The first tournament of the World Series of Darts could be a special one for Luke Littler.
The young Englishman will be looking to defend a PDC title for the first time in his career.
What is the Bahrain Darts Masters?
The Bahrain Darts Masters is the first tournament of the World Series of Darts 2025.
Sixteen participants will play for the trophy for the third time on the Bahrain International Circuit on the 16th and 17th of January.
What is the World Series of Darts?
The World Series of Darts is a PDC tournament series in which, unlike Pro Tour events, players cannot qualify via the Order of Merit - all tournaments are invitational events and therefore have no influence on the Order of Merit.
The World Series of Darts Finals are held at the end of the seven tournaments.
What format will be used?
The 16 participants play a tournament tree in four rounds against each other.
In the first round, one PDC representative meets one Asian representative.
The first two rounds, i.e. up to and including the quarter-finals, are played in best of 11 legs.
In the semi-finals, two more legs are added before a best of 15 legs is played in the final.
Who takes part?
Players are invited to all World Series of Darts events according to the same logic: the PDC awards eight wildcards directly to its players.
At the same time, the other eight starting places will be for regional participants. These can also be awarded as part of a wildcard or linked to certain qualifications.
At the Bahrain Darts Masters, the decision was made to invite a sextet that caused a furore at the World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace over Christmas. Two winners of the Bahrain Qualifiers will also take part.
PDC Wildcards
Asia-Wildcards
Bahrain Qualifiers
Who are the favourites?
After his recent World Championship success, Luke Littler is the big favourite in Bahrain. His opponent in the final, Michael van Gerwen, would probably also have been invited but cancelled well in advance of the tournament.
As a result, the dethroned world champion and world number one Luke Humphries will once again be Littler's biggest rival.
When will the matches be played?
Thursday, January 16th: First round - from 19:00 local time (17:00 CET)
Friday, January 17th: Quarter-finals to final - from 19:00 local time (17:00 CET)
What do the players earn?
Every participant in the tournament will receive prize money, regardless of whether the player wins or loses his first-round match.
However, as the Bahrain Darts Masters is an invitational tournament, the prize money is not included in the PDC Order of Merit.
Winner: £20,000
Final: £10,000
Semi-final: £5,000
Quarter-final: £2,500
First round: £1,250
Who has won the Bahrain Darts Masters in the past?
In 2023, the Bahrain Darts Masters was held for the first time and immediately won by the then newly crowned world champion Michael Smith.
Last year, Luke Littler secured his first title on the PDC Tour with an 8-5 win over Michael van Gerwen in the final.
Where does the tournament take place?
The Bahrain Darts Masters takes place at the Bahrain International Circuit, home of the Bahrain Formula 1 race, in as-Sakhir. It is the only non-racing event to take place there.
Who broadcasts the Bahrain Darts Masters?
The Bahrain Darts Masters will be broadcast in the UK by PDCTV and ITV.