The World Series of Darts Finals returns to the AFAS Live in Amsterdam from 17 to 20 September, but the tournament's status as a PDC major is under fresh scrutiny — and a radical proposal could change its entire identity from 2027 onwards. In a column for Darts News, Pieter Verbeek argues that the event does not command the same respect as many other televised tournaments, and that a completely different format could fix that.
That lack of prestige is perhaps best illustrated by Gary Anderson, who declined an invitation for both the previous and the current editions. The qualification set-up does not help either: the field features 32 players, with a few winners from the Tour Card Holders' Qualifier and four players invited via the world ranking, while the top 24 of the World Series Order of Merit book their places at the Finals. It is precisely that last element that draws criticism. Vincent van der Voort recently took aim at the current format on his podcast Darts Draait Door, saying: "There are people getting in who haven't won a single match and they're rewarded with a finals tournament. That makes no sense at all. If you practice sport, it's about performance." Van der Voort cited Simon Whitlock as an example, noting that because the Australian has played multiple World Series events he can collect enough points to finish high on the ranking even with two heavy defeats. "Which idiot came up with that? Then there's something seriously wrong in your head," he said. Van der Voort also dismissed the idea of simply sending the best 32 from the World Series Order of Merit to the Finals: "Then you really get a very poor tournament. You'll have people who lost 6-1 still in the frame. If they lost 6-0, they might still be close." He added: "Players always go on about how you have to perform. And then you do things like this. If you can't come up with a better system than this, something's wrong. They're just winging it."
The column proposes a more compelling solution: from 2027, completely disconnect the World Series Finals from the regular World Series events, give the event a new name, but preserve the international character the World Series was always meant to showcase. Inspiration partly comes from the revamped Grand Slam of Darts, whose field expands from 32 to 48 players from this year, with athletes from various international circuits invited to a major PDC event. The refreshed international Finals would still feature 32 players. The first sixteen spots would go to the top 16 of the PDC Order of Merit, guaranteeing the absolute elite. Twelve places would then go to players who have actually produced results on the international circuits, with two tickets to circuits with a continental scope and one ticket to the more regional tours: top 2 Asian Tour Order of Merit, top 2 CDC Order of Merit, top 2 African Tour, top 2 Championship Darts Latin America and Caribbean Tour, number one Nordic & Baltic Tour, number one Australian Tour, number one New Zealand Tour, and number one China Pro Tour. When a circuit has not yet finished at the time of the tournament, players leading the relevant ranking at that moment can be invited. The key difference from the current system is that participation alone is not enough — anyone looking to secure a ticket must produce results on their own circuit during the season.
With sixteen players from the top of the world rankings and twelve representatives from international circuits, 28 of the 32 spots are allocated. The remaining four tickets could be used to engage the European market more explicitly, with a geographical split: one spot to the highest-ranked Tour Card holder from Eastern Europe, one from Northern Europe, one from Western Europe, and one from Southern Europe. To determine which countries fall under each region, the classifications normally used for World Darts Championship qualifiers and/or the European Tour can be followed. Based on the current world rankings, Krzysztof Ratajski, Jeffrey de Graaf, Jermaine Wattimena, and Cristo Reyes would be eligible for an invitation under this model.
The proposed format keeps the field at 32 players and preserves the event's international scope, with players from Asia, North America, Africa, Latin America, Oceania, China, and different parts of Europe all getting a clear pathway to the tournament, while quality at the top end is secured as the world's best sixteen are automatically invited. The crucial shift lies in how the remaining places are earned: not the number of World Series invitations determines who reaches the season finale, but results achieved across the various circuits. That would allow the PDC to hit three targets at once — retain a major with a distinctly international flavour, genuinely reward players from different regions for their performances, and, thanks to the presence of the global top 16, remain assured of a strong field. Michael van Gerwen is the current champion in the end-of-year Finals. A completely new format also warrants a new name: if the finale is decoupled from the regular World Series, the title World Series of Darts Finals no longer fits, and PDC Global Masters is put forward as a suitable alternative — underlining the tournament's global character while "Masters" evokes an event that brings together the best from different regions. From 2027, the tournament would gain not only a new qualifying structure, but also its own identity that better matches the international nature of the field.
