By Brad Williams
Following a quick return from the Bahrain Darts Masters, where Michael van Gerwen reigned supreme, the inaugural Saudi Arabia Darts Masters will take place as the second World Series of Darts event of 2026, and here is everything you need to know:
When is it taking place?
The first ever Saudi Arabia Darts Masters is taking place between the 19th and 20th of January, at the Global Theatre in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The event kicks off at 4pm UK time.
Who is participating?
The 16-player field will be slightly different from the 2026 Bahrain Darts Masters, still with eight PDC representatives and eight Asian representatives, including the 2026 World Darts Championship winner and world number one, Luke Littler, and new Bahrain Darts Masters winner Michael van Gerwen, as well as returns to the oche for the 71-year-old “Singapore Slinger” Paul Lim, and one of the sports new fan favourites, Motomu Sakai, who won the hearts of the darting World after his unforgettable 2026 World Championship appearances. Paolo Nebrida was originally scheduled for the event but has since been replaced by Nitin Kumar due to illness.
PDC representatives:
Luke Littler, Gian Van Veen, Luke Humphries, Michael Van Gerwen, Danny Noppert, Gerwyn Price, Nathan Aspinall, and Stephen Bunting.
Asian Representatives:
Alexis Toylo, Motomu Sakai, Lourence Ilagan, Ryusei Azemoto, Paul Lim, Man Lok Leung, Tomoya Goto, Nitin Kumar.
What is on the line?
The total prize fund of the event is £100,000, of which the winner will receive £30,000, and the runner-up will bag themselves £16,000. The first round and quarterfinals will be best of eleven legs, while the semi-finals and final will be best of thirteen and fifteen legs, respectively. Additionally, there is a special prize of £74,700 to any player who manages to hit a nine-darter, with a chance to double that amount by hitting the bullseye immediately after.
The first-round draw is as follows:
Michael van Gerwen vs Nitin Kumar
Stephen Bunting vs Tomoya Goto
Nathan Aspinall vs Lourence Ilagan
Danny Noppert vs Man Lok Leung
Gian van Veen vs Motomu Sakai
Luke Littler vs Paul Lim
Gerwyn Price vs Alexis Toylo
Luke Humphries vs Ryusei Azemoto