2026 Bahrain Darts Masters preview and predictions: PDC representatives on upset watch?

On Thursday, the World Series of Darts begins, as the first event of the year will take place in Bahrain.

The draw and bracket are out, and we have some exciting matchups set in the first round between the qualifiers and PDC players.

Upsets are hard to come by in these formats, but a few PDC players will have to bring their A-game to get by with a win in the first round.

Predictions and previews for the 2026 Bahrain Darts Masters

When the draw was released, the first matchup that stood out was Paul Lim vs. Luke Littler.

This should be a one-sided contest in favor of Littler, but it's definitely interesting seeing two historic players with such a large disparity in age playing one another. 

Gerwyn Price will play Motomu Sakai, who is one of the newest fan favorites who won a match at the PDC WC a few weeks ago.

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Sakai will need to start well in this match against an explosive Price, but he could have a chance at keeping this game close in the short format.

Michael van Gerwen will play a slower-paced player, Alexis Toylo, who can use his speed as an advantage over opponents.

Van Gerwen played encouraging darts at the WC, so he'll hope to carry that momentum with him into Bahrain to get an early win.

Stephen Bunting excelled at WSoD events last year, so I don't expect that to change in his opening match against Ryusei Azemoto.

Luke Humphries and Danny Noppert each play one of the two Bahrain qualifiers, and should get by with comfortable wins since these players aren't exactly near the skill level of Humphries or Noppert.

Nathan Aspinall will play Lourence Ilagan, an opponent he just played at the recent WC.

Ilagan is one of the better players in this event and was able to get a set against Aspinall at the WC, so he could certainly have Aspinall on upset watch if Aspinall averages near the low 90s in the first round.

Gian van Veen will also play a familiar opponent, as he'll take on Man Lok Leung, whom he lost to at the 2024 PDC WC.

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Leung was recently whitewashed by Ricky Evans at the 2026 PDC WC, but is capable of having a high-scoring day when he gets in a rhythm.

I wouldn't expect an upset here, but Leung knows how to take down van Veen and has the skillset to make this a competitive game.

In terms of what can happen after the first round, it's always hard to tell with the short format of these events.

Sometimes the top seeds win, while other times they can struggle. An upset can definitely open the bracket up for certain players.

For the top half of the bracket, I definitely can see Littler or Price making the final, while Luke Humphries and Danny Noppert stand out as a potential semifinal match on the bottom half.

I think we could then see a Price/Noppert final, as both players will be looking for a good start to 2026 after early exits at the PDC WC.

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