The 2026 Bahrain Darts Masters is set to ignite the World Series of Darts season with a compelling clash of eras, as reigning World Champion Luke Littler prepares to face Singapore legend Paul Lim on Thursday evening. The fourth staging of the tournament takes place on January 15–16 at the Exhibition World Bahrain, featuring a 16-player field split between PDC superstars and Asia’s finest representatives.

Thursday’s opening round sees the eight elite PDC names square off against eight Asian challengers, all vying for a coveted place on Finals Day. Littler, the 2024 Bahrain Darts Masters winner and newly crowned two-time World Champion, headlines the action in a remarkable generational duel against 71-year-old Lim, with an incredible 53 years separating the two players.

Defending champion Stephen Bunting begins his title defence against Japan’s Ryusei Azemoto, while world number two Luke Humphries faces Bahrain’s Abdulla Saeed for the third year running. Elsewhere, World Championship runner-up Gian van Veen renews his rivalry with Hong Kong star Man Lok Leung, revisiting their memorable Alexandra Palace encounter from December 2023.

Three-time World Champion Michael van Gerwen takes on PDC Asian Tour winner Alexis Toylo, while two-time runner-up Gerwyn Price meets the enigmatic Motomu Sakai, a breakout fan favorite at last month’s World Championship. Nathan Aspinall and Lourence Ilagan also lock horns again, reprising their recent World Championship clash.

The tournament concludes on Friday with the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final, as players battle for the iconic date palm trophy and the first World Series title of the year. Coverage begins at 1600 GMT, live on PDCTV, ITV4, and ITVX, with regional broadcasts via DAZN.

Source: PDC.TV