Winmau World Masters Darts: Start date, venue, format, prize money breakdown, history & more

Learn more about the Winmau World Masters, including the tournament start date, venue, format, prize money breakdown, history & more.

The revived Winmau World Masters will see 32 of the world's leading players compete for the coveted title in Milton Keynes and we've got all the details you need to know ahead of the hugely anticipated event.

Dates

The Winmau World Masters takes place over four days, with the 2027 edition set to begin on around the end of January, although exact dates are yet to be confirmed.

There will be seven matches on the final day, starting with the four quarter-finals, then two semi-finals and the final. 

Prize Money

Winner (1):	£100,000
Runner-Up (1):	£50,000
Semi-Final losers (2):	£30,000
Quarter-Final Losers (4):	£17,500
Second Round Losers (8):	£10,000
First Round Losers (16):	£5,000
Prelim Last 16 Losers (8):	£2,500
Prelim Last 32 Losers (16):	£1,000
Prelim Last 64 Losers (32):	£750
Total:	£500,000

The revamped Masters event will include a bumper £500,000 prize pot, a significant rise from the £275,000 pool that was previously available.

Venue & Location

The first Masters Darts tournament was back in 2013, with that edition and the following year held at the Royal Highland Centre in Edinburgh.

The 2027 edition will be the 13th occasion that the event will be at the Marshall Arena, with Milton Keynes hosting the Masters since 2015.

Line-up and Qualifying

The top 24 players from the PDC Order of Merit, following the 2027 World Darts Championship, will automatically qualify for the 32-player field, with the top 16 being seeded.

A further eight players will come from the preliminary rounds in late January, which will feature PDC Tour Card Holders and representatives from the PDC's secondary tours, affiliate tours and Junior Darts Corporation.

Format

The main tournament (post-qualifiers) will be played in the sets format, with each set being the best of three legs, starting with a best-of-five set format in the first round.

• Preliminary Rounds - Best-of-three sets
• First Round - Best-of-five sets
• Second Round - Best-of-seven sets
• Quarter-Finals - Best-of-seven sets
• Semi-Finals - Best-of-nine sets
• Final - Best-of-11 sets

History

The Winmau World Masters was initially organised by the British Darts Organisation from 1974 and later by the World Darts Federation, before the PDC took hold of the event.

It's largely considered one of the most prized and prestigious tournaments on the darting calendar, and will replace the PDC's previous 'masters' event, which was held for the final time in 2024.

Wesley Plaisier won the 2022 and 2024 staging's of the competition, although they were only open to WDF (formerly BDO) players in both those years.

Luke Littler is the defending champion of the competition, after 'The Nuke' defeated rival Luke Humphries in the 2026 final.