Gary Anderson was the defending champion, after defeating Mensur Suljović 21–19 after extra time in the longest final in the tournament's history.

Rob Cross won his first World Matchplay title with an 18–13 win over Michael Smith in the final.

However, after consulting the host broadcaster Sky Sports in 2013, the PDC decided that games would now only proceed for a maximum of six extra legs before a tie-break leg is required.

[5] The top 16 players on the PDC Order of Merit as of 30 June 2019 were seeded for the tournament.

The top 16 players on the ProTour Order of Merit, not to have already qualified on the cut-off date were unseeded.