up Rob Cross and PDC Nordic & Baltic champion Anton Ostlund.
Scottish number two Cameron Menzies and ANZ Premier League champion Raymond Smith will face ninth seed Stephen Bunting in Group D, while Josh Rock plays newcomers Kevin Doets and Tommy Morris in Group C.
Elsewhere, former Masters champion Chris Dobey will tackle German duo Martin Schindler and Jan Schmidt in Group N, with Dobey eyeing a return to winning ways on the big stage.
The 36-year-old has suffered four consecutive opening round exits in televised events, but he’s enjoyed another outstanding year on the ProTour, winning three Players Championship events throughout the season.
“I know what I’ve got to do and what’s at stake,” insisted Dobey, a Grand Slam quarter-finalist in 2016.
“I’m in a good place. I got a new set of darts and changed my set-up and I’ve been practising well. I’ve had a few poor performances on TV of late so I felt I needed to change something to give me that extra 5% and I feel great going into it.”
The Grand Slam of Darts group stage takes place across the first four days of the tournament, with matches on Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
In a change to previous years, only the group winner will advance to the knockout stage, which gets underway from Wednesday.
The 2026 Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK.
