PDC DARTS HEADS TO SAUDI ARABIA
05/10/2025 By Aaron Nijjar
SAUDI ARABIA will host a competitive PDC darts event for the first time ever next year.
The World Series of Darts heads to Riyadh on January 19-20 of 2026 for the Saudi Arabia Masters.
Chairman of the Saudi General Entertainment Authority Turki Al-Sheikh has said he wants to get involved in the sport and introduce a “crazy concept” to the game.
The 44-year-old has already shaken up the boxing world by staging some of the past decade’s biggest fights in his homeland.
While appearing on Netflix series Matchroom: The Greatest Showman, Al-Sheikh said: “I want to do the darts, but I want to do it [in a] crazy way.”
Al-Sheikh was the mastermind behind the 20-point gold ball that was introduced at the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters last year.
The first player to pot it and make a 167 break will bank a $1MILLION (£740,000) bonus.
Alcohol will be banned when darts hits Riyadh season due to the country prohibiting its sale.
Matchroom founder Barry Hearn told Sky Sports’ Love the Darts podcast: “We are not going to be restricted. Obviously, we want to make sure it is credible. But we are not going to be tied up with ‘oh, we cannot do that.’
“We will look at everything, and it will all be money orientated. The one thing about Turki Al-Sheikh, His Excellency, is he does not walk away.
“If you can’t drink in a country, we must respect their traditions and laws – we don’t drink. Or we don’t go. If you don’t want to go, don’t go.
“It’s an adventure, and nobody knows exactly where it will end. What I do know is that the journey will be a long one.”
The World Series of Darts will begin with the Bahrain Darts Masters from January 15-19.
The Saudi debut will follow before subsequent events in Denmark, the USA, New Zealand and Australia, as well as the Finals in Amsterdam.
Image by Taylor Lanning.
