The PDC has confirmed its commitment to the global development of darts with the announcement of a £3 million-plus investment in its Global Affiliate Tours from 2026-2028.

As part of the PDC’s boost to prize funds and expansion at all levels of the sport, a new three-year funding cycle has been agreed an exciting step for global darts.

The news comes following impressive performances from a host of international qualifiers during the first two rounds of the Paddy Power World Darts Championship, showcasing the increasing worldwide talent on the Ally Pally stage.

Alongside boosted prize money on Affiliate Tours, leading players from each region will also get the chance to compete at PDC Qualifying School and in the World Masters Preliminary Rounds, as well as at the World Cup, Grand Slam and World Championship.

The investment provides a minimum guarantee of prize money across the PDC’s Affiliate Tours, continuing the exciting growth seen in the post-Covid period.

The Asian Tour, which will commence in Dubai in January, will feature 28 tournaments worth US$15,000 each during 2026, alongside the US$110,000 PDC Asian Championship.

The Championship Darts Corporation in North America will offer US$250,000 in prize money next year across a 16-event tour, plus its payouts at the Continental Cup and Cross-Border Darts Challenge as well as the PDC’s North American Darts Championship, which is played alongside the US Darts Masters.

The Nordic & Baltic Tour will grow further, with 12 ProTour events worth €7,500 apiece being played ahead of the €20,000 Nordic & Baltic Championship – which was introduced in 2025.

Prize money also increases on the DartPlayers New Zealand circuit, with 12 events each worth NZ$5,000 each being played during the season.

Following their inaugural season in 2025, the Australian Darts Association will expand to 24 events across six weekends, with each offering AU$5,600 in prize money, while the ANZ Premier League will also return in 2026 following the success of this year’s first staging.

A 20-event China Tour – with each tournament offering US$4,400 in prize money – will be accompanied by a China Championship, worth US$12,000.

Darts across Africa will be boosted by a new agreement with the African Darts Group, which will see the African Continental Tour feature six R50,000 events each across the Northern and Southern regions respectively – and will increase to featuring two World Championship qualifiers from the 2026/27 event.

The PDC will also continue to support the emerging Championship Darts Latin America & Caribbean (CDLC) circuit, which features six US$2,000 events across two weekends alongside a World Cup Qualifier.

“This is a huge show of support for all our Global Affiliate Tours and possibly the most significant announcement ever for the worldwide growth of darts,” said PDC Chief Executive Matt Porter.

“We have worked hard alongside our local partners in each region to build their calendars and provide increased opportunities and pathways for their players – and the results we are starting to see in our Premier events, plus the growing spread of Tour Card Holders, shows that we are heading in the right direction to achieve our goal of truly globalising professional darts.

“This announcement gives our global partners certainty for the next three years but also a platform to continue growing the sport across their regions.

“The success Kenya’s David Munyua and India’s Nitin Kumar in being their nation’s first winners on the World Championship stage and with Jesus Salate becoming the first Argentinian player in the event will only inspire more players from around the world and there is now a defined route for these players to gain more big-stage experience.

“These increases in our global support follow the prize fund boosts implemented from now onwards across the PDC circuit, as we enter a hugely exciting new era for our sport.”

The PDC’s long-serving Head of Media Dave Allen will move into a newly created role of as Head of Development to work alongside global partners in encouraging the growth of the sport worldwide in future years.