'He beats me, he qualifies for Worlds & Grand Slam. I beat him, it’s sweet f-all' - Matt Campbell admits North American Championship win feels bittersweet

Originally posted on Dartsnews.com | By Kieran Wood | Last updated Jun 29, 2025 7:43 PM ET

Matt Campbell has become the first player to successfully defend the North American Darts Championship title, defeating fellow Canadian Jim Long 6-3 in the final at Madison Square Garden. But the victory almost didn’t happen.

Campbell admitted after the match that he had strongly considered pulling out of the tournament. “Last week, I was ready to just pull out of the whole event because it didn’t really mean anything,” he revealed to Online Darts. “I figured I’d take the time and spend it with the family—especially with the PDC schedule changes. It’s like, do I disappoint my kids and the plans we had, or go play these two Pro Tours?”

Ultimately, it was his wife who convinced him to compete—and she was there in New York to witness his win. “She’s my support. If it’s not for her, I don’t do this,” Campbell said. “She takes care of the kids, does all the BS I’d have to deal with at home. It’s an amazing support system.”

By defending his title, Campbell made history as the first to do so in this event—but he shrugged off any suggestion of pressure. “I didn’t care,” he said. “It was just play a game of darts—if I win, I win. If I lose, I lose.”

Despite lifting the trophy, Campbell does not earn an automatic spot at the PDC World Darts Championship or the Grand Slam of Darts due to already being inside the world’s top 64. Instead, the World Championship berth will go to the highest-ranked non-qualified player on the CDC ProTour Order of Merit, while the Grand Slam invite will be awarded to the CDC Continental Cup winner.

That reality made his win over close friend Jim Long slightly bittersweet. “It sucks,” Campbell admitted. “If he beats me, he qualifies for the Worlds and Grand Slam. If I beat him, it’s sweet f-all for.”

Still, Campbell expressed no frustration with the system. “I think the rule is perfect. It makes it fair for everybody,” he said. “The top 64 in the world from the UK only get one or two chances—Pro Tour and Qualifier. Why should we get extra chances?”

When asked if he now sees himself as the top player in North America, the man from Hamilton, Ontario, was quick to downplay the idea. “No, because there are so many players in North America who don’t get the chance to qualify,” he said. “It’s so expensive to travel across this big continent. I’ll never say I’m the top North American until everybody gets the same fighting chance I did.”

The win earns Campbell $10,000, and while that doesn’t come with ranking points or qualification spots, he took it all in stride. “Well yeah, it’s like 10,000 US—that’s like 4.5 million Canadian,” he joked.

Campbell currently sits 53rd in the PDC Order of Merit—a position he knows only improves one way: “The only way to bump up a ranking is winning.”