World Series of Darts Finals 2026 Roundup | Ross Smith blasts ELEVEN 180s in 103.89 masterclass to destroy Gerwyn Price and end four-year wait for second major title
PDC
Ross Smith is the 2026 World Series of Darts Finals champion after producing a superb display to beat Gerwyn Price 11-5 in Amsterdam and claim the second major title of his career.
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Almost four years on from his breakthrough European Championship triumph, Smith returned to the winners' circle on the televised major stage with a 103.89 average, 11 maximums and a devastating burst from 5-5 that completely took the final away from Price.
Price had been chasing his first major title since winning this same event in 2022, but a string of missed doubles in the second half of the final opened the door for Smith, who needed no second invitation.
How they reached the final
Smith had already seen off Kevin Doets and Daryl Gurney before beating Josh Rock 10-7 in the quarter-finals and ending Gian van Veen's home hopes 11-8 in the last four. Seven 180s helped him through that semi-final, with a 109 checkout and a crucial 68 finish keeping Van Veen at arm's length.
Price's route had been more emphatic. He survived Brody Klinge in the opening round, beat Jim Long 10-5 and then averaged 103 in a 10-7 quarter-final win over James Wade. Another 104.07 average followed against Jonny Clayton, with Price reeling off four straight legs from 6-6 on his way to an 11-7 semi-final victory.
That left Smith chasing a second major title and Price looking to end a four-year wait for another major crown at the same tournament where he had last lifted one.
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Smith blows Price away after final reaches 5-5
Smith opened with a solid hold of throw, but Price immediately settled into the contest, taking out 66 after a 180 set-up shot to level before repeating the same combination in the third leg to edge 2-1 ahead.
Smith answered straight away. Another 180 left 61, and a last-dart double nine secured the immediate break back before an 11-darter sent him into the first interval 3-2 ahead.
The scoring battle was already gathering pace. Smith continued to pepper the treble 20 after the break and had a chance to punish two missed Price darts at double 16 with a 136 checkout, only to wire double eight himself. Price took the reprieve and levelled at 3-3.
Smith moved back in front in the seventh, but also briefly got the Amsterdam crowd on his back after turning down the bullseye at 170 following two treble 20s. It mattered little as double 16 secured the leg.
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Two more maximums followed in the eighth and this time the pressure told. Price missed three darts to hold throw and Smith punished to establish the first two-leg cushion of the final at 5-3.
Price immediately threatened to undo the damage. He missed tops for a break at 5-3 but returned to pin the same target after Smith failed on double 16, before an 11-darter featuring two 180s brought the Welshman level at 5-5. That would be the last time the final was close.
Smith returned from the second interval with a brilliant 123 checkout on the bull while Price waited on a finish, then produced an even bigger moment in the following leg.
Price narrowly missed the bull for 164 and Smith stepped forward to take out 127 on double eight, moving 7-5 ahead with two huge checkouts in successive legs. A 45 finish stretched the run to three before Price began to unravel on the outer ring.
Smith fired in his 11th maximum in leg 14, but Price still reached tops first. He missed. Smith then missed double 16 himself, only for Price to return and somehow waste another three darts at double 20. Smith finally punished with his last dart at double eight to break again for 9-5.
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The finishing problems continued in the next leg. Smith initially missed two darts from 82, but Price again failed to take advantage with another two misses at tops. Double four moved Smith to within one leg of the title.
Price was given one final chance to stay alive at 10-5, but another dart at tops went begging. Smith had been ruthless whenever those opportunities arrived and made no mistake with 48, taking it out in two darts on double 16 to seal an 11-5 victory and spark the celebrations.
SMITH WINS THE WORLD SERIES FINALS! 🌍👑
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) September 20, 2026
Ross Smith wins a maiden World Series of Darts Finals title and second Premier event of his career, defeating Gerwyn Price 11-5 after averaging almost 104 🔥 pic.twitter.com/U4eHg8W1Oo
The 103.89 average and 11 maximums underlined the quality of the performance, but the real damage came after the final had reached 5-5. Smith won six consecutive legs from that point, turning what had been a high-quality contest into a commanding victory. Four years after becoming European champion, Smith is a major winner again.
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Kieran WoodDarts Journalist
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He contributes to DartsNews.com, where he covers professional darts through news, match reports, analysis, and live coverage across the PDC calendar and major tournaments.
A key part of his work is on-site reporting from leading events. Kieran has covered the PDC World Darts Championship in person, reporting daily from the venue and providing first-hand insight from the tournament. During his coverage, he has conducted interviews with leading players including Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, and Gerwyn Price.
He is also one of the leading voices of the English-language Dartsnews Podcast, contributing regular analysis and discussion on developments across the professional darts circuit.
In his reporting, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles when new, verified information becomes available.
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- Such a shame that lakeside has been reduced to this. Fantastic venue,and previously a great tournament. Not any morerick6703-11-2026
- Seems to me that the top 16 players pick and choose whatever they want to play. Good,all the money will get spread out more. They get more money from exhibitions than tournaments so let them all withdrawrick6703-11-2026
- Play all legs and the winners split the pot. Luke gets the lot of he wins them all. If your occupation is darts player you can't enter, regardless of ability.BandB01-11-2026
- I'm quite a jaded person all things considered, but to be honest I found Beat Luke Littler to be pretty entertaining. It certainly wasn't seamless, which is to be expected given the lack of precedence, but I actually think the pacing was pretty good, the production was impressive, and there was a good sense of humour and levity to it. I think it was a very ambitious undertaking but one that, for the most part, paid off. I liked the system with the four pots and I think it added to the drama and intrigue. I enjoyed seeing the diverse range of entrants and learning about their backstories. I think the interactivity was pretty clever and well-integrated. The panel was a little incoherent at times; Lee Mack shone however, and his improvisational skills were appreciated during some more awkward interstitial moments. As far as the darts is concerned, it was a shame that the format didn't allow Littler to get into full flow. You obviously don't want him to steamroll everyone but you want to feel like you're getting the full Littler package rather than seeing him struggling to get out of first gear. I will say that his leg against Jayden Walker was very impressive, but it was mostly downhill from there. The attraction revolves around Littler being this untouchable, indomitable force, yet the format doesn't really allow him to fulfil that characterisation. As for Fallon Sherrock, she was mightily impressive and deserved the victory. It is a testament to her unshakeable character that she was able to bang in a 14-darter under such mind-bending pressure. Everything that has been said about the misleading marketing is valid, though they were clear about their eligibility criteria and were able to offload the responsibility somewhat by bringing the viewers into the decision-making process in real time. What is clear though, is that Fallon played the game according to the rules, and she should not be criticised for that, much less abused. I will admit though that it is a kick in the teeth for those true amateurs who committed time and money to the course, and I would also question those who think pub players would have no chance, given that some of Littler's winning legs were dispatched in 7 visits to the board! The great thing about darts is that it isn't so much that amateurs cannot replicate the feats of brilliance pulled off by professionals of the sport, than it is that they simply cannot replicate the consistency of their output, something that this format almost entirely removes from the equation. It should also be noted that, financially, Fallon certainly stands to benefit much less in relative terms from the paycheque than would your average pub thrower, as I'm sure she nets a fair income from the lucrative exhibition circuit alone. What I do hope is that she might use this as an opportunity to really build up a head of steam heading into the new season, as it seems long overdue that she come through Q-School and really take it to the pros on a week-in week-out basis, but whatever she chooses to do, she has certainly achieved enough already for one if not several lifetimes, so who am I to dictate terms? To conclude though, I will state once again that I found Beat Luke Littler to be a pretty enjoyable evening of entertainment. I do feel for the contestants who never actually had the chance to try their luck against the world #1, although I suppose it comes with the format, but all which inevitably raises the question: will Netflix be tempted to do it all again next year? It's hard to say. Whether it would be financially viable, I can't weigh in there. One point I have been making though, and which I touched on earlier, is that the entire concept relies on a public perception that Littler is more or less unbeatable, and that certainly hasn't been the case of late. If the execs had been trying to pitch the show in recent months while Littler has seemed vulnerable, rather than when he was mopping up almost every major title on the calendar, it would certainly be a tougher sell. We will have to see in about 6 months' time whether Littler can still reliably command perception as a near-unstoppable force in darts, and then we'll have a clearer idea about whether we should expect a second helping. Even as a one-off experiment though, and with all the controversy taken into account, I still don't think they disgraced themselves by any means, and that will probably be my lingering assessment of the event when all is said and done.Deduce635801-11-2026
- Fair play to Fallon. But...shows the mockery when a professional players wins what was meant to be an amateur v Pro event, Littlers performance was poor, and what about the players who didn't get a game? Would have been better if the pot was split amoungst all the winners and they all got a leg.BandB31-10-2026
- Not even slightly interestedrick6730-10-2026
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- No point in being there? Champions want to win.Deduce635828-10-2026
- Littler lost to crabtree in the youth/junior/whatever you call it. He had no point in being there. He's unfortunately now got to the stage,he feels all he has to do is get on the stage to win. Well,I hope he realises part of his fear factor has gone. Happened to Taylor,then van gerwen,and it's causing him to realise pretty sharp,he isn't unstoppable. It's good for the sport,not 1 single player in my 60 years has ever,or will ever be, unbeatable.rick6725-10-2026
- I think it's great to see Mark Webster looking good,good ladrick6725-10-2026