The inaugural **Saudi Arabia Darts Masters** marked a bold step for the sport into uncharted territory, bringing top PDC stars to Riyadh’s Global Theatre for the first official tournament in the kingdom. The event featured a unique blend of established names like Luke Littler, Michael van Gerwen, Luke Humphries, Gerwyn Price, Nathan Aspinall, Stephen Bunting, Gian van Veen, and Danny Noppert, pitted against talented Asian Tour representatives in a fresh World Series format.
The atmosphere, however, proved a stark departure from the raucous, beer-fueled crowds familiar in Europe and the UK. With strict no-alcohol rules in place and a smaller venue capacity of around 1,000, the crowd was notably subdued—lacking the fancy dress, chants, and boisterous energy that define traditional darts events. Players emerged from dramatic flashing vortexes on stage rather than the usual walk-ons, and some spectators cheered low-scoring visits as if they were nine-darters, highlighting how new many attendees were to the sport.
Nathan Aspinall, fresh from a commanding 6-1 victory over Lourence Ilagan (a repeat matchup from recent events), didn’t hold back in his assessment. He described the experience as “certainly different” and expressed skepticism about the long-term viability of such events in the region. “There is definitely a long way to go,” he said. “I am not stupid, I feel like they were not all there of their own accord, shall we say.” Despite acknowledging it was a starting point—”Everything needs to start somewhere”—Aspinall noted the quieter vibe, though he admitted enjoying it more than expected and was surprised by the turnout numbers.
In contrast, Gerwyn Price offered a more positive and engaged perspective on the same audience. After dominating Alexis Toylo 6-0 with an impressive performance that included a spectacular 170 checkout, the former world champion praised the spectators for their focus. “They were watching and engaged in the darts,” he explained. “A couple of times when I walked back after my visit, I just looked out into the crowd and they were all fully focused, watching and engaged in the darts.” Price highlighted how the crowd seemed “itching for big things to happen” and ready to get involved when the action heated up. He contrasted this with typical events, noting that here the emphasis was more on the darts itself rather than external distractions. “Here they were more involved in watching the darts,” he added.
Price remained optimistic about the tournament’s potential, emphasizing the importance of a strong debut. “Everything needs to start somewhere and as long as people walk away from this week and say, ‘we really enjoyed the darts’ and the Saudi Arabian press really enjoy the darts there is no reason why not,” he said. He expressed personal enjoyment of the trip, joking there were “worse places to be” than Riyadh—far preferable to sitting in bad weather back home—and hoped for a return visit.
The differing views from Aspinall and Price captured the broader conversation around expanding darts globally. While Aspinall’s comments sparked debate about crowd authenticity and cultural fit, Price’s take underscored the value in introducing the sport to new audiences, even if the energy builds gradually. The PDC defended the event, noting strong interest with all attendees as ticket-holders or guests, and framing the atmosphere as typical for a debut in a new market.
Day one delivered thrills beyond the crowd discussion: Man Lok Leung stunned Danny Noppert 6-3 to claim the first victory on a PDC stage in Saudi Arabia, Littler eased past Paul Lim 6-1, Humphries won 6-2 against Ryusei Azemoto, van Gerwen triumphed 6-1 over Nitin Kumar, and Bunting dispatched Tomoya Goto 6-1. These results set up an exciting quarter-finals lineup on day two, including a World Championship final rematch between Littler and van Veen, plus high-stakes clashes like Price versus Humphries and van Gerwen against Bunting.
The tournament also introduced the “Riyadh Season Bullseye,” offering a massive $100,000 for a nine-darter, potentially doubled to $200,000 with a follow-up bullseye hit—the largest prize ever for such a feat in PDC history. As darts continues its push into new regions, events like this highlight both the challenges and opportunities of growth. Players like Price embrace the novelty and potential, while others like Aspinall urge patience and realism. Ultimately, the Saudi Arabia Darts Masters represents an ambitious experiment in taking the arrows to fresh horizons, with the hope that enthusiastic new fans will help build the kind of electric atmosphere the sport is known for worldwide.
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