Bahrain Darts Masters 2026

15 January – 16 January 2026 · Exhibition World Bahrain, Sakhir, Bahrain

The Bahrain Darts Masters 2026 took place from 15 to 16 January 2026 at the Exhibition World Bahrain in Sakhir and was the opening tournament of the World Series of Darts 2026. Michael van Gerwen won the title with an 8–6 victory in the final over Gian van Veen.

The Bahrain Darts Masters 2026 was a professional darts tournament staged by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC), held from 15 to 16 January 2026 at the Exhibition World Bahrain in Sakhir (Bahrain). It was the fourth edition since the inaugural event in 2023 and the first event of the World Series of Darts 2026. Sixteen players took part: eight PDC representatives and eight Asian representatives. The winner received £30,000 from a total prize fund of £100,000. The defending champion was Stephen Bunting, who had beaten Gerwyn Price 8–4 in the previous year's final. In the first round on 15 January, all eight PDC representatives came through. Luke Littler, playing his first match after winning the 2026 World Championship, won 6–1 against the 71-year-old Paul Lim with an average of 106.50 and a 170 finish. Luke Humphries beat Bahraini qualifier Abdulla Saeed for the third year in a row, this time 6–0. Michael van Gerwen turned a 3–4 deficit against 2025 Asian Tour winner Alexis Toylo into a 6–4 win, Bunting won 6–2 against Ryusei Azemoto, Nathan Aspinall 6–4 against Lourence Ilagan, Danny Noppert 6–1 against Basem Mahmood, Gian van Veen 6–2 against Man Lok Leung and Gerwyn Price 6–4 against Motomu Sakai. Quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final followed on 16 January. Price ended Littler's 21-match winning run with a 6–2 victory; his last defeat had come at Players Championship 34 on 30 October 2025. Van Gerwen ended Bunting's title defence 6–4, Aspinall turned a 1–3 deficit against Humphries into a 6–3 win and van Veen won the all-Dutch clash against Noppert 6–1, a match briefly interrupted by a power cut. In the semi-finals van Gerwen won 7–2 against Price and van Veen 7–4 against Aspinall. In the final van Gerwen took an early lead with a 130 finish on the Bullseye and extended it to 3–0 with a 113 finish. Van Veen closed the gap after a 111 finish, but van Gerwen pulled away to 6–2. After three legs in a row from his opponent made it 6–5, van Gerwen sealed the 8–6 win with finishes of 103 and 66. It was his first title in Bahrain, his 17th World Series title and his first since January 2024; it was his 26th World Series final in his 50th event, while van Veen reached a World Series final for the first time in his third event.

At a glance

  • Edition: 4th edition of the tournament since its premiere in 2023
  • Position in the calendar: First event of the World Series of Darts 2026 and first tournament after the PDC World Championship
  • Organiser: Professional Darts Corporation (PDC)
  • Venue: Exhibition World Bahrain, as-Sachir (Sakhir) – at this venue for the first time in 2026, previously Bahrain International Circuit (2023–2025)
  • Winner: Michael van Gerwen (NED) – 8:6 in the final against Gian van Veen
  • Defending champion: Stephen Bunting, knocked out in the quarter-finals 4:6 by Michael van Gerwen
  • Highest checkout: 170 by Luke Littler
  • Highest average: 106.50 by Luke Littler
  • 180s thrown: 75
  • TV premiere: First tournament broadcast on ITV4 under the new multi-year TV deal between ITV and the PDC
  • Caller: Kirk Bevins, Russ Bray, Lewis Jones

FAQ

When and where did the Bahrain Darts Masters 2026 take place?

The tournament was held from 15 to 16 January 2026 at Exhibition World Bahrain in Sakhir. It was the fourth edition and the opening event of the World Series of Darts 2026.

Who won the Bahrain Masters 2026?

Michael van Gerwen won the Bahrain Darts Masters 2026 with an 8-6 win over Gian van Veen in the final. It was his first title in Bahrain and his 17th World Series title.

How did defending champion Stephen Bunting fare?

Stephen Bunting, who had won the Bahrain Darts Masters 2025 with an 8-4 win over Gerwyn Price in the final, went out in the quarter-finals in 2026, losing 4-6 to Michael van Gerwen.

How much prize money was on offer at the Darts Masters in Bahrain 2026?

A total of £100,000 was paid out at the Bahrain Darts Masters 2026. The winner received £30,000, the runner-up £16,000, the semi-finalists £10,000 each, the quarter-finalists £5,000 each and the players knocked out in the first round £1,750 each.

What format was played at the darts tournament in Bahrain?

16 players competed in a straight knockout format. The first round and quarter-finals at the Bahrain Darts Masters were played as best of 11 legs, the semi-finals as best of 13 legs and the final as best of 15 legs.

Where was the Bahrain Masters 2026 shown on TV and stream?

In the UK, coverage aired on ITV4 and ITVX, and in German-speaking countries on DAZN as well as free of charge on the DAZN Darts X Pluto TV channel. Outside Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the Bahrain Darts Masters was also available on the PDC streaming service PDCTV; other partners included Viaplay, VTM, Nova, Network 4, Fox Sports, Sky Sport (NZ), FanDuel TV Extra, BeIN Sports and Arena Sport.

How do you qualify for the Darts Masters in Bahrain?

At the Bahrain Darts Masters, eight places go to PDC representatives (the top 4 of the PDC World Ranking plus four wildcards) and eight places to Asian representatives. In 2026 these included six invited players as well as the two Bahrainis Abdulla Saeed and Basem Mahmood, who came through a national qualifying event in December 2025.

Does the prize money count towards the PDC world ranking?

No. As this is an invitational event, the prize money won does not count towards the PDC World Ranking. Points are awarded for the World Series of Darts Order of Merit, however – 12 points for the winner, 8 for the runner-up, 5 for the semi-finalists, 3 for the quarter-finalists and 1 point for the first round.

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