"Do you like the UK Open? Maybe we’ll do something like that" - Matt Porter teases upcoming changes to 2027 calendar

It is an exciting time for darts fans. The major tournaments are set to come thick and fast with the World Series of Darts Finals currently ongoing in Amsterdam. Matt Porter was at the event where he dished out some inviting news about the 2027 PDC calendar, soon to be released with a number of new talking points.

The first night of action saw some of the big names enter the fray. Luke Humphries disposed of Jermaine Wattimena while the home crowd were pleased to see Gian van Veen cap off the night with a comprehensive 6-2 win over Chris Dobey. The big surprise came in the form of Michael van Gerwen squandering six match darts as his title defence came to a swift conclusion against Daryl Gurney, who fully capitalised on his late call-up.

The crowd may have been disappointed at that result, but overall they would have enjoyed a thrilling session of darts with more on the way. Porter confirmed that the World Series of Darts Finals being held in Amsterdam was not at risk, with the Dutch capital in line to continue being the host.

"There’s always more Amsterdams," he told Viaplay. "No, this is definitely not the final Amsterdam. We love having this event here. It works well. Look at the crowd. The players love it here. The crowd are great. You guys, we’ll be back."

It is a new setup for the event, with the scheduling slightly different for the 32 players involved. This means that no one has to play multiple times in a single day before reaching the business end of the tournament.

"I think it was a natural progression to expand the tournament," Porter stated. "It wasn’t very clean with having some players playing twice on the same day and others not. We didn’t like that. And actually, it made sense to give more players the opportunity to be here. There was an appetite for more, for an expansion of the event. So it was a natural decision."

What makes the World Series of Darts Finals unique is the variety of darters involved. Not just PDC regulars, but competitors from North America and Oceania have travelled to compete, giving them a chance to compete on the big stage against some of the best players in the world.

Porter was satisfied with the qualifying criteria. "I think the blend is right. We want a mixture of the top players in the world, local heroes, emerging talent," he explained.

This is a kind of semi-pathway for players who want to step out of the comfort zone of playing in their own country and have an opportunity to test themselves against the best in the world in a bigger event than they would have in their own country. So you see Brody Klinge coming here from Australia. We’ve had players come here from North America, some from Asia. It’s a good format."

However, it has not all gone smoothly. "A little bit disappointed that so many of the Asian players at the last minute had to step back."

There had been four Asian representatives supposed to compete. Unfortunately, Motomu Sakai will be the only one in action in the Netherlands, with Lourence Ilagan and Alexis Toylo both forced to withdraw amid visa issues, while Man Lok Leung pulled out due to illness.

All of this is a learning experience for Porter and the PDC. "But we will learn from the situation with the guys who couldn’t get visas. And we will bring that process forward, make that earlier next year to give them a better chance of being able to make it."

September is not only an exciting month for darts, with the sport really picking up some speed in terms of the tournaments being played out, but also the 2027 PDC calendar being confirmed. There is a reason for the delay, a tantalising one for intrigued darts fans.

"So we’re making some last-minute changes. Next week you will see it, and I think hopefully you will like what you see," Porter confirmed.

He went on to tease the Viaplay panel with the UK Open hinted at one of them. "Tell me, what’s one of your favourite events, Jacques? Do you like the UK Open? Maybe we’ll do something like that."

He did state that it would be in Europe, but not exactly where. "Oh, it’s a big place, Europe. I’ll have to make a decision."

For the World Series of Darts, that is more complicated. "World Series-wise, there’s obviously a lot of war in the Middle East. Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, normally January." The PDC will keep a close eye on a different sport to see what they do.

"January is a challenge. Our information from the region is that a lot of the decisions about major sporting events in the Middle East will be made after it’s known what’s going to happen with Formula One out there. We expect that decision to come within the next four weeks. And I would imagine that the decisions ourselves and other sports properties make, or have made for them, will come as a result of that."

Porter also noted his fondness for a return to Southeast Asia. "We’d love to go back to Southeast Asia. We’ve been to Japan. We’ve been to China. We went to Singapore once," he listed. "That region is so strong. One of the reasons why we’re so disappointed about the guys not making it here from Asia is because we know the talent is there for them to give the top players a game. So we’d love to go back to the Far East for an event. Places like Hong Kong, Singapore, they’re strong darts territories, the Philippines as well. So we’d very much like to have an event there."

It could very well be sooner rather than later. "It takes time to put things together. I would hope, if not next year, then the year after."

There seems to be an unlimited number of areas to expand into, but Porter did set a limit. "Realistically, with the calendar the way it is, the most we could do would be eight. We would hope to do seven next year, if not eight. But we will get to that number quite soon. And also, sometimes things change. We used to do a World Series event in Poland. That’s now a European Tour event. We need to keep it flexible."

The European Tour is already represented by a number of countries. Germany have the most events with it spanning from the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Hungary and new to this year, Poland and Slovakia.

That is not enough, with the PDC wanting more. "Look, the plan with the European Tour eventually would be to have full representation across the continent. So it’s important for us every year to bring a new country in. We will bring a new country in next year. It’s not that far from here. So let’s try and work it out."

He instantly ruled out Luxembourg. "That’s not a country." There are a number of countries that are still waiting for their chance to shine on the European Tour. Darts fans will have to be patient to find out which one it is.

To conclude the European Tour in 2026 ahead of the European Championship, the final event will be on Dutch soil in Maastricht, switched from Rosmalen. Porter explained the thinking behind that.

"I mean, look, especially when we only have one European Tour event in a country, it’s important for us to move around. There’s no real reason behind it. You know, we may be back in Rosmalen one day, but this year it’ll be in Maastricht."