World Series of Darts kicks off in the Middle East with star-studded line-ups

World Champion Luke Littler and world number two Luke Humphries will headline the 2026 Bahrain Darts Masters and Saudi Arabia Darts Masters, as the new World Series of Darts season gets underway later this month.The campaign begins on January 15–16 with the fourth staging of the Bahrain Darts Masters, before the World Series heads to Saudi Arabia for the first time.

The Riyadh Season Saudi Arabia Darts Masters will take place on January 19–20.Fresh from claiming his second World Championship title, Littler will be the centre of attention across the January double-header. The teenage sensation enjoyed a winning World Series debut in Bahrain back in 2024 and now returns aiming for further success in the region.Seven more PDC stars will join him in the Middle East, including 2023/24 World Champion Luke Humphries and recent World Championship runner-up Gian van Veen. European Champion Van Veen will also feature alongside his compatriot Michael van Gerwen, the most successful player in World Series of Darts history.

Defending Bahrain Darts Masters champion Stephen Bunting returns to the stage, while 2020/21 World Champion Gerwyn Price makes his comeback to the World Series circuit. The eight-man PDC line-up is completed by Dutch ace Danny Noppert, who enjoyed a strong televised season in 2025, and former World Matchplay winner Nathan Aspinall.

At both events, the eight PDC stars will face eight Asian representatives in the opening round. In Bahrain, six players qualify via the PDC Asian Tour, led by Filipino standouts Alexis Toylo and Lourence Ilagan.They are joined by Japan’s Motomu Sakai and Ryusei Azemoto, Singapore legend Paul Lim and Hong Kong’s Man Lok Leung. Local qualifiers Abdulla Saeed and Basem Mahmood complete the 16-player field after securing their spots through the Bahrain Qualifiers.

The inaugural Saudi Arabia Darts Masters will then see the PDC elite take on the top eight players from the 2025 PDC Asian Tour rankings. Toylo, Ilagan, Sakai, Azemoto, Lim and Leung will also compete in Riyadh, alongside Filipino trailblazer Paolo Nebrida and Japan’s two-time World Championship qualifier Tomoya Goto.

 

2026 Bahrain Darts Masters
January 15-16, Exhibition World, Bahrain
Competing Players

PDC Representatives
Luke Littler (England)
Luke Humphries (England)
Gian van Veen (Netherlands)
Michael van Gerwen (Netherlands)
Stephen Bunting (England)
Danny Noppert (Netherlands)
Gerwyn Price (Wales)
Nathan Aspinall (England)

Asian Representatives
Alexis Toylo (Philippines)
Lourence Ilagan (Philippines)
Motomu Sakai (Japan)
Ryusei Azemoto (Japan)
Paul Lim (Singapore)
Man Lok Leung (Hong Kong)
Abdulla Saeed (Bahrain)
Basem Mahmood (Bahrain)

2026 Saudi Arabia Darts Masters
January 19-20, Global Theater, Riyadh
Competing Players

PDC Representatives
Luke Littler (England)
Luke Humphries (England)
Gian van Veen (Netherlands)
Michael van Gerwen (Netherlands)
Stephen Bunting (England)
Danny Noppert (Netherlands)
Gerwyn Price (Wales)
Nathan Aspinall (England)

Asian Representatives
Alexis Toylo (Philippines)
Lourence Ilagan (Philippines)
Motomu Sakai (Japan)
Ryusei Azemoto (Japan)
Paul Lim (Singapore)
Man Lok Leung (Hong Kong)
Paolo Nebrida (Philippines)
Tomoya Goto (Japan)