Japanese crowd favourite almost certain of World Darts Championship return after superb tournament weekend

Motomu Sakai has tightened his grip on a World Championship ticket. The Japanese ace rattled off 18 straight wins last weekend to sweep three consecutive Steel Tour Japan events. With four tournaments remaining, Sakai now holds a commanding lead at the top of the ranking.

The 28-year-old was already rock-solid during June’s opening weekend of the Steel Tour Japan. Sakai reached all four finals and won the season’s first event. He maintained that momentum at Events 5 through 8 in Osaka.

The weekend actually opened with a title for Ryuta Arihara. The 38-year-old won Event 5, beating Ryusei Azemoto 5-2 in a dominant final. Arihara started his run with two whitewashes, then posted back-to-back 4-2 wins over Akimune Matsuyoshi and Hiroki Kaneko.

In the semi-finals Arihara proved far too strong for Sakai, winning 5-1. He averaged 97.43. He closed out the final against Azemoto with finishes of 81, 97 and 86.

From Event 6 onward, the stage belonged entirely to Sakai. He dropped just one leg in his first four matches. He then beat Azemoto 5-3 in a quality semi-final, averaging just under 97.

Joji Kanuma awaited in the final. Sakai opened with a 117 checkout and ran out a convincing 5-2 winner.

Event 7 nearly ended at the first hurdle. Nobuhiro Yamamoto missed three match darts in a last-leg decider. Sakai survived, then hit stride with three straight 4-1 victories.

He took revenge on Arihara in the semi-finals, winning 5-2, before dispatching Tatsuya Uekusa by the same score in the final.

Sakai completed the hat-trick with the Event 8 title in Osaka. He opened with back-to-back whitewashes and then saw off Uekusa. In the quarter-finals he recovered from 3-2 down against Akito Yamagata and turned the match around.

Shunta Takayama was beaten 5-2 in the semi-finals. In the final Sakai faced Kanuma again. As in Event 6, it finished 5-2. That extended Sakai’s winning streak to 18 matches and took his 2026 Steel Tour Japan title tally to four.

The winner of the Steel Tour Japan ranking after all 12 events qualifies for the 2027 World Darts Championship. With four events to play, Sakai boasts a sizeable cushion and is well placed for another trip to Alexandra Palace.

The finale comes next month. Events 9 to 12 will be played on 22.09.2026 and 23.09.2026 in Kanagawa.

A return to Alexandra Palace would go down well with part of the English crowd. Sakai quickly became a fans’ favourite at the last World Darts Championship. His walk-on featured exuberant dance moves, eye-catching gestures and plenty of interaction with supporters. He kept entertaining during matches with his expressive style.

Sakai matched the show with results on stage. On his World Championship debut he swept aside Thibault Tricole 3-0, before losing to Andreas Harrysson in the second round.