2026 PDC WC Day 13 Preview

It was another tricky day for us on Monday, though at least the night finished on a positive note thanks to Champagne Charlie Manby. We go again on Tuesday, the final day of action before the Xmas break. James Punt’s 2026 PDC WC Day 13 previews and tips are below.

Afternoon Session

Jonny Tata vs. Ryan Meikle

This is a big opportunity for two lesser lights to make the third round and £35k in prizemoney. Both averaged just over 89 in their first-round wins. Tata beat an out of form Ritchie Edhouse 3-0, Meikle the unknown Argentinian Salate, also 3-0.

Meikle is the more experienced player in terms of playing in TV majors. He has played in five previous world championships but never made the third round. Tata is making his debut and will just be trying to make as much money as possible. He has no plans to try and make it as pro player in Europe and just wants to take a big check home to his family down under.

Meikle just about has the advantage. He is a long time Pro Tour player and he has a good A-game, but very little in the way of consistency. His last five matches have seen averages of 98.88, 102.50, 82.32, 74.25 and 89.49. He has won five of his last ten matches and his seasonal win rate is 48%.

Meikle is the 1.62 favourite, Tata 2.50. Is the Aussie capable of beating Meikle? Yes, but the odds look spot on to me. No bet.

2026 PDC WC Day 13 Tip: No Bet

Daryl Gurney vs. Callan Rydz

Gurney survived his first-round match with Beau Greaves, winning 3-2. It was a scrap rather than a classic, with Gurney averaging just 89.77. It wasn’t about the performance, it was about the result. He now has to press the reset button and find improvement in his game.

Gurney has won four of his last ten matches and his scoring is not great. He has made the third round in five of the last six years and with two recent major quarter finals under his belt, he will be feeling that he could have another decent run.

First Gear

Callan Rydz had no bother beating Patrik Kovaks 3-0. It was a poor match, but Rydz didn’t need more than first gear to win at a canter. Rydz has won only three of his last ten matches and while his good performances have been better than Gurney’s better performances, he is playing quite a lot of dross as well. His B-game is worse than Gurney’s B-game.

Experience

Rydz has plenty of experience at Ally Pally. This is his seventh visit and he has made two quarter finals, as has Gurney, but he has lost four of his six second round matches.

Their H2H record is a healthy 6-2 to Rydz, but Gurney has won their last two, including a 6-2 win in October. Rydz is the 1.83 favourite, Gurney 2.10. I can’t really argue with those odds, but I don’t like backing Rydz at odds on. He is very fragile mentally. If his neighbour’s cat was run over last week, that could be enough to set his demons loose. No bet.

2026 PDC WC Day 13 Tip: No Bet

Jermaine Wattimena vs. Scott Williams

This has the potential to be an absolute banger. Wattimena is a very much improved player in last 18 months or so. He is realising his potential, having good runs in Majors and finally picking up his first PDC title and then a second, in the Players Championships.

Wattimena also reached three Euro Tour quarter finals. He reached the quarter final of the recent Players Championship finals, but his record at Ally Pally is not great. He has played six second round matches and won three but never got beyond that third round.

The Machine Gun has won seven of his last ten matches and while he wasn’t good in his first round win over Dominik Gruellich, he has been banging in a lot of ton plus averages (32% of his last fifty matches).

Waspish Williams

Scott Williams likes to dress up in yellow and black, a bit like the Ally Pally wasp. And like the Ally Pally wasp, he only seems to come to life at this time of year. He has lost six of his last ten matches, hit four 96+ averages, but also hit four sub-90s. His best result in a Major came here in the 2024 Championship when Williams reached the semi-finals. That means he is defending a big lump of cash.

Their H2H record is 3-1 to Wattimena but Williams won their last match in October, 6-1. Wattimena is the 1.50 favourite, Williams 2.75. Again, I can’t argue with the odds.

These two have not hit a lot of 180s in the previous matches, but this is their first time up on the big stage. Williams likes to entertain and Wattimena can score big. We should have a reasonably close match, with plenty of legs for hitting the maximums.

2026 PDC WC Day 13 Tip: 1 point over 8.5 180s @ 1.95 with Hills

Peter Wright vs. Arno Merk

Merk kicked of proceedings on the 11th December by beating Kim Huybrechts 3-1 with an average of 89.73. That is a fair reflection of his recent form when winning the European Super League. He has got a better A-game, but he throws a lot of high 80s averages.

Peter Wright beat Noa-Lynn van Leuven 3-0 in his opening match. It was a very low-quality affair, with two sub 84 averages. Wright has won five of his last ten matches and while he can’t cope with the top players anymore, he can still beat the journeymen pros. This is a good draw for Wright. I can’t see him getting beyond the third round, but he should win this.

Wright is the 1.48 favourite, but the money is going down on Merk, now into 3.00 and as low as 2.75. It is either brave or foolish to back Wright at short odds these days, but Merk may well have done his winning for the event.

2026 PDC WC Day 13 Tip: 1 point Peter Wright to win -1.5 sets @ 2.10 with PaddyPower

Evening Session

Danny Noppert vs. Justin Hood

Noppert continues to be in very good form. He averaged 96.62 in a 3-1 win over Jurjen van der Velde. That was his ninth 96+ average in a row. He has won seven of his last ten matches and his only worry is that he has lost three of his seven second round matches here. He is not an Ally Pally specialist, but his form is irresistible, for now at least.

Justin Hood averaged 99.59 in a 3-0 win over Nick Kenny in round one. He has lost six of his last ten matches and has been very inconsistent. He has taken a few big scalps since getting his tour card in January, including beating Danny Noppert 6-2 in August. They played twice in 2024 and Hood won one of those as well.

Noppert is the 1.25 favourite with Hood 4.33. Cleary Hood likes playing Noppert, but this is a stage match, their first, and Noppert is much more used to these big matches. That said, Hood looked perfectly relaxed in round one and he goes into this with no pressure. Noppert might be thinking about his previous disappointments at Ally Pally.

Noppert has won three of his four second round matches here 3-1. Another similar outcome would be no surprise.

2026 PDC WC Day 13 Tip: 0.5 point Danny Noppert to win 3-1 @ 3.40 with Betfred

Gary Anderson vs. Conor Scutt

Gary Anderson required a deciding set against Adam Hunt in the first round, but it was a decent performance by both players. Anderson went out at this stage last year, but of course that was his first match under last year’s format. Getting that first win out of the way is important for the leading players. That said we have lost Price, Dobey and Wade in second round matches already and these are still relatively short format matches.

Anderson has lost five of his last ten matches, despite playing well. He has lost recent matches to the likes of Pietreczko, Springer, Menzies and Woodhouse, never mind MVG, Rock and Noppert. Conor Scutt has won seven of his last ten and two of those defeats were to Rock and Littler. He still lacks the consistency of the top players, but his A-game is strong.

These two have met four times with Anderson winning three. The Flying Scotsman is the 1.40 favourite, Scutt 3.10. Anderson likes Scutt, which suggests to me that he likes his pace of play and that suits Anderson, who really doesn’t enjoy slow, or deliberate players. That is probably enough to get him the win.

Scutt has lost both his second round matches here and he has lost three of his four matches with Anderson, including the last three.

2026 PDC WC Day 13 Tip: Anderson to win -1.5 sets @ 1.91with Betfred

Michael van Gerwen vs. William O’Connor

Van Gerwen was poor in his 3-1 win over Mitsuhiko Tatsunami. The Japanese player had him rattled, despite averaging just 84.40. A slightly tougher opponent and MVG was out. He has won six of his last ten matches and that was one of his worst performances for a while. I doubt he will be that bad again, nor does O’Connor.

Willy O’Conor has played some great darts in 2025, probably the best of his career. He was very good when beating Krzysztof Kcuik 3-0 in round one. He averaged 102.36 which was the highest average of the first round. It was his third ton plus average in his last seven matches, along with a couple of 97+.

Inconsistent

There were three sub-90s as well though, and there is the rub. O’Connor can be very good, but the lack of consistency remains. He ended the Players Championship events with a runner up spot and a semi-final so he has been playing well for a couple of months, but he has only ever won one PDC, title and that was back in 2019.

Their H2H record is 15-3 to MVG. O’Connor hasn’t beaten him since 2018, but they have not met since 2023. MVG has regressed since then, and O’Connor has improved quite a bit this season.

MVG is the 1.53 favourite. This is his stage. Three finals in the six years, six in the last twelve and three titles. Van Gerwen has not lost a second-round match here since 2010.

History says MVG is going to win, but he has been very unconvincing for most of 2025. O’Connor may never get a better chance to get a win over MVG at Ally Pally.

2026 PDC WC Day 13 Tip: 1 point William O’Connor to win @ 2.60 generally available

Josh Rock vs. Joe Comito

Joe Comito was another of the first-round surprises, beating Niko Springer 3-1. It wasn’t a huge surprise as Springer hasn’t been playing well recently, but it was a very big deal for the Aussies. He now faces one of the tournament favourites, and this will be a different ball game.

Rock was poor against Gemma Hayter, averaging 90 in a 3-1 win. He said he was guilty of underestimating Hayter. He also said he wasn’t going to underestimate Comito and that the Aussie was going to get the full treatment.

Rock is the 1.03 favourite and just 1.35 to win 3-0. No bet.

2026 PDC WC Day 13 Tip: No Bet

The third round kicks off on the 27th of December, after the Christmas break.

-JamesPunt