Darts Masters 2026: schedule, TV broadcast, total prize money

The 2026 Darts Masters will once again be one of the most closely watched events in the darts world, where the PDC elite will compete for a prestigious trophy and serious prize money. The tournament is held in England, and there is already huge interest surrounding the schedule, the draw and the favourites. In our article, we have gathered the most important information about Darts Masters 2026: from the format to the total prize money all the way to previous champions.

The 2026 Darts Masters schedule and format

The 2026 Winmau World Masters (i.e. Darts Masters) will be held as an official PDC (Professional Darts Corporation) competition and is one of the most important events of the darts season.

Official tournament schedule

The competition takes place between 28 January and 1 February 2026, in Milton Keynes at the Arena MK venue. The tournament typically lasts around 5 days, including qualifiers.

What format does Darts Masters 2026 follow?

The Darts Masters format is based on a set-based system similar to the World Championship: each match requires reaching 501 points, with double-out rules (meaning the final throw must land on a double). Matches are divided into sets, where a set is won by the player who wins the best of 3 legs, and as the qualifiers and main draw progress through different rounds, an increasing number of sets determines advancement.

Sets, legs and the rules for progression

This format ensures that the competition delivers technical depth and exciting tactical battles, as the world’s top players face each other.

Darts Masters 2026 venue and dates

Venue & dates

• Venue: Arena MK, Milton Keynes, England
• Date: 28 January 2026 – 1 February 2026
• Qualifiers: January 28
• Main draw: January 29 – February 1

Where is the 2026 Darts Masters being held?

The venue for Darts Masters 2026 is once again Milton Keynes — one of PDC’s favourite event locations — with excellent infrastructure and an ideal setting for darts fans.

Draw and participants at Darts Masters 2026

Who qualifies automatically for the tournament?

The World Masters 2026 field consists of 32 players in the main draw, of whom the top 24 automatically qualify based on their ranking via the PDC Order of Merit, which is the PDC’s official ranking. The remaining spots are filled by qualification rounds.

The draw is typically held after the qualifiers have concluded, when the names of all main draw participants and qualified players are known. The draw system aims to ensure that the top seeds do not meet too early, while also giving emerging talents the opportunity to face the big names.

Darts Masters 2026 draw

Once the qualifiers concluded, the full 32-player main draw field was formed. Based on the PDC world rankings, the top 16 players received seeded status, meaning the top 16 players could not be drawn against each other in the first round.

Here are the Winmau Darts Masters 2026 matches

(1) Luke Littler v Mike De Decker
(16) Ross Smith v Jimmy van Schie
(8) Ryan Searle v Rob Cross
(9) Josh Rock v Connor Scutt
(4) Michael van Gerwen v Damon Heta
(13) Chris Dobey v Jermaine Wattimena
(5) Jonny Clayton v Wessel Nijman
(12) Gerwyn Price v James Hurrell
(2) Luke Humphries v Dave Chisnall
(15) Martin Schindler v Luke Woodhouse
(7) Stephen Bunting v Jeffrey de Graaf
(10) Danny Noppert v Daryl Gurney
(3) Gian van Veen v Ryan Joyce
(14) Nathan Aspinall v Shane McGuirk
(6) Gary Anderson v Niels Zonneveld
(11) James Wade v Madars Razma

Darts Masters 2026 total prize money – how much can players win?

The 2026 Winmau World Masters has a total prize fund of £500,000 (roughly more than 230 million HUF). The main prize breakdown is as follows:

• 1st place: £100,000
• 2nd place: £50,000
• Semi-finalists: £30,000
• Quarter-finalists: £17,500
• Last 16: £10,000
• Last 32: £5,000
• Pre-qualifier eliminated: £1,000 — £2,500

This prize pool represents one of the highest prize funds in the sport among Masters-type competitions, providing serious motivation for professional players to participate.

Darts Masters 2026 TV broadcast

The Darts Masters, taking place between January 28 and February 1, is broadcast live in Hungary on Sport Television with Hungarian commentary. In addition, events can also be followed on the PDC’s official website, but live streams are only available with a subscription.

Watch Darts Masters 2026 live online here

If you’d like to follow the Darts Masters matches online in HD quality, we recommend IVIBET. Although IVIBET is a bookmaker, it also works perfectly as a streaming platform, as all major sporting events can be found in its offering.

Anyone can access IVIBET’s live streams after registration — simply click on the LIVE Betting tab and wait for the match to begin.

IVIBET’s live streams are in HD quality and ad-free, and can also be displayed in full screen, so you can even cast them from your phone to a smart TV.

Try IVIBET now and use the TOPSTERS bonus code for your deposit!

Winmau Darts Masters 2026 biggest favourites

As for this year’s Darts Masters competition, bookmakers have already released their initial odds for the overall winner. It comes as no surprise that reigning world champion Luke Littler is the overwhelming favourite for the Masters, with bookmakers offering odds of just over 2 for the young Englishman’s next major victory.

Luke Humphries follows Littler in the rankings, with the defending champion’s win available at flat odds of 6.00. In third place on the list we find Dutch world championship finalist Gian van Veen, followed by veteran Gary Anderson, for whom the best bookmakers are offering 15 times the money.

*Odds taken from the 22bet website.

Frequently Asked Questions – Darts Masters 2026