Bahrain Darts Masters 2026: Schedule, Field, Draw and Predictions

The Bahrain Darts Masters will take place between 15-16 January at Exhibition World. It marks the fourth staging of the tournament which is seen as the season opener not only on the World Series but as the first event post the PDC World Darts Championship.

Stephen Bunting is defending champion and will return in a bid to defend his title. He defeated Gerwyn Price last year 8-4 in the final. Others involved include Luke Littler and Luke Humphries. Gian van Veen as World finalist and World No.3 will be expected to play a role in most of these tournaments.

While Michael van Gerwen this year will be involved. Not all the Premier League line-up will be though with Josh Rock and Jonny Clayton both not playing. Instead Danny Noppert and Nathan Aspinall, the two players seen as missing out on the Premier League perhaps unfairly will be involved. They will also take their sport in the Saudi Darts Masters the week after.

The draw will be confirmed a day or so prior to the tournament beginning likely local time. It will be updated here when confirmed.

The schedule is often confirmed around the same time or shortly after albeit it will be the same as other World Series tournaments in that it will utilise the top eight PDC stars playing the eight Asian representatives in the Last 16 before the Quarter-Finals are set.

Samuel Gill, Head Editor of DartsNews.com sees Gian van Veen bouncing back from his World Championship disappointment.

Last year saw Stephen Bunting crowned champion despite the clamour being over the leading lights and I see a short break hindering the top names.

As a result, I expect Gian van Veen being back to prove a point and also the same can be said for Michael van Gerwen who famously dealt with the heat in Dubai.

I also see Danny Noppert having a great few days. He was unfairly snubbed from the Premier League and players often have the point of proving the point that they should've been in. I see him doing just that.

*** Gian van Veen

** Michael van Gerwen, Danny Noppert

Oliver Ried, Editor for DartsNews.DE believes in Nathan Aspinall's chances in Bahrain.

The World Series continues in 2026 and heads straight to Bahrain. As always, two players from Bahrain will be involved, along with a large group of Asian players who challenge the top stars every year.

This time, I’m not going with Luke Littler. Instead, I believe Nathan Aspinall will win the tournament in Bahrain. The Englishman enjoyed a strong 2025 season and now wants to show the PDC that leaving him out of the Premier League was a mistake. After the US Darts Masters, The Asp would claim his second World Series title.

Right behind him, of course, is world champion Luke Littler. He won the Bahrain Darts Masters in 2024 and is eager to take home the golden palm once again. Gian van Veen will appear at a World Series event as a top star for the first time. He is also among the leading contenders for the title if he can reproduce the form he showed throughout 2025 and at the World Championship.

Luke Humphries, Gerwyn Price and Danny Noppert are always part of the favourites’ circle. All three enjoyed strong 2025 campaigns and want to make an immediate statement in 2026. They are keen to show that they are not only ready for the new year, but also for the upcoming Premier League season.

The field of challengers is strong as well. Toylo, Ilagan, Sakai, Azemoto, Paul Lim and Leung have all shown that they can perform on the big stage. Any of them could become a tough first-round opponent for the top stars, with Alexis Toylo standing out the most in my view. He proved his quality at the Grand Slam of Darts. I don’t expect too much from the two Bahraini players, based on the averages they produced at the qualification tournament.

Nicolas Gayer, Editor for DartsNews.DE has plumped for Luke Littler to seal the title.

After the 2026 darts season was ushered in in grand style with the spectacle at Alexandra Palace on the biggest stage the sport has to offer, the coming weeks will inevitably feel a little less glamorous. In mid-January, the PDC Tour heads to Bahrain for the first World Series event of the new season. However, the trip to the Middle East does come with one clear upside: the 2026 darts season is slowly but surely gathering momentum.

In Bahrain, I expect a continuation of what we already witnessed at Alexandra Palace: Luke Littler and Gian van Veen setting the pace. Luke Humphries, who was beaten by the Dutch World Championship finalist at Ally Pally, will also be keen to make a strong start to the new season.

Alongside the established elite, I am anticipating a strong showing from Danny Noppert – so, in many ways, business as usual. I expect “The Freeze” to respond positively after his omission from the Premier League line-up and to send an early statement of intent to the PDC.

Among the Asian representatives, two names in particular stand out: Man Lok Leung and one of the breakout stars of the 2026 World Darts Championship at Ally Pally, Motomu Sakai. Whether they can make a real sporting impact at the Bahrain Darts Masters will largely depend on the draw, but I believe both are capable of competing with players such as Stephen Bunting, Nathan Aspinall, or even Michael van Gerwen in his current inconsistent form.

Favourites:

***Luke Littler

**Luke Humphries, Gian van Veen

*Danny Noppert, Gerwyn Price, Michael van Gerwen

Mats Leering, Editor for DartsNieuws.com sees a surprise winner being Danny Noppert.

The World Series of Darts kicks off next week with the Bahrain Darts Masters, and once again it has a strong field of participants. Eight of the six Premier League participants are present, with only Josh Rock and Jonny Clayton absent. Instead, we will see Danny Noppert and Nathan Aspinall.

While Luke Littler is generally the favourite to win just about everywhere, I doubt he will win in Bahrain. He has just retained his World Championship title and may be less motivated to peak here right away. That's why I think we might see a surprise winner in Noppert or Aspinall. Both will be motivated to prove that they should have been in the Premier League selection. With a title here in Bahrain, they can make an immediate statement. Furthermore, Bunting and Price also performed well in the World Series last year, so they can also be counted among the possible winners.

Looking at the Asian contenders, there are plenty of names that could potentially surprise us. World Championship star Motomu Sakai will be present, as will Lourence Ilagan. Alexis Toylo, Ryusei Azemoto, Paul Lim, Man Lok Leung, Abdulla Saeed and Basem Mahmood will also be there. It cannot be ruled out that at least two of these players will cause an upset.

Favourites:

***Danny Noppert

**Nathan Aspinall, Luke Littler

*Gerwyn Price, Stephen Bunting

Lucas Michael, Editor for DartsNews.com can only see Luke Littler winning the title.

The Bahrain Masters is once again kicking off the World Series events in 2026, with a star-studded lineup ready to challenge for the title.

Similar to 2024, I can only see Luke Littler taking glory in the Middle East. He is on an incredible purple patch where it seems that nobody can get close to him. The only thing which could cause him a problem is the short format, something that he could be caught out on.

The world number two Luke Humphries will certainly be here or there abouts, but it feels that the world class level he has regularly shown has not been there at a consistent basis recently. This will offer some players a chance to capitalise, with World Championship runner-up Gian van Veen one of the favourites on his World Series debut. The likes of Nathan Aspinall and Danny Noppert will also have something to prove with their exclusion from the Premier League Darts.

It is a massive tournament for last year’s champion Stephen Bunting. He needs to put in a display to prove that he is still good enough to compete in the Premier League. He could be one of the players most at risk of an upset by one of the Asian representatives. I can see one or two winning their first round match and returning the next day, more specifically Lourence Ilagan and Motomu Sakai.

*** Luke Littler

** Gian van Veen, Gerwyn Price

* Luke Humphries, Stephen Bunting, Nathan Aspinall