2026 WM Darts Wednesday Preview – JP
2026 WM Darts Wednesday Preview & Tips
Now, it is time for James Punt’s 2026 WM Darts Wednesday preview and tips. We didn’t come out on top last night but at least we were treated to an exhibition (and a first leg 9 darter) from Luke Littler.
Ross Smith vs. Cameron Menzies
Menzies pulled off the surprise of the first round by knocking out world number 2 and our number 1 pick, Luke Humphries. It was a deserved win. Humphries started too slowly but got himself back into the match, before Menzies was able to close it out 10-7. Humphries averaged 99.56, so it wasn’t like he was rubbish.
Menzies has won eight of his last ten matches, which included the final of PC23 nine days ago. It is safe to say he is in good form. He did have a strange defeat in Germany, blowing a 5-1 lead, and for a while it looked like it was going to happen again against Humphries. Menzies was 8-3 up but Humphries won four legs on the bounce before Menzies picked up the last three and won it with a 170 checkout.
Up For It
Ross Smith was clearly up for it when he beat Doets 10-6. It was a 100.55 average, 56% on the doubles and seven 180s hit. Doets played very well, but he could never recover from being 0-5 down at the first break.
Smith has won six of his last ten matches but it is hard to say that he playing with very much consistency. Four ton plus averages but a couple of sub 90s and a 92. His A game gives him a very good chance, his B game gets beat.
H2H
Their H2H record is 9-4 to Smith and in 2026 it is 3-0, including a 7-0 win in a Euro Tour semi-final two months ago. Their last four matches have all been on the Euro Tour and Smith won three. The commonality between the four was that Menzies played poorly in them all. Three sub 90 averages and a best of 91.43.
Player stats tell us that Smith is the better player in almost every measured metric. Menzies has struggled with Smith in the past and he has to avoid any mental let down after his big win on Monday night.
Smith is the 1.54 favourite, Menzies 2.63. It is hard to argue with those odds. Even the side markets are thin on value and this is a no bet.
2026 Wm Darts Wednesday Tip: No Bet
Wessel Nijman vs. Gian van Veen
It seems inevitable that these two will be the Dutch 1 & 2 in the near future, maybe even by this weekend. MVG is down to number 6 in the world rankings and if Nijman can reach the final, he will overtake Van Gerwen to be become the Dutch number two behind Van Veen.
Nijman is yet to prove himself on the big TV stages. He was too good for the struggling Dave Chisnall in round 1, winning 10-5 with a 98.63 average. He has won seven of his last ten matches and has won eight PDC titles already in 2026. He is the better player of the two right now. Scoring heavy and consistently.
Flashes
Van Veen is showing flashes of his best form but only occasionally. He has won seven of his last ten, which suggests his B game is Ok, but he will need his A game tonight. In Van Veen’s last ten matches he has hit two tons but seven sub 93s. By comparison, Nijman’s last ten saw four tons, and five 95 plus. His worst average was a 94.93.
Their H2H record is 11-5 to Van Veen. Nine of those matches were at Development Tour level. At senior level it is 5-1 to Van Veen. Nijman won their last match 6-1 back in March, averaging 112.
Van Veen hasn’t been the same player since his gallbladder surgery earlier this year and while it can’t be anything physical anymore, his confidence has taken a knock and his win rate is down to just57%, compared to 81% for Nijman.
Nijman is the 1.57 favourite, Van Veen 2.60. I would love to see these two going head to head with their A games, but with Van Veen usually playing his B game, we are unlikely to get that.
2026 wm Darts Wednesday Tip: 1 point Wessel Nijman to win -2.5 legs @ 2.10 generally available
Gerwyn Price vs. Rob Cross
Price made hard work of beating the out of form Martin Schindler. It was 11-9 in the end with Schindler only averaging 90.69. Price has not been in good form and is not doing much practice. It shows. He did seem to enjoy it, however. The English football fans were hating the German, and for once, Price was a crowd favourite. He won’t be this evening.
Cross beat Noppert in quick time. He averaged 97.41 in a 10-3 win. That is the level he is playing at right now. Cross has won six of his last ten matches and averaged over 96 in eight of them, with a low of 93.30. Price has lost six of his last ten matches and he too has eight 96+ averages.
Distractions
Price hasn’t been at the races mentally as he is distracted by off the oche matters, but he retains his ability. Their H2H record is 17-14 to Price but they haven’t played since last year and I would say that Cross is a much-improved player in the last few months, while Price has mentally gone AWOL.
Price is the 1.67 favourite, Cross 2.35 and the value lies with Cross for me.
2026 Wm Darts Wednesday Tip: 1 point Rob Cross to win @ 2.35 with Livescorebet
James Wade vs. Ryan Searle
Wade is our last man standing from out ante-post selections. He started well with a 10-7 win over Jermaine Wattimena with a very James Wade performance, averaging 96.19. He hit seven 180s which helps, and he was just that bit better on the doubles.
He was 4-1 up at the first break and just kept Wattimena at arm’s length thereafter. Wade has won six of his last ten matches and has hit four ton plus averages, but also four sub 91s.
Ryan Searle needed to be the better finisher to beat William O’Connor. The Irishman outscored Searle but it was Heavy Metal who was 56% on his checkouts. He averaged 94.98 and has won seven of his last ten matches. Searle has been playing well and quite consistently with five 97+averages and just one sub-90.
H2H Close
Their H2H record is 4-3 to Wade, but they have played only twice in the last three years, with one win each. Their last match was in May 2024, which is a surprise.
Wade has played sixteen second round Matchplay matches and won thirteen. Seven times a finalist here and he is very much at home on the Blackpool stage. Searle is not regarded as a big stage merchant and his second-round record is played two, won one. Wade is the 1.80 favourite, Searle 2.05.
