The tournament took place, behind closed doors, at the Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes, from 18 to 26 July 2020.

Rob Cross was the defending champion, having won his first World Matchplay title with an 18–13 win over Michael Smith in the 2019 final.

[1] The tournament was moved from its planned venue of Winter Gardens, Blackpool, due to the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Under the published rules, the top 16 players on the PDC Order of Merit as of 12 July 2020 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.