World Series of Darts Finals 2026: Draw, Schedule and Prize Money
The World Series of Darts Finals 2026 starts in Amsterdam on Thursday 17 September, with Michael van Gerwen defending his crown and Luke Littler chasing another major televised title. Thirty-two players contest a £450,000 prize fund at AFAS Live. Littler already won this event in 2024, so his mission is to reclaim the trophy, not fill a gap in his career collection.
Amsterdam supplies the noise, Van Gerwen supplies the homecoming and Littler supplies the uneasy feeling that everyone else is playing catch-up. Yet the opening round is a sprint. A missed double, a slow first session and a supposedly inevitable Sunday appointment can disappear before the weekend has properly begun.
World Series darts draw: all 32 players
Visa problems ruled out Lourence Ilagan and Alexis Toylo. Daryl Gurney replaces Ilagan against Van Gerwen, while Maik Kuivenhoven takes Toylo’s place against Jonny Clayton. Dirk van Duijvenbode also replaces the unwell Man Lok Leung.
The first-round pairings below follow bracket order within each half, rather than the running order on stage.
| Thursday 17 September | Friday 18 September |
|---|---|
| Michael van Gerwen v Daryl Gurney | Gerwyn Price v Brody Klinge |
| Kevin Doets v Ross Smith | Adam Leek v Jim Long |
| Stephen Bunting v Josh Rock | James Wade v Damon Heta |
| Rob Cross v Ryan Searle | Wessel Nijman v Simon Whitlock |
| Luke Humphries v Jermaine Wattimena | Luke Littler v Danny Noppert |
| Viktor Tingstrom v Dirk van Duijvenbode | Nathan Aspinall v Raymond Smith |
| Gian van Veen v Chris Dobey | Jonny Clayton v Maik Kuivenhoven |
| Karel Sedlacek v Ben Robb | Motomu Sakai v Callan Rydz |
Schedule, format and results status
All times below are BST. Amsterdam is one hour ahead, a useful distinction when checking local venue information.
| Date | UK start | Round |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday 17 September | 6pm | First round |
| Friday 18 September | 6pm | First round |
| Saturday 19 September | Noon / 6pm | Second round |
| Sunday 20 September | Noon | Quarter-finals |
| Sunday 20 September | 6pm | Semi-finals and final |
Round one is best of 11 legs. The second round and quarter-finals are best of 19, before best-of-21 semi-finals and final. There were no completed tournament matches at our Thursday morning check. The longer Saturday matches matter: an early break has less power to decide the contest. I would keep first-round match bets separate from any view about who can sustain their level over Sunday’s three rounds.
Darts prize money: £100,000 for the champion
The £450,000 fund is distributed by finishing round. These payments are not cumulative.
| Finish | Prize per player |
|---|---|
| Winner | £100,000 |
| Runner-up | £60,000 |
| Semi-final | £30,000 |
| Quarter-final | £17,500 |
| Second round | £10,000 |
| First round | £5,000 |
Noppert is the immediate assignment. The trophy, and everything it might mean for Littler’s season, comes later.
World Series Finals odds: price the route, not the reputation
Littler is the obvious benchmark, but around 8/13 demands a very high winning probability. Humphries merits comparison at the bigger price, especially from the opposite half. Our Daznbet review covers the operator before you inspect its markets. 18+. Only bet what you can afford to lose.
