World Series of Darts Finals 2026: Draw, Schedule, Field, History, Format and Predictions

The World Series of Darts Finals heads to the AFAS Live again in Amsterdam between 17-20 September 2026. It is the 12th staging of the event by the PDC. The total prize fund has been increased to a total of £450,000, with the winner receiving £100,000.

The tournament is the culmination of this years of 2026 World Series of Darts, a collection of six unranked events held by the PDC in six different countries. It sees 32 players face off with 24 coming from the World Series rankings. The top four non-qualified players from the PDC World Rankings and four Tour Card Holder qualifiers.

Michael van Gerwen is top seed and he is defending champion having defeated Luke Littler, also set to appear 11-7 in the final last year. Both as well as the usual faces including Luke Humphries, Gerwyn Price, Jonny Clayton among others are slated to appear. Gary Anderson won't after he snubbed an invite as the main player not to be involved.

Round One — 1900 CEST

Afternoon Session — 1300 CEST

Round Two x4

Order of play to be confirmed.

Order of play to be confirmed.

Samuel Gill, Head Editor for DartsNews.com sees Jonny Clayton claiming the title.

Jonny Clayton I see as winning the title or Nathan Aspinall. Let's be honest the winner comes out of the Littler section and I see Littler losing to one of the fellow big names in the huge shock.

James Wade or Gerwyn Price to shine further up as I see Van Gerwen, Humphries and Bunting all losing early. Brody Klinge to be the surprise package.

*** Jonny Clayton

** Nathan Aspinall, Luke Littler

* James Wade, Gerwyn Price, Brody Klinge

Nicolas Gayer, Editor for DartsNews.DE sees Luke Littler seal the win.

After his historic performance at the 2026 World Matchplay, I have imposed one very simple rule on myself: for the foreseeable future, I am no longer betting against Luke Littler at major tournaments. Why it took me until July 2026 to come to that realisation, I cannot really explain. But hey, better late than never, right?

With that self-imposed rule in place, my attention naturally turns to the top half of the draw — in other words, the 16 players who cannot meet Luke Littler until the final. One man stands out to me in particular: Ross Smith. As a major champion, “Smudger” has been part of the wider world elite for several years now, but with two European Tour titles and two floor titles this season, he appears to be taking the next step in his career. Smith has been the dominant force on the European Tour this year, sitting comfortably clear at the top of the standings, and once again reached a European Tour final in Antwerp last weekend. He therefore heads to Amsterdam as one of the most in-form players in the field.

I will also be keeping a very close eye on my personal dark horse, Raymond Smith. “The Guru”, whose excellent throwing action makes him one of the most aesthetically pleasing players to watch in the game, proved at the New Zealand Darts Masters in August that he is more than capable of competing with the PDC elite. He first dispatched Stephen Bunting 6–2 with an average just shy of 100 before producing another excellent performance to comfortably beat his fellow Australian Adam Leek and reach the semi-finals. Along the way, he also impressed with some outstanding finishing.

Favourites

***Luke Littler

**Ross Smith, Luke Humphries

*Rob Cross, Gerwyn Price, James Wade

Mats Leering, Editor for DartsNieuws.com doesn't see the draw as straight forward, but sees the same winner.

The World Series of Darts Finals is always a difficult tournament to predict. With the prize money not counting towards the world rankings and the event’s status as a major often being debated, I sometimes get the impression that not every player treats it as a genuine priority.

This year, however, feels different. Luke Littler is chasing the remarkable feat of winning every major tournament in 2026, and the World Series Finals forms part of that pursuit. With that in mind, we have to assume that the world champion will arrive in Amsterdam fully focused on adding another trophy to his collection. That makes Littler impossible to overlook as the overwhelming favourite. The bigger question is who could potentially stop him.

His route through the draw is certainly not straightforward. Danny Noppert represents a dangerous first-round opponent, while the challenges are unlikely to get any easier from there. If Littler gets past the Dutchman, Nathan Aspinall looks the most likely opponent in the last 16, before a potential quarter-final meeting with Jonny Clayton. Gerwyn Price, James Wade or Wessel Nijman could then be waiting in the semi-finals.

However, if ‘The Nuke’ is going to be knocked out, I believe it is most likely to happen in the first or second round. That is why Aspinall could perhaps prove to be the biggest obstacle in his path. Once Littler reaches the quarter-finals and the format becomes longer, he has already shown on numerous occasions just how difficult he is to beat over an extended distance.

Should Littler make it through those early tests, Price or Nijman could potentially cause him problems if either reaches the semi-finals. In the other half of the draw, I expect Luke Humphries to make a deep run despite facing a difficult opening match against Jermaine Wattimena.

Michael van Gerwen is the number one seed, but I fear he may struggle to progress much further than the second round. One player I can see springing a surprise is Rob Cross. His section of the draw gives him an opportunity, and I would not be surprised to see the former world champion reach the semi-finals.

Ultimately, though, I suspect this weekend will end in familiar fashion. There are plenty of dangerous players capable of troubling Littler along the way, particularly in the shorter early rounds, but when everything is said and done, I expect we will once again see Luke Littler standing on stage with the trophy in his hands.

Favourites

***Luke Littler

**Luke Humphries, Rob Cross

*Gerwyn Price, Michael van Gerwen, Wessel Nijman

Pieter Verbeek, Editor for DartsNieuws.com sees Luke Littler continuing his run of form.

Luke Littler is on a mission, and that is to win every televised tournament in a single calendar year. A motivated Littler is even more dangerous than the player who already seems almost unbeatable under normal circumstances. 'The Nuke' faces Danny Noppert in the first round. That match is still played over a best-of-11-legs format, so it arguably represents Noppert's best opportunity to knock Littler out. After that, the format increases significantly, making it even more difficult to beat him.

Littler did lose the final in Amsterdam last year, when Michael van Gerwen surprisingly managed to get the better of him. Over the past few months, Van Gerwen has shown flashes of returning towards his best level, but so far his performances have been too inconsistent to seriously challenge for titles. Nevertheless, 'Mighty Mike' certainly remains an outsider for the trophy.

The biggest challengers to Littler are Luke Humphries and Gerwyn Price. Both have shown this season that they are the players most capable of challenging the English superstar. Another outsider for me is James Wade, who has won his last two tournaments.

I also think Rob Cross could make a deep run. The former world champion has rediscovered some of his old form since his divorce and could well enjoy a particularly strong tournament in Amsterdam.

*** Luke Littler

** Luke Humphries, Gerwyn Price

* James Wade, Rob Cross, Michael van Gerwen

Lucas Michael, Editor for DartsNews.com like most has picked Luke Littler for the title.

We are heading into a very busy period for the darts with the major tournaments lining up in a tantalising manner. First up is a trip to Amsterdam for the World Series of Darts Finals with their one person on the tip of everyone’s tongues: Luke Littler.

He is the big favourite to win the tournament and probably will. His last two title wins in Blackpool and Prague showcased his different ways of winning, whether averaging over 110 or in the mid-90s at times. It does not matter about his level; ‘The Nuke’ normally finds a way to prevail, and he still has the motivation of the major clean sweep to achieve.

Away from the world number one, Luke Humphries will surely be his biggest challenger. His consistency as of late has not been great, with the outer ring becoming a problem at times, but he is still by far and away the second-best player in the world. Defending champion Michael van Gerwen was tipped to kick on last year and reignite a rivalry with the big two, but he returns to the Dutch capital still with the support behind him, but not with the form to back it up.

The likes of Gian van Veen, Wessel Nijman and Jermaine Wattimena will look to put on a show with Gerwyn Price, Jonny Clayton and an inform James Wade all in contention for the title. My outside picks for a deep run would be the winner of Rob Cross and Ryan Searle while Ross Smith has to get a mention thanks to his European Tour heroics as of late.

When it comes to the business end, I see a semi-final lineup consisting of Smith, Humphries, Wade and Littler. Going against the trend, I will say that Smith will compete against a Luke in the final, that Luke being Littler, with the 19-year-old going on to double his World Series of Darts Finals title tally.

*** Luke Littler

** Ross Smith, Luke Humphries

* James Wade, Rob Cross, Gian van Veen

Oliver Ried, Editor for DartsNews.DE sees Gian van Veen as the champion in Amsterdam.

The World Series of Darts Finals are the next major tournament on the calendar. Admittedly, it is by far the least important major of the year. Nevertheless, Luke Littler will be looking to keep his 2026 clean sweep alive. To do so, he must repeat his triumph from two years ago. Last year, he lost the final to Michael van Gerwen.

I actually think the clean sweep will come to an end in Amsterdam. My pick to lift the trophy on home soil is Gian van Veen. The Dutchman will have the home crowd behind him and will be determined to win the title. It will be The Giant’s second appearance at the tournament, following his debut in 2024.

Of course, Luke Littler must also be on the list. The two-time world champion will probably be more motivated than almost anyone else to win this tournament. If he can reproduce his World Matchplay form, he will certainly be capable of taking the title.

James Wade is also in excellent form. After winning his first European Tour title in ten years, The Machine will now be chasing his first major title in five years. He won this tournament in 2018, and perhaps the time has come for the Englishman to do so again.

Rob Cross has been working his way back towards his best form over the past few months. Voltage has been making increasingly deep runs on the European Tour and will be eager to claim his first major title in five years.

Michael van Gerwen should not be overlooked either. Although the Dutchman is arguably in his worst form for more than 15 years, he will be hungry for another success. He showed last year what he can achieve at this tournament.

Luke Humphries also belongs among the favourites, as ever. The 2024 world champion has never won this title, but he will do everything he can to end Littler’s streak. After all, the World Series of Darts Finals are one of only two major titles Littler does not currently hold.

*** Gian van Veen

**James Wade, Luke Littler

*Rob Cross, Michael van Gerwen, Luke Humphries