Stephen Bunting will begin his defence of the Bahrain Darts Masters title against Japan’s Ryusei Azemoto on Thursday evening, as World Champion Luke Littler and Singapore’s darting icon Paul Lim go head-to-head.
The 2026 World Series of Darts begins with the fourth staging of the Bahrain Darts Masters on January 15-16, as a 16-player field battle it out at the Exhibition World Bahrain.
Thursday’s opening round will see the eight PDC superstars – headlined by newly-crowned two-time World Champion Littler – take on the eight Asian representatives for a place at Finals Day.
Littler - the winner of the 2024 Bahrain Darts Masters - will face 71-year-old stalwart Lim in a clash of the darting generations, with an astonishing 53 years separating the pair.
Reigning champion Bunting will begin his bid for back-to-back titles against two-time World Championship qualifier Azemoto, while world number two Luke Humphries faces Bahrain’s Abdulla Saeed for a third consecutive year.
World Championship runner-up Gian van Veen will renew his rivalry with Hong Kong’s World Cup quarter-finalist Man Lok Leung, in a repeat of their memorable showdown on the Alexandra Palace stage in December 2023.
Three-time World Champion Michael van Gerwen has been pitted against PDC Asian Tour winner Alexis Toylo for a place in the quarter-finals, as the Dutchman eyes a strong start to 2026.
Two-time Bahrain Darts Masters runner-up Gerwyn Price will take on the enigmatic Motomu Sakai, who became a cult hero on his World Darts Championship debut last month.
Former World Matchplay champion Nathan Aspinall and PDC Asian Champion Lourence Ilagan lock horns in a repeat of their clash at the World Championship last month, which saw Aspinall run out a 3-1 winner.
Elsewhere, Dutch number three Danny Noppert opens his challenge against Host Nation representative Basem Mahmood, with Van Veen or Leung awaiting the winner.
Following Thursday's opening round, the Bahrain Darts Masters concludes on Friday with the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final, as the sport's biggest names battle it out for the unique date palm trophy and the first World Series title of the year.
The 2026 Bahrain Darts Masters will be broadcast live on PDCTV in all territories other than Germany, Austria & Switzerland (coverage via DAZN), and on ITV4 and ITVX for UK viewers.
Coverage will begin from 1600 GMT on Thursday, with Friday’s final stages also getting underway at the same time at the Exhibition World Bahrain.
2026 Bahrain Darts Masters
January 15-16, Exhibition World Bahrain
Draw Bracket
(1) Luke Littler v Paul Lim
Gerwyn Price v Motomu Sakai
(4) Michael van Gerwen v Alexis Toylo
Stephen Bunting v Ryusei Azemoto
(2) Luke Humphries v Abdulla Saeed
Nathan Aspinall v Lourence Ilagan
(3) Gian van Veen v Man Lok Leung
Danny Noppert v Basem Mahmood
Schedule of Play
Thursday January 14 (1900 AST, 1600 GMT)
Round One
Gerwyn Price v Motomu Sakai
Gian van Veen v Man Lok Leung
Danny Noppert v Basem Mahmood
Nathan Aspinall v Lourence Ilagan
Luke Humphries v Abdulla Saeed
Luke Littler v Paul Lim
Michael van Gerwen v Alexis Toylo
Stephen Bunting v Ryusei Azemoto
Best of 11 legs
Friday January 15 (1900 AST, 1600 GMT)
Quarter-Finals
Littler/Lim v Price/Sakai
Van Gerwen/Toylo v Bunting/Azemoto
Humphries/Saeed v Aspinall/Ilagan
Van Veen/Leung v Noppert/Mahmood
Best of 11 legs
Semi-Finals
Best of 13 legs
Final
Best of 15 legs
All Friday's matches to be played in Draw Bracket order.