News Beat
When is it, schedule, draw and how to watch on TV
The World Series of Darts gets under way with the Bahrain Darts Masters for the fourth year running, followed by another event in Riyadh, the Saudi Arabia Masters.
The World Series features events in Denmark, the United States, New Zealand, Australia and Amsterdam, where the final is held. The PDC sends out a selection of top-ranked players who then take on local qualifiers as well as international wildcards.
When is it?
It starts in Bahrain on January 15-16 before the players head to Saudi Arabia for the first time to play in Riyadh on January 19-20.
What is the format?
The top-ranked eight PDC players take part, with the top four seeds being Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, Gian van Veen and Michael van Gerwen.
All matches are matchplay, so a specific number of legs needs to be won to progress.
- First round and quarter-finals: best of 11 legs
- Semi-finals: best of 13 legs
- Final: best of 15 legs
The draw for the tournament should take place on Wednesday January 14.
How much does the winner get?
Although this is a competition, the World Series events are non-ranking events. Players win money, but it does not count towards the PDC Order of Merit.
The Bahrain prize pot sits at £100,000 with the winner of the event taking home £30,000 and the runner-up getting £16,000. Losing semi-finalists receive £10,000, those eliminated in the quarter-finals and first round receive £5,000 and £1,750 respectively.
