Newly crowned world champion Luke Littler and world number one Luke Humphries will headline the 2025 Bahrain Darts Masters next week, with the 16-player field now finalised.
The first World Darts Championship of the year will be held at the Bahrain International Circuit from January 16-17, where eight PDC stars will take on eight Asian representatives.
Following his impressive debut at the World Championships, Littler cemented his arrival on the world stage with a nine-dart shot en route to victory in the Bahrain Darts Masters Championship last year.
The teenager lifted the unique Palm Trophy in the dome of the Bahrain International Circuit to victory in his first World Championship appearance, and went on to win the Premier League and a Grand Slam before his stunning 2024/25 World Championship win.
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Check out some unforgettable moments from this year’s World Darts Championships, including Luke Littler’s record-breaking set, some of Barioki and two of the nine archers
He is joined in Bahrain by seven other top PDC stars – led by world number one Humphreys, who won the World Darts Cup and the Players World Championship Finals in 2024.
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Luke Littler talks about his first win in the World Darts Championship and shares his aspirations to break Phil Taylor’s record
World Championship semi-finalists Stephen Ponting and Chris Dobie will participate in the event for the first time, after being included in the 2025 Premier League.
Former world champions Rob Cross and Gerwyn Price also return, along with 2023 World Matchplay winner Nathan Aspinall.
Two-time world champion Peter Wright completes the eight-man PDC squad, with Dutch star Michael van Gerwen absent due to family commitments.
The Asian representatives include six players from the PDC Asian Tour who competed in the World Darts Championship, with PDC Asian Champion Lawrence Ilagan, one of the three Filipino stars in the competition.
Ilagan will be joined by 2024 PDC Asian Tour Merit winners Alexis Tuilo and Paulo Nebreda, who knocked off Jim Williams and Ross Smith to reach the last 32 at Alexandra Palace.
Hong Kong’s Luke Yin Li has been included after qualifying for the second round of the World Darts Championship, while China’s Xiaochen Zhong and India’s Nitin Kumar will also compete for the PDC elite.
The 16-player field is completed by Bahraini duo Bassem Mahmoud and Abdullah Saeed, who won the Bahrain qualifiers last month to confirm their return to the World Darts Championship.
PDC delegates
Luke Humphries (England)
Luke Littler (England)
Rob Cross (England)
Stephen Ponting (England)
Gerwyn Price (Wales)
Chris Dobbie (England)
Nathan Aspinall (England)
Peter Wright (Scotland)
Asian actors
Lawrence Ilagan (Philippines)
Alexis Toilo (Philippines)
Paulo Nebreda (Philippines)
Xiaoqin Zhong (China)
Lok Yin Lee (Hong Kong)
Nitin Kumar (India)
Basem Mahmoud (Bahrain)
Abdullah Saeed (Bahrain)
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