The 2026 PDC World Masters (known for sponsorship reasons as the 2026 Winmau World Masters) was a professional darts tournament that was held from 29 January to 1 February 2026 at Arena MK in Milton Keynes, England. The preliminary rounds of the tournament were held at Arena MK on 28 January 2026. Organised by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC), it was the second edition of the PDC World Masters, previously called the Masters, since the event's rebrand in 2025. The winner received £100,000 from a total prize fund of £500,000.
The main tournament featured a 32-player field. The top 24 players on the PDC Order of Merit following the 2026 PDC World Championship automatically qualified for the main tournament. They were joined by eight qualifiers who advanced from the preliminary rounds, which featured players from outside of the top 24 and players from the PDC's affiliated tours. Two-time world champion Peter Wright failed to qualify for the tournament for the first time, while Gian van Veen reached the semi-finals in his World Masters debut.
In August 2024, it was announced that the field would expand to 32 players and the Masters would become a ranked event, starting from the 2025 edition.[5] This preceded a bigger announcement that was made on 28 October 2024. The PDC announced a complete revamp of the competition, rebranding it from the Masters to the World Masters, emulating the World Masters which was first held in 1975 and organised by the British Darts Organisation and later the World Darts Federation.[6][7] The revamp saw a change in format from leg play to set play, and saw preliminary rounds introduced to determine the eight qualifiers who would join the top 24 players on the PDC Order of Merit in the main competition.[6]
Sponsored by darts manufacturer Winmau, the 2026 PDC World Masters was held from 29 January to 1 February 2026, preceded by the preliminary rounds held on 28 January; all matches were held at Arena MK in Milton Keynes.[8][9]Luke Humphries entered the tournament as defending champion, having defeated Jonny Clayton 6–5 in the 2025 final.[10]
Format
The top 16 players on the PDC Order of Merit were seeded for the first round and were drawn against the remaining 16 participants.[11] All matches were played in traditional World Masters set format, where all sets are played to the best of three legs. The number of sets required to win increased as the tournament progressed.[6][8]
Round
Best of (sets)
First to (sets)
Preliminary
5
3
First
5
3
Second
7
4
Quarter-finals
7
4
Semi-finals
9
5
Final
11
6
Prize money
The total prize fund for the tournament was £500,000. The winner's prize money was £100,000.[11]
Position (no. of players)
Prize money (Total: £500,000)
Winner
(1)
£100,000
Runner-up
(1)
£50,000
Semi-finalists
(2)
£30,000
Quarter-finalists
(4)
£17,500
Second round losers
(8)
£10,000
First round losers
(16)
£5,000
Preliminary round Last 16 losers
(8)
£2,500
Preliminary round Last 32 losers
(16)
£1,000
Preliminary round Last 64 losers
(32)
£750
Broadcasts
The tournament was broadcast on ITV4 and ITVX in the United Kingdom.[12] Other broadcasters included Viaplay in the Netherlands and the Nordic countries; DAZN in Germany, Austria and Switzerland; Fox Sports in Australia; Sky Sport in New Zealand; VTM in Belgium; Nova in Czechia and Slovakia; FanDuel TV Extra in the United States and Canada; AMC Network in Hungary; Zonasport in Croatia; TV3 in the Baltic states; Arena Sport in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Kosovo; and Eurasian Broadcasting in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. It was also available for subscribers outside of Germany, Austria and Switzerland on the PDC's streaming service, PDCTV.[13]
Qualifiers
The top 24 players on the PDC Order of Merit following the 2026 World Championship automatically qualified for the main tournament, with the 16 highest-ranked players being seeds. They were joined by eight qualifiers from the preliminary rounds to complete a 32-player field.[11]
The preliminary rounds (best of five sets) took place on 28 January.[16] The field for the preliminary rounds comprised all PDC Tour Card holders ranked outside of the top 24, invited players from each of the PDC's secondary tours and Global Affiliate Tours, and four representatives from the Junior Darts Corporation (JDC). Eight players from the preliminary rounds qualified for the main tournament.[11]
The first round (best of five sets) took place on 29 and 30 January.[19] Five-time Masters champion and three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen, who had recently won the Bahrain Darts Masters, was eliminated in a 3–1 defeat to the Australian number one Damon Heta, who converted a 101 checkout to win the match.[19][20] "It was special that I got the win, it didn't matter who I played," said Heta afterwards. "Me and Michael [van Gerwen] have had a few battles over the years, but to get a win over him is definitely a feather in the cap."[21] Making his full debut after failing to qualify for the main stage of the 2025 edition, the 2026 World Championship runner-up Gian van Veen lost the opening set of his match with Ryan Joyce but came back to claim a 3–1 victory. Van Veen admitted that he "made it a little bit difficult" for himself, acknowledging that his proficiency on double 16 helped him take the win.[21] The 2021 world champion Gerwyn Price produced a three-dart average of 108.51 as he defeated James Hurrell 3–0.[20] "I think I was a little bit ruthless in that game," commented Price, who said he needed to play well against a "fantastic" Hurrell.[19] The 2021 Masters champion Jonny Clayton hit checkouts of 161 and 136 on his way to beating Wessel Nijman 3–1.[22] Two-time world champion Gary Anderson and the 2014 Masters champion James Wade both advanced by winning in a deciding set, getting past Niels Zonneveld and Madars Razma, respectively.[21] Shane McGuirk went 1–0 ahead against Nathan Aspinall before Aspinall won 3–1 with a run of six consecutive legs, while 2023 Masters champion Chris Dobey defeated Jermaine Wattimena 3–0.[22]
Reigning world champion Luke Littler and the 2024 World Grand Prix champion Mike De Decker traded the first two sets of their match, with De Decker taking the next to lead 2–1.[23] After Littler missed double 15 for a nine-dart finish, De Decker missed a match dart on double 11 for a 142 checkout. Littler then levelled the match before winning the next two legs to claim a 3–2 victory.[24] He labelled the contest "tough" and said that De Decker deservedly took the second and third sets.[23] After missing darts to win the opening set, the defending champion Luke Humphries defeated Dave Chisnall 3–1. "If you're not hitting your doubles you're going to put yourself under pressure, but I'm really pleased with the way I ended that match," commented Humphries, who called the World Masters a "cut-throat tournament".[24]Luke Woodhouse achieved his highest televised three-dart average, 108.64, as he beat Martin Schindler 3–0.[25] "I've just shown tonight what I'm capable of, so now it's about doing it over a long period of time and in the big TV events," said Woodhouse afterwards.[26] The 2024 Masters champion Stephen Bunting defeated Jeffrey de Graaf 3–1, while 2018 world champion Rob Cross earned a 3–1 win over recent World Championship semi-finalist Ryan Searle.[24]Ross Smith landed a 150 checkout in the penultimate set of his match against Jimmy van Schie before triumphing 3–1. Josh Rock and Danny Noppert were also 3–1 winners, defeating Connor Scutt and Daryl Gurney, respectively.[26]
The second round (best of seven sets) took place on 31 January.[27] In the afternoon session, Gerwyn Price landed finishes of 161 and 126 as he came back from 2–0 down to defeat Welsh compatriot Jonny Clayton 4–3.[28] Price progressed to the quarter-finals of the tournament for the first time since the 2022 edition.[29] Similarly, James Wade overturned a 2–0 deficit to beat Gary Anderson 4–3. Gian van Veen capitalised on missed doubles from Nathan Aspinall to win 4–2; Van Veen hit 56 per cent of his attempts at double, while Aspinall hit 19 per cent.[27] After establishing a 3–1 lead, Chris Dobey was taken to a deciding set by Damon Heta. Dobey landed a 127 checkout on the bullseye before completing a 4–3 victory.[29]
In the evening session, Luke Humphries hit a nine-dart finish, his third televised nine-darter in the space of a year, to take a 2–0 lead against Luke Woodhouse. However, Humphries missed a match dart on double 19 in the fifth set before missing more as he was brought to a last-leg decider. Humphries halted Woodhouse's comeback by pinning double 10 to win 4–3. "I would rather win the game and not hit a nine-darter than hit a nine-darter and lose, so I am just glad I did both," commented Humphries afterwards.[29][30] Josh Rock advanced to his first World Masters quarter-final by defeating Rob Cross 4–1.[28] "Rob [Cross] has taught me a lot mentally, and it's always tough playing him, but we’re here to do a job," said Rock after the match.[27] Luke Littler raced into a 3–0 lead against Ross Smith, who won the next set to avoid defeat. The pair entered a deciding leg in the fifth set, where Littler converted a 92 checkout to prevail 4–1.[31] Stephen Bunting was eliminated in a 4–0 defeat to Danny Noppert, who won eight out of nine legs during the match.[28]
The quarter-finals (best of seven sets) took place in the afternoon session on 1 February.[32] Gerwyn Price advanced to his first World Masters semi-final since 2021 by defeating Chris Dobey 4–2.[33] Luke Littler hit eight maximums as he defeated Josh Rock 4–0, only allowing Rock to register a single leg. A semi-final match between Price and Littler guaranteed a first-time World Masters finalist.[34][35] "This is where I fell last year, in the quarter-finals, so it's always good to win and guarantee my place," commented Littler.[35]
Gian van Veen converted 73 per cent of his shots at double during his 4–2 win over James Wade. "In my own sets I wasn't really performing and that really frustrated me during the game, but with that finish percentage I got the job done," said Van Veen afterwards. "He [James Wade] beat me in the Matchplay last year and loads of European Tours and floor tournaments. I needed to get one back over him."[35] Luke Humphries completed the semi-final lineup by beating Danny Noppert 4–0.[34]
Semi-finals
Gian van Veen reached the semi-finals in his tournament debut.
The semi-finals (best of nine sets) took place in the evening session on 1 February.[32] Gerwyn Price faced Luke Littler and Gian van Veen faced Luke Humphries. Price and Littler had previously met twice on the 2026 World Series of Darts; Price eliminated Littler from the Bahrain Darts Masters,[36] while Littler defeated Price on his way to winning the Saudi Arabia Darts Masters a week later.[37] Van Veen entered his semi-final with Humphries having beaten the Englishman in their last five meetings, including a 5–1 win over Humphries in the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Championship.[32][38] All four semi-finalists were set to compete in the 2026 Premier League.[39]
In the first semi-final, Littler took the lead four times, only for Price to equalise in every subsequent set as the pair went to a decider at 4–4. Price found a break of throw to go within one leg of victory before setting up a 107 finish to win the match. However, he missed a match dart at double 20, allowing Littler to level and then hold his throw in the deciding leg to triumph 5–4.[40][41] Speaking after the match on ITV4, commentator Wayne Mardle said that Littler's missed doubles—25 out of 37 attempts—went "under the radar" until they "caught up with him" in the final set, saying that Littler ultimately "found a way to get away with it".[35]
In the second semi-final, Humphries recorded a three-dart average of 107.80 as he defeated Van Veen 5–0 to set up a final with Littler. His second victory of the day without dropping a set, Humphries won 10 of the match's 12 legs.[40] "There was some ego in that performance from Luke Humphries. He wanted to get one over on Gian van Veen," said commentator Chris Mason.[42]
Final
Luke Littler won the World Masters for the first time, his 11th PDC major title and his fourth in a row.
The final between reigning world champion Luke Littler and defending champion Luke Humphries, the tournament's first and second seeds, took place in the evening session on 1 February.[32] Humphries contested his second successive World Masters final, having defeated Jonny Clayton to win the 2025 edition, while Littler reached his first final. It was the seventh major final contested between the pair, with a tied head-to-head record of 3–3 in their previous six meetings.[41] Humphries aimed to retain his title, while Littler looked to achieve a fourth consecutive major win.[43] Commentator Mark Webster called it "the perfect final", also saying that Littler needed a mix of luck and class to make it to the deciding match.[35][42]
The defending champion claimed the opening set but Littler responded with a 153 checkout to open the next, soon levelling the contest at 1–1.[40] The world champion established a two-set advantage by pinning back-to-back 121 checkouts in the fourth set, with the latter being finished on the bullseye.[32][43] Humphries then won the next four legs to restore parity at 3–3.[32] He squandered an opportunity to lead by missing three darts to win the seventh set, which Littler capitalised on by going in front once more.[32] Littler missed three darts for another two-set lead, allowing Humphries to equalise again at 4–4.[39] Humphries took a 5–4 lead to go one set away from victory, but Littler completed 13-dart and 12-dart legs to force a deciding set.[39] Littler secured a break of throw before pinning double 10 to win the match 6–5.[43] Littler finished the final with a three-dart average of 104.72, slightly less than Humphries's 105.51, and hit 13 of the match's 25 maximums.[39][44]
Littler won the World Masters for the first time, his 11th PDC major title.[40] A total of 11 major titles put him joint-third in the PDC's all-time list alongside James Wade, only beaten by Phil Taylor's 79 and Michael van Gerwen's 48. Winning the World Masters also meant that Littler had won all but one of the available PDC major singles titles, only missing the European Championship from his list of honours.[39][44] "I'm shattered, absolutely knackered. Going into the last break at 5-4 [down], I said I have nothing left, absolutely nothing, but I just managed to dig deep," commented Littler afterwards, adding: "It has been me and Luke [Humphries] in the first major of the year and I'm sure it will continue."[39] Humphries said the three missed darts to win the seventh set were the "only hole" of his game, claiming: "If I hit that shot, the possibility is I go on to win the game."[40] "He [Luke Littler] has shown that true class. I said to him at the end I don't think he has a heart—he never folds under pressure," Humphries said about his opponent. "It may be premature, but I think he's the greatest darts player that's ever lived."[40]
Preliminary rounds
The preliminary rounds began with a group stage, with one seeded player, ranked 57–88, per group. The winner of each group progressed to the last 64 where they faced players ranked 25–56. The eight winners of the last 16 matches qualified for the main tournament.[45]
The following players, who placed in the top eight of their respective secondary or affiliate tour in 2025, participated in the preliminary rounds.[11][16]
The preliminary rounds were played on 28 January 2026. All matches were played to the best of five sets. The results of the knockout phase are shown below.[46]
The draw for the televised stages was announced on 26 January.[45][47]
Numbers to the left of a player's name show the 16 seeded players for the tournament. The eight preliminary round qualifiers are indicated by 'Q'. The figures to the right of a player's name show their three-dart average in a match. Players in bold denote match winners.[48]
This table shows all three-dart averages over 100 achieved by players throughout the tournament.[48] For players with multiple high averages, this is indicated by the number in brackets.
The three-dart average is the most cited statistic in darts matches as it gives a rough estimate of a player's form.[49][50] For comparison with previous years, see the highest ever recorded averages in the World Masters.
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Luke Littler (ENG)
