Double In in Dublin? Why the World Grand Prix's future could lie away from Leicester and back in a familiar place

The 2026 World Grand Prix is set to commence from September 28 - October 4 at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester. It has been the permanent home of the tournament for a few years now, but that has not always been the case.

Luke Littler will arrive in the Midlands as the reigning champion and huge title favourite. Despite his World Series of Darts Finals blip, the 19-year-old will be desperate to show his worth on the oche in the doubles-in, double-out format.

The challengers will come in strong, hopeful that the format can cause some upsets. The 2023 winner Luke Humphries is the biggest threat on paper, with Gerwyn Price, Jonny Clayton, Gian van Veen, Michael van Gerwen, Josh Rock, Gary Anderson, Stephen Bunting, Nathan Aspinall, Wessel Nijman and Ross Smith all title candidates.

They will all embark on glory in Leicester, but that may not be the main talking point of the tournament. The crowds have not been as strong as other tournaments, with their players coming out and criticising them last year. All of this lends itself strongly for the World Grand Prix to return to its old home in Dublin.

The World Grand Prix has had numerous homes. First being competed in 1998, the first two years were hosted at the Casino Rooms in Rochester before moving to Crosbie Cedars Hotel, Rosslare, in 2000.

That is when the move to Dublin occurred, and it soon became apparent that the Ireland darts fans were extremely passionate and intrigued around the event. From 2001-2019, the event was held in the capital of the Republic of Ireland at the Citywest Hotel.

Irish darts fans would come in their numbers and watch the best players in the world compete for major glory. One of its most defining features was the crowds, with the support regularly getting lavishly praised, as Ireland’s thirst for darting action outside of the Premier League Darts was attended to.

Once the COVID-19 pandemic hit, this made the prospect of competing in Dublin slightly trickier. Coventry stepped in for the 2020 event before it found a new home in Leicester, to the dismay of many.

It was obvious last year that the support at the World Grand Prix was not meeting the expectations. Rock was one of the players very critical of this, venting his frustration in an interview with The Metro last year.

"It’s meant to be a major. So I think maybe they need to find somewhere that they know they’re going to get the fans from Monday all the way to Sunday. That’s my opinion, they need to change the venue."

Darts has massively grown in popularity. Tickets are starting to get hard to come by for the big events with many tournaments seeing packed venues. Not the World Grand Prix. 90% of the capacity was filled with many seats available last time out. A bitter blow and a telling sign backed up by some of the players, including Rock. You compare this to the PDC World Darts Championship which sells out in a matter of minutes.

That 90% was an increase from the year before, reaching a woeful 70%. This leads to the depleted atmosphere and the critical nature some have been over the venue.

Dublin is the clear choice the PDC has if it is set to move away from the Mattioli Arena. For starters, Ireland is starving for darting action.

The Premier League Darts events in Belfast and Dubin are simply not enough. It seems one of these capital cities would be primed to host a major event, and with its history, Dublin is the one getting the attention.

For starters, its track record is very good. If it were not for COVID, the World Grand Prix may still be held there. 19 editions in total were hosted at the Citywest Hotel, synonymous with some cracking atmospheres. That will not be hushed overnight if that is the PDC's concern. Just look at the Premier League Darts nights. Ireland is on its knees for darts.

That is another issue. There is no European Tour event in Great Britain, and all the major events are in England. London, Milton Keynes, Minehead, Blackpool, Leicester, and Wolverhampton. Replace Leicester with Dublin, and that improves the locations on the British Isles drastically.

Another argument would be to get its soul back. The World Grand Prix was closely associated with Ireland for so many years, but it seems to have slightly lost its way in recent times, relying heavily on the unique format. Once with such a strong identity, it feels like it is somewhat losing touch in itself. With so many major competitions in England, it would be unique to bridge off somewhere else, which still in turn has an interest for the sport.

There is also a lot of hype around Irish darts. Northern Ireland won the 2025 World Cup of Darts, seeing a lot of attention go the way of Rock and Daryl Gurney. Also, one of the Republic of Ireland's own, William O'Connor, has gone up a gear in 2026. He qualified for the event for the first time since 2015. He was a fan favourite in Dublin, for good reason, with his walk-on always a special moment. With England's talent pool being so much larger, there is less direct support and backing compared to other countries. Leciester is not solely responsible for that, but moving away to a different country would give players from there a boost while also solving part of the atmosphere issue.

In summary, the World Grand Prix in Dublin would offer a better atmosphere, replenish the soul and identity of the tournament, move away from the trend of major events in England and give a different dimension and feel to the tournament, especially for the Irish players. Also, it would get the Irish fans off the PDC's back as they continue to wait for some darting action on their shores, jealous of other countries hogging all the tournaments.

From the PDC's point of view, they may incline to this. However, it is not that simple. At the end of the day, they are a business, and money talks. Whichever location suits them and the players best would be where they compete. If they can continue getting fans to attend the event at the Mattioli Arena, then there is little doubt in their mind.

Being in Leicester has its positives from a travelling point of view. Not just for the players, but for all the staff. Leicester is fairly straightforward to get to, with there being a number of Players Championship events held there for that reason. Dublin is harder to get to for many, but then again it should not be too much of a logistical issue. That argument in favour of Leicester surely is not strong enough over the history, prestige and identity that Dublin can offer.

If the tournament continues to work in Leicester, change may not be on the mind of the PDC. However, they have shown in the past their willingness to be open-minded and change stuff if necessary. They do keep an ear out for any new ideas and must have had their doors banged on and ears ringing from impatient Irish fans desperate for the darts. The argument is strong to return to Dublin, and it would be a decision met with widespread positivity. If they can confirm this switch sooner rather than later, the World Grand Prix overnight transforms into the powerhouse it once was.