Saudi Arabia Darts Masters 2026 | Day One Preview and Order of Play

The inaugural Saudi Arabia Darts Masters commences in Riyadh on Monday as the PDC stars and international representatives collide.

Following on from last week’s Bahrain Masters, the World Series breaks new ground with a lucrative trip to Riyadh, featuring a potentially historic bonus incentive for all players.

There will be a staggering $100,000 prize on offer to any player who lands a nine-darter in the event – and this bonus could be doubled following the introduction of the Riyadh Season Bullseye.

If a nine-darter is hit, the player will be given one dart at the bullseye to double their prize to $200,000, which would constitute the biggest prize pot for a perfect leg in PDC history.

Back-to-back World Champion Luke Littler achieved perfection on the World Series stage in Bahrain in 2024, and the teenage sensation headlines a star-studded line-up at the Global Theater.

Littler starts out against Singapore legend Paul Lim as the two generational icons go head-to-head for the second time in four days, with their meeting in Bahrain setting a new record for the biggest age gap ever in a televised darts contest.

Lim, 71, had just one leg to show for his efforts last time out, averaging almost 20 points fewer than a ruthless Littler – 53 years his junior.

Littler, who landed a 170 checkout and averaged 106.5 in a 6-1 rout of Lim, saw his 21-match unbeaten run brought to an end by Gerwyn Price in the quarter-finals and will be determined to restore normal service in Riyadh.

Price, a four-time World Series event winner, was eventually beaten 7-2 by Michael van Gerwen in the semi-finals and starts his campaign in Riyadh with a tie against methodical left-hander Alexis Toylo.

Filipino star Toylo gave Van Gerwen a scare in last week’s opening round, narrowly losing out 6-4 with a 91.5 average and three 180s to his name.

Van Gerwen aims to pick up from where he left off in sealing the Bahrain Masters title when he takes on Indian trailblazer Nitin Kumar.

Mighty Mike secured a record-extending 17th World Series title in Bahrain, averaging 101 in a superb 8-6 victory over Gian van Veen in the final.

Kumar received a late call-up to the event following the withdrawal of Paolo Nebrida through illness, and the Indian number one will be seeking inspiration from his landmark World Championship campaign which saw him pull off a memorable first round win over Richard Veenstra.

Meanwhile, world number two Luke Humphries opens up against Japan’s Ryusei Azemoto.

Humphries was beaten 6-3 by Nathan Aspinall in last week’s quarter-finals despite a 100.8 average, surrendering a 3-1 lead as ‘The Asp’ reeled off five legs on the spin for victory.

Humphries, who is gearing up for his World Masters title defence next week, secured his second World Series silverware at last year’s US Darts Masters in New York.

Azemoto is yet to showcase his full potential on the big stage, having lost in straight sets to James Wade at the World Championship before missing 15 darts at doubles in a 6-2 defeat to Stephen Bunting in Bahrain.

Bunting bids to avert a potential scalp at the hands of Japan’s Tomoya Goto – a three-time PDC Asian Tour event winner who competed at the recent European Qualifying School.

Nathan Aspinall and Lourence Ilagan go head-to-head for the third time in the space of a month as the two-time major winner aims to complete a hat-trick of wins.

Aspinall came from a set down to prevail 3-1 in the opening round of the World Championship, before battling his way to a 6-4 victory in Bahrain despite an average of 90.6 and 14 missed darts at doubles.

Last week’s Bahrain Masters runner-up Van Veen resumes his quest for maiden World Series silverware with a tie against Japan’s Motomu Sakai.

The world number three was forced to settle for second prize once again despite averaging 100.8 in a high quality final in Bahrain and will look to sustain that momentum in Riyadh.

Crowd favourite Sakai gave Price a scare in round one, missing crucial doubles to go 5-4 in front before the Welshman seized his reprieve to snatch a 6-4 victory.

The opening match of the evening sees former UK Open champion Danny Noppert take on Hong Kong’s Man Lok Leung.

Noppert found himself on the wrong end of an emphatic Van Veen display last week, going down 6-1 in the quarter-finals despite an average of 106.4.

Leung, who famously defeated Van Veen on his World Championship debut, has struggled for form on the big stage of late, averaging just 84.5 in a 6-2 defeat to Van Veen last Thursday.

The action gets under way from 4pm GMT, with first round matches to be contested over the best of 11 legs.

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Saudi Arabia Darts Masters 2026 Day One Schedule

All times GMT (local time +3 hours)

Monday January 19

First Round

4pm-8pm
Danny Noppert v Man Lok Leung
Stephen Bunting v Tomoya Goto
Nathan Aspinall v Lourence Ilagan
Michael van Gerwen v Nitin Kumar
Luke Littler v Paul Lim
Gerwyn Price v Alexis Toylo
Luke Humphries v Ryusei Azemoto
Gian van Veen v Motomu Sakai