Preview Bahrain Darts Masters 2026 Thursday evening: Luke Littler v Paul Lim headlines blockbuster World Series opener

At Exhibition World in Sakhir, the Bahrain Darts Masters gets underway tonight. At this first tournament of the 2026 World Series of Darts, eight PDC superstars face eight Asian representatives.

The Bahrain Darts Masters features on the World Series of Darts calendar for the fourth consecutive year. The first edition in 2023 was won by Michael Smith, who proved too strong for Gerwyn Price in the final with an 8-6 victory. Smith, now down to 32nd on the world rankings, is absent this year, while Price returns.

In 2024, Luke Littler, who had just lost the World Championship final, beat Michael van Gerwen 8-5 in the final. Last year, Stephen Bunting came out on top by defeating Price 8-4 in the final.

This edition, Littler, Van Gerwen, and Bunting are all back in Bahrain. Littler starts as the outright favorite after an astonishing winning run that culminated recently in a second world title. Alongside the aforementioned names, PDC superstars Luke Humphries, Gian van Veen, Danny Noppert, and Nathan Aspinall are also present.

They meet two players from Bahrain (Abdulla Saeed and Basem Mahmoud) in the opening round, supplemented by players such as Alexis Toylo, Lourence Ilagan, and the evergreen Paul Lim. Below is a preview of the first-round matches, which are played over best-of-11 legs.

The evening in Sakhir opens with Gerwyn Price against Motomu Sakai. Price, who has been waiting for a new major title since 2022 and is only 12th in the world rankings, was nevertheless recently selected for the Premier League Darts. That choice sparked debate, and the 40-year-old Welshman will be keen this year to prove it was justified. He starts here, too, with an invite he will want to make count.

The Iceman faces Japan’s Sakai in his opener, who impressed at the last World Darts Championship by beating Thibault Tricole and won over the Alexandra Palace crowd with a brilliant walk-on. Sakai eventually fell in the second round to Andreas Harrysson, but he now has a great chance to make headlines again.

Gian van Veen makes his World Series of Darts debut at this event, excluding a home appearance. The 23-year-old Dutchman, who recently turned heads at the World Darts Championship, opens against Man Lok Leung. Van Veen has been playing superbly in recent months, capped by a European Championship title. He will want to carry that form into Bahrain.

He meets Man Lok Leung, who beat him at the 2024 Worlds. The Hong Kong player also featured at the last World Championship at Alexandra Palace, but this time he exited in the first round to Ricky Evans.

Danny Noppert may have missed out on a Premier League selection, but he did receive invites for the first two World Series events of the year. Noppert will want to make a statement and begins his tournament against Basem Mahmood.

The Bahraini has appeared at this World Series event before and has also played the World Cup of Darts. He has rarely left a lasting impression, so on paper this should be a straightforward win for Noppert. A potential quarterfinal clash with Van Veen could follow, a matchup to savor.

Last year, his Premier League Darts selection was quite controversial. This year, despite a modest world ranking, Aspinall was again in the frame for the Premier League Darts, but he was not selected. The Asp, a two-time major champion, is a proud competitor and will aim to prove here that he still belongs among the world’s best. The 34-year-old Englishman has one World Series title to his name (US Darts Masters 2019) and is hungry for a second triumph.

Aspinall opens against Lourence Ilagan. The experienced Filipino has been around the circuit for a long time and has played multiple World Darts Championships and World Cup of Darts events. On his day, he can certainly fire a high average, but Aspinall should be expected to negotiate this tie with relative ease.

Luke Humphries was world number one last year, but he has since lost that spot to Littler. The 30-year-old Englishman endured a less successful Worlds, losing in the quarterfinals to Van Veen. Humphries won two World Series of Darts titles last year, and a title in Bahrain would be a timely boost to his confidence.

In his opening match, Humphries faces Abdulla Saeed, a player who will certainly enjoy strong home support. Although Saeed has appeared on a big stage before, expectations are that he will offer very little resistance against Humphries.

Next up is Luke Littler, who earlier this month successfully defended his world title. “The Nuke” now carries an air of invincibility, and he enters this Bahrain Darts Masters as the clear favorite. Littler won this event once already in 2024 and would love to add a second title here.

The youngest participant in the tournament meets the oldest in his opener. At 71, time seems to have no grip on Paul Lim. “The Singapore Slinger” recently reached the second round at the World Darts Championship. Against Littler, however, he will need a monumental upset to book a quarterfinal place.

In the penultimate match of the evening session, the third Dutch entrant takes to the stage. Michael van Gerwen won last year’s World Series of Darts Finals on home soil, but overall it was a very average year for the 36-year-old. Van Gerwen, hampered in part by personal issues, often failed to reach his top level.

In his opener, “Mighty Mike” faces Alexis Toylo. The Filipino has ample experience at the World Darts Championship and the World Cup of Darts and is best known for his slow throwing style, something that could irritate the fast-paced Van Gerwen. On pure talent alone, though, Van Gerwen should always win this match.

We close the opening night with Stephen Bunting against Ryusei Azemoto. Bunting was selected for the Premier League Darts amid controversy. “The Bullet,” who claimed several ranking titles last year but often underperformed at the majors, will be eager to prove his Premier League selection was justified. He also starts this tournament as defending champion and is chasing back-to-back titles in Bahrain.

Bunting opens against Japan’s Azemoto, who lost 3-0 to James Wade in the first round of the recent World Darts Championship.