Preview Bahrain Darts Masters Friday finals night: Littler, Humphries, Van Gerwen all in running for the title

After all first-round matches were completed yesterday, today’s schedule features the quarter-finals at the Bahrain Darts Masters 2026. The winners will then face each other later in the evening in the semi-finals, followed by the final.

There were no upsets on the opening day in Sakhir. The eight PDC stars had little trouble with their Asian opponents, ensuring nothing but top clashes in the quarter-finals.

Defending champion Stephen Bunting is still in the tournament as well, and he faces Van Gerwen in the quarter-finals. World number one Luke Littler takes on Gerwyn Price. Below is a preview of the four quarter-finals.

The evening in Sakhir kicks off with Luke Littler against Gerwyn Price. Littler, who won the Bahrain Darts Masters in 2024, swept aside the legendary Paul Lim 6-1 in his opener. “The Nuke” has looked almost untouchable in recent months and will of course aim to win this event again.

Price, however, will look to halt that. “The Iceman” had a tricky first round against Motomu Sakai, but still won 6-4 despite averaging lower than his opponent. The 40-year-old Welshman said that after the recent World Darts Championship, where he suffered a surprise second-round exit to Wesley Plaisier, he had barely practiced and lacked rhythm. He will need precisely that rhythm and especially scoring power to trouble Littler. If Price can raise his level, he can make it tough for Littler, but the expectation remains that the young Englishman will ultimately edge it.

Next up are Michael van Gerwen and Stephen Bunting. Van Gerwen, spurred on by no longer being the top Dutchman in the world rankings, opened this tournament with a 6-4 win over Alexis Toylo. “Mighty Mike” admitted afterwards he struggled with the Filipino’s slow throwing style. In Bunting he faces a much quicker player in the quarter-finals, which could well produce fireworks.

Bunting, whose Premier League selection recently came under scrutiny, is the defending champion at this event and is eyeing a second straight title in Bahrain. He had little trouble with Ryusei Azemoto in the opening round.

Luke Humphries versus Nathan Aspinall is a clash between multiple major winners, each with their own narrative. Humphries was world number one for a long time until Littler recently dethroned him. “Cool Hand Luke” also endured a disappointing World Darts Championship, losing in the quarter-finals to Gian van Veen. The 30-year-old Englishman will therefore be extra motivated to start the new season strongly.

In Aspinall he meets someone who has slipped down the rankings and consequently missed out on a Premier League selection. “The Asp” is determined to return to the top quickly, and winning the Bahrain Darts Masters would be a strong springboard. If both players hit their peak, this could be a particularly tight match.

The evening concludes with the all-Dutch clash between Gian van Veen and Danny Noppert. Van Veen is now the highest-ranked Dutchman and recently reached the World Darts Championship final. The 23-year-old last year’s European Championship winner, now wants to shine on the World Series of Darts and gets his first chance at this Bahrain Darts Masters.

In his quarter-final, Van Veen faces Noppert, who was disappointed to miss out on the Premier League Darts despite four major semi-finals last year. Noppert will feature at the first two World Series events this year and wants to impress. Starting with a win over Van Veen.