2026 World Series of Darts Finals: First round predictions and previews

The 2026 World Series of DartsFinals begins on Thursday, with the first round spanning Thursday and Friday.

With only the top 8 players seeded, the first round features some intriguing matchups.

2026 World Series of Darts Finals first round predictions

Here are my predictions for the first round.

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Viktor Tingstrom vs. Dirk van Duijvenbode

Winner: Dirk van Duijvenbode, 6-3

DVD has had a couple of quiet months since his semifinal run at the World Matchplay, but could use the Dutch crowd to his advantage this week.

He plays Sweden’s Viktor Tingstrom, who qualified for the WSoD Finals after his upset win over Stephen Bunting at the Nordic Darts Masters earlier this summer.

He then followed up that win with a tough battle against Michael van Gerwen, as the match went to a last-leg decider, albeit going in MVG’s favor in the end.

As long as DVD doesn’t get messy on the outer ring, he should find himself playing either Luke Humphries or Jermaine Wattimena in the second round.

Rob Cross vs. Ryan Searle

Winner: Rob Cross, 6-4

After a rough 2025, Cross has seemed to find some of his form again and could make some noise in the back end of 2026.

Searle has been in the opposite boat, not finding consistent results since his semifinal run at the WC.

In a short format, it could go either way, but I like Cross’ chances in this clash.

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Karel Sedlacek vs. Ben Robb

Winner: Karel Sedlacek, 6-2

Robb’s ceiling gives him a shot in this contest, but a wide range of averages makes it tricky to favor him against Sedlacek, who’s had a solid year.

Sedlacek has made a handful of semifinal runs on the Pro Tour, and was in the mix for a spot at the World Matchplay and World Grand Prix.

If Sedlacek has an off day, he could go home early, but he comes in as a strong favorite, assuming he plays his A or B game.

Kevin Doets vs. Ross Smith

Winner: Kevin Doets, 6-5

Ross Smith has been on an absolute tear in the past few months.

He’s won two ET events this year, was a runner-up in two and was a semifinalist in another. Smith has shown massive strides at both majors and at PC/ET events.

However, Kevin Doets will be looking to get some revenge, as he lost to Smith in Blackpool, despite having an average of 104.19.

He suffered another brutal loss this past weekend, as he averaged 106.24 in a 5-6 loss against Gian van Veen.

It’s one of the most 50/50 matches you’ll see in this round, but something will have to give for Doets eventually, given the form he’s been in.

Stephen Bunting vs. Josh Rock

Winner: Josh Rock, 6-4

It’s been an odd year for both players. Rock has had some quality runs, despite it feeling like an off year, while Bunting really hasn’t done much outside of some runs at PC events and in the PL.

Rock will be looking to match his semifinal run from this event last year.

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Luke Humphries vs. Jermaine Wattimena

Winner: Luke Humphries, 6-3

Humphries hasn’t played in too many events since his first-round exit in Blackpool, but when he has played, he’s made it well worth the time.

Last weekend, he was a runner-up at the Czech Darts Open, and a week before that, he won a PC title.

It still appears the two Lukes are in a league of their own, so I expect them to dominate until a tier B player can elevate their game to Littler and Humphries’.

Michael van Gerwen vs. Daryl Gurney

Winner: Michael van Gerwen, 6-4

MVG is the reigning champion of this event and will want to thrive again, with an important three months ahead.

Gurney is reaching dangerous territory, as he’s starting to not qualify for ET events, and didn’t qualify for the World Matchplay or the World Grand Prix.

MVG has never lost a match in the first round of the WSoD Finals, and I think he’ll keep that streak going this year.

Gian van Veen vs. Chris Dobey

Winner: Gian van Veen, 6-5

This isn’t a great draw for either player in the first round, but it should be entertaining.

GVV is coming off a semifinal run at the Flanders Darts Trophy, narrowly missing the final in a last-leg decider.

Don’t count out Dobey, but GVV has started to re-find his form and will also be playing in front of his home crowd.

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Adam Leek vs. Jim Long

Winner: Adam Leek, 6-4

Adam Leek has become a fan favorite, especially with some of his quality performances on the WSoD circuit in the last month.

He can be inconsistent with his range of averages, but it appears he’s gotten more comfortable with being on stage.

Jim Long is another player whose averages can vary, so it’s a tough call here, but I like Leek’s chances if everything is clicking for him on Friday.

Motomu Sakai vs. Callan Rydz

Winner: Callan Rydz, 6-3

Rydz’s ‘A game’ is far superior to Sakai’s, with Sakai mostly falling in the mid-80s for averages recently.

Anything can happen in the short format, but Rydz seems like a strong favorite here, unless he doesn’t take care of business.

Wessel Nijman vs. Simon Whitlock

Winner: Wessel Nijman, 6-3

Whitlock isn’t the player he once was, but is still a very respectable/serviceable player who can hang around with most players.

Shortly, he’ll be playing in another edition of Australia’s version of the Premier League, which he’ll look to use as an avenue to get into the 2027 PDC WC.

He has a tough draw, as Nijman thrives in the short format, so I like Nijman’s chances, as he’s been much better in most departments this year.

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Nathan Aspinall vs. Raymond Smith

Winner: Nathan Aspinall, 6-2

Aspinall is starting to find his passion and form at the right time of the year.

He’s recently made some deep ET event runs, including a semifinal finish at the Hungarian Darts Trophy.

Smith has a nice run to the semifinals at the New Zealand Darts Masters, which helped qualify for the WSoD Finals, but I think Aspinall will be too tough a task for him to overcome this time around.

James Wade vs. Damon Heta

Winner: James Wade, 6-3

Wade has sat out of a few events recently, but has collected hardware when he has played.

He won the Australian Darts Masters last month and just won the Flanders Darts Trophy a few days ago. Heta hasn’t been too bad himself, as he just made a semifinal on the ET.

He did lose to Wade, though, which will give Wade some confidence heading into this contest.

Gerwyn Price vs. Brody Klinge

Winner: Brody Klinge, 6-5

Klinge has had by far the best campaign by a non-PDC player on the WSoD circuit this year.

He made it all the way to the final at the Australian Darts Masters, most notably hitting a 170 to clinch his spot in that final.

Price could easily turn up and race to the finish line against Klinge, but the way Klinge was able to be so composed on stage is not something you see from many players, so I’m taking him here as an upset pick.

Luke Littler vs. Danny Noppert

Winner: Luke Littler, 6-4

Littler got another one of the tougher draws at this event.

Noppert has had some good ET results in the last few weeks, but will need to start performing well at the majors in the coming months.

It could be a big confidence booster to beat Littler, but Littler has dominated the all-time series, with a 6-1 lead.

‘The Nuke’ has been virtually unbeatable this year, with very few stage losses in 2026 so far.

Jonny Clayton vs. Maik Kuivenhoven

Winner: Jonny Clayton, 6-2

Kuivenhoven got a late call-up for this event after some WDs.

He’s been solid on the Pro Tour this year, with a semifinal and runner-up result, but would need to have a perfect day to overcome ‘The Ferret.’

2026 World Series of Darts Finals: First round predictions and previews