2026 Riyadh Season: Saudi Arabia Darts Masters Day One Recap
The 2026 Riyadh Season Saudi Arabia Darts Masters commenced on Monday, marking a significant event in the darts calendar. This inaugural World Series of Darts event takes place at the Global Theater in Riyadh. A total of eight PDC superstars compete against eight representatives from the Asian Tour in the opening round.
Day One Matchups
- Luke Littler vs. Paul Lim (Singapore)
- Luke Humphries vs. Ryusei Azemoto (Japan)
- Michael van Gerwen vs. Nitin Kumar (India)
- Gian van Veen vs. Motomu Sakai
- Gerwyn Price vs. Alexis Toylo
- Nathan Aspinall vs. Lourence Ilagan
- Stephen Bunting vs. Tomoya Goto
- Danny Noppert vs. Man Lok Leung (Hong Kong)
The competition began with defending World Champion Luke Littler facing Paul Lim. Meanwhile, Michael van Gerwen, fresh from a victory in Bahrain, took on the Indian player Nitin Kumar. This year’s event also featured World Championship runner-up Gian van Veen against Motomu Sakai, among other thrilling matchups.
Prize Incentives
A standout feature of this tournament is the $100,000 prize for any player who achieves a nine-darter. This amount can be doubled to $200,000 through the Riyadh Season Bullseye incentive. This potential payout would set a record for the biggest nine-darter prize in PDC history.
Broadcast Information
The 2026 Riyadh Season Saudi Arabia Darts Masters is being streamed live on PDCTV. Viewers in the UK can catch the action on ITV4 and ITVX, beginning at 1600 GMT. Coverage excludes Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, where it is available on DAZN.
Match Schedule – Monday, January 19
All first-round matches are set to be contested in a best-of-11 legs format:
- 1900 AST / 1600 GMT – Danny Noppert vs. Man Lok Leung
- Stephen Bunting vs. Tomoya Goto
- Nathan Aspinall vs. Lourence Ilagan
- Michael van Gerwen vs. Nitin Kumar
- Luke Littler vs. Paul Lim
- Gerwyn Price vs. Alexis Toylo
- Luke Humphries vs. Ryusei Azemoto
- Gian van Veen vs. Motomu Sakai
The excitement of the 2026 Riyadh Season Saudi Arabia Darts Masters continues to grow as fans anticipate outstanding performances from some of the world’s top dart players.
