KSAsportz report
RIYADH — In a groundbreaking announcement, Saudi Arabia is set to introduce the largest prize ever offered in the history of darts for a nine-dart finish during the anticipated Saudi Darts Masters 2026. The event, scheduled for January 19–20, promises a remarkable reward of up to $200,000, according to Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the General Entertainment Authority (GEA).
The tournament will take place at the Global Theater in Boulevard City, as part of the Riyadh Season, and will feature some of the world’s elite darts players. Matches will be broadcast globally, catering to a significant audience. In the 2021-2022 season, viewership for professional darts exceeded 20 million worldwide, showcasing the sport’s growing popularity.
A player who successfully achieves a nine-dart finish during the tournament will earn an immediate prize of $100,000. However, they will have the opportunity to double their winnings to an unprecedented $200,000 through the Riyadh Season Bullseye challenge. Under this challenge, players will be given one dart to hit the bullseye, marking this as the largest prize of its kind in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) history.
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The Saudi Darts Masters will showcase eight PDC players competing against eight of Asia’s top players in a thrilling two-day event. Among the notable participants are reigning world champion Luke Littler, who achieved a perfect nine-dart finish at the World Series in Bahrain in 2024. Other prominent players include 2023–2024 world champion Luke Humphries, world championship runner-up Gian van Veen, three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen, former world champion Gerwyn Price, world No. 7 Stephen Bunting, former UK Open champion Danny Noppert, and 2023 World Matchplay champion Nathan Aspinall.
On the Asian front, the tournament will feature Singaporean darts legend Paul Lim, who made history by recording the first televised nine-dart finish in the sport in 1990. Filipino players Alexis Toylo, Lourence Ilagan, and Paolo Nebrida, along with Japanese talents Motomu Sakai, Ryusei Azemoto, and Tomoya Goto, and Hong Kong’s Man Lok Leung will also take part.