Australian Darts Masters 2026: Dates, Venue and Format
The Australian Darts Masters is the second leg of the PDC’s World Series of Darts double-header Down Under, following straight on from the New Zealand Darts Mastersin Auckland the previous weekend. This year’s edition — officially the KenoGo Australian Darts Masters — runs 21-22 August at the WIN Entertainment Centre in Wollongong, with eight PDC representatives drawn against eight Oceanic representatives in round one.
As with the Auckland leg, round one and the quarter-finals are played over the best of 11 legs, the semi-finals step up to the best of 13, and the final is the best of 15.
Late Change: Penhall Out, Cuming In
Darren Penhall had originally qualified for his first World Series of Darts appearance on the back of his form on the Australian Darts Association Tour, but the 53-year-old has withdrawn after picking up a shoulder injury that requires surgery in the coming weeks. Mal Cuming — the highest-ranked ADA Tour player not already in the field — has been called up to replace him, one of two changes made to the field alongside Damon Hetaanchoring the PDC contingent as Australia’s top-ranked player.
No Littler, Humphries or Van Gerwen in Wollongong
As in Auckland, the biggest names in the sport are sitting this one out. Luke Littler is taking the entire month of August off for the first time in his career, and Luke Humphries and Michael van Gerwenare also absent from the Wollongong field — leaving Van Veen, the Dutch world number three, as the tournament’s top seed for the second week running.
The Full Field for the Australian Darts Masters 2026
The eight PDC spots go to a familiar mix of major winners and ProTour regulars, facing off against an Oceanic contingent built almost entirely from this year’s Australian Darts Association Tour standings.
| Player | Country | Route |
|---|---|---|
| Gian van Veen | NED | PDC |
| Jonny Clayton | WAL | PDC |
| Josh Rock | NIR | PDC |
| Gerwyn Price | WAL | PDC |
| James Wade | ENG | PDC |
| Stephen Bunting | ENG | PDC |
| Ross Smith | ENG | PDC |
| Damon Heta | AUS | PDC |
| Raymond Smith | AUS | Oceanic |
| Brody Klinge | AUS | Oceanic |
| Simon Whitlock | AUS | Oceanic |
| Adam Leek | AUS | Oceanic |
| Tim Pusey | AUS | Oceanic |
| Joe Comito | AUS | Oceanic |
| Mal Cuming | AUS | Oceanic |
| Ben Robb | NZL | Oceanic |
Raymond Smith and Brody Klinge sealed their spots as the top two on the ADA Tour standings, with Klinge’s six titles this year making him one of the form players heading into Wollongong. Simon Whitlock qualifies as ANZ Premier League winner, Adam Leek as a 2026 PDC Tour Card holder, and Ben Robb fills the DartPlayers New Zealand slot.
Legs to Win: Australian Darts Masters Format by Round
Legs required to win, by round
The Kyle Anderson Trophy
From 2026 onward, the winner of the Australian Darts Masters lifts the Kyle Anderson Trophy, renamed by the PDC in tribute to the late Australian player. Anderson broke through at the Sydney Darts Masters in 2013 before winning the event’s Auckland-hosted precursor in 2017, beating Gary Anderson, Simon Whitlock and James Wade en route to the title. He returned to Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic and passed away in 2021, aged 33, from health issues linked to the virus.
What This Means for the World Series of Darts Rankings
Prize money earned in Wollongong counts towards the two-year rolling PDC Order of Merit, and ranking points from the event feed into the 2026 World Series of Darts standings — the same table that decides 24 of the 32 places at September’s World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam. For Van Veen, a strong week on home soil in the Southern Hemisphere would build on his Auckland trip and push him closer to an automatic Amsterdam berth.
What’s Next in Darts
The World Series of Darts Down Under swing closes out in Wollongong before the full circuit regroups for the World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam from 17-20 September. Track how the field shapes up on the live PDC Order of Merit, or catch up on the New Zealand Darts Masters field from the week before.