Darts across Asia will receive a boost in September with the introduction of the $100,000 PDC Asian Championship in Fukuoka.
The four-day 2022 PDC Asian Championship from September 22-25 will give players across the region a chance to secure one of four spots in the Cazoo World Darts Championship as well as scoop the $15,000 top prize.
The 48-player main event on September 24-25 will be preceded by two days of Asian Series qualifiers in Fukuoka, with four qualifying events being split across September 22-23.
The last four players from each qualifier will secure a place in the main event, alongside a further 10 players from an Asian Series Order of Merit.
The main event will also feature the eight players who will compete in the 2022 World Cup of Darts for Japan, Philippines, Singapore and Hong Kong, plus one additional qualifier per country.
A further nine regional qualifiers - being held in mainland China, India, Macau, Malaysia, Mongolia, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and the UAE - will each produce one qualifier.
The PDC Asian Championship will be streamed through PDCTV for all subscribers worldwide across all four days. Action from the qualifiers will also be streamed through Felix Darts' YouTube channel across Asia.
"We're delighted to be able to introduce the PDC Asian Championship as we look to bring competitive darts back to the continent after Covid," said PDC Chief Executive Matt Porter.
"It's been a long two years for our Asian Tour players and we really wanted to give them something to look forward to before hopefully bringing the full tour back in 2023.
"With the chance to qualify for the World Championship, as well as be crowned the first ever PDC Asian Champion, this is a huge boost for Asian players and an exciting addition to our calendar.
"We'd also like to thank IDCDARTS and Felix for their support in staging the 2022 PDC Asian Championship as we boost darts across Asia."
The 48 player main event will begin with a round-robin stage on Saturday September 24, with the players split into 16 groups of three. The round-robin stage will be played across eight boards, including one streamed board.
Each group winner will then progress to compete in the last 16 later on September 24, with Sunday September 25 featuring the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final.
The last 16 onwards will be played on one board and streamed in full.
Entry for the Asian Series Qualifiers will be available from July 1 2022 via the PDC Asian Tour website, costing ¥30,000 (Japanese Yuan)/US$235.
2022 PDC Asian Championship
Thursday September 22 (1100 start)
Asian Series Qualifiers 1-2
Friday September 23 (1100 start)
Asian Series Qualifiers 3-4
Saturday September 24 (1100 start)
Round-Robin Stage
Last 16
Sunday September 25 (1200 start)
Quarter-Finals
Semi-Finals
Final
Prize Fund ($US)
Winner $15,000
Runner-Up $7,000
Semi-Finalists $5,000
Quarter-Finalists $3,000
Last 16 $2,000
Second in Group $1,500
Third in Group $1,000
Total $100,000
Format
Asian Series Qualifiers: Best of seven legs
Round-Robin Stage: Best of nine legs
Last 16: Best of nine legs
Quarter-Finals: Best of 11 legs
Semi-Finals: Best of 11 legs
Final: Best of 13 legs
In the Asian Series Qualifiers, players will receive one point per victory from the first full round drawn without Byes to form the Orders of Merit. Any ties will be split as follows based on all match results: Leg Difference, Legs Won, Legs Won Against Throw, Tournament Average, Play-Off.
Any pre-qualified player who withdraws before August 31 2022 will be replaced by a player from their country's qualifier. Any withdrawal after August 31 will be replaced by an additional player from the Asian Series Order of Merit.