The PDC are to rebrand The Masters as the Winmau World Masters, bringing back the title of the event that was once a cornerstone of the sport.

The event will now expand to take place over five days, with the preliminary rounds to happen on Wednesday 29 January.

Eight players will qualify to join the top 24 players in the PDC Order of Merit after the World Darts Championship, which include the 2024 Masters champion Stephen Bunting. The tournament will also now being ranked, with matches played in a best of three leg set format, in keeping with the Winmau World Masters.

Winmau World Masters logo.
The PDC are bringing back the Winmau World Masters. Credit: PDC

What’s the new Winmau World Masters format?

Taking place at the Marshall Arena on Wednesday 29 January, the Preliminary Rounds will see up to 180 players from around the world competing for eight places in the televised stages.

The Preliminary Rounds will be open to all non-qualified PDC Tour Card Holders, the top eight players from each of the PDC’s 2024 Secondary Tours and Global Affiliate Tours, plus four players from the Junior Darts Corporation.

The Preliminary Rounds will be streamed live on PDCTV and will initially be played in a round-robin phase of 32 groups followed by a knockout phase from the last 32 onwards to find the eight players who will progress to the main tournament. That will take place from 30 January – 2 February live on ITV4 in the UK.

Stephen Bunting holding the Masters trophy.
Stephen Bunting will defend his Masters title in a new format. Credit: PDC

Quotes

PDC Chief Executive Matthew Porter said: “We are delighted to share our exciting plans for reintroducing the Winmau World Masters to the darts calendar, which I’m sure will excite darts fans and players alike.

“Since the beginning of our working relationship with Winmau we have discussed the idea of reviving this historic event which in its heyday was one of the biggest prizes in the sport.

“We have worked closely with Winmau to adopt as many characteristics of the original format as is practical to, and in keeping with its global nature, the Preliminary Rounds will provide an opportunity for players around the world to play on one of the sport’s biggest stages.

“This event’s expansion and change to a ranked event was another positive step for players on the PDC circuit, and with tickets selling out in record time they can look forward to getting an opportunity to shine in front of a packed crowd at the Marshall Arena next year.”

Winmau, the official equipment provider to the PDC, has signed an initial ten-year deal as title sponsor of the Winmau World Masters.

Vince Bluck, Winmau Managing Director, commented: “The Winmau World Masters has been at the core of competitive darts for over half a century and the PDC’s plans to restore the spirit of this iconic event will bridge the generations of darting excellence.

“We’re thrilled to be working closely with the PDC, championing players at every level and across every major darting nation, in line with the DNA of this historic event.

“The Winmau World Masters embodies everything that’s great about our sport; by combining this with the PDC’s showcase arena atmosphere, broadcast to millions of fans around the world, we will be able to captivate brand new audiences and create unrivalled opportunities for more dart players in this rapidly growing sport.”

Winmau World Masters Schedule

2025 Winmau World MastersMarshall Arena, Milton KeynesWednesday 29 January (1300 GMT)

Preliminary Rounds

Thursday 30 January (1900 GMT)

First Round x8

Friday 31 January (1900 GMT)

First Round x8

Saturday 1 February

Afternoon Session (1245 GMT)

Second Round x4

Evening Session (1900 GMT)

Second Round x4

Sunday 2 February

Afternoon Session (1245 GMT)

Quarter Finals

Evening Session (1900 GMT)

Semi Finals and Final

Competing Players

Top 24 from PDC Order of Merit following 2024/25 Paddy Power World Darts Championship

8x from Preliminary Rounds

Preliminary Rounds

To be open to:

PDC Tour Card Holders (up to 104)

Top 8 non-Tour Card Holders from the final 2024 Orders of Merit from:

PDC Winmau Challenge Tour

PDC Winmau Development Tour

PDC Women’s Series

PDC Nordic & Baltic ProTour

PDC Asian Tour

CDC ProTour

DartPlayers Australia ProTour

DartPlayers New Zealand ProTour

Should players in the top 8 reject their invitation, places will not be passed down the Orders of Merit. The order of priority will be as listed above, should players appear on more than one Order of Merit

4x Junior Darts Corporation Representatives