Lihao Wen won the 2026 China Championship on Monday 2 November in Nanjing, defeating his compatriot Xiaochen Zong 3-0 in sets. At 41, the Chinese player is not content with simply securing his first title on home soil: in doing so, he has also secured his place at the 2026/27 PDC World Championship, his very first appearance at Alexandra Palace.
The final pitted two players against each other who know each other inside out, having previously played together for China in the World Cup. Wen took control in the final two thirds of the match, winning nine of the last eleven legs, to claim the second title in the tournament’s history, following in the footsteps of his opponent.
Seven matches, two legs conceded in the group stage
Wen’s run in the group stage was swift: three wins and just two legs conceded. In the round of 16, he strung together six consecutive legs to see off Wenqing Liu. This was followed by the quarter-final against Pengyu Sun, which he won 2-0, before a more closely fought semi-final against Yuanjun Liu, which ended 2-1. Throughout the tournament, he therefore racked up seven consecutive victories, without ever allowing his opponent to regain the upper hand in a deciding leg.
Zong stumbles at the final hurdle
As the defending champion, Zong had nevertheless been in fine form. He had won all three of his group matches, then reached the final without dropping a single set, with three 2-0 victories over Xicheng Han, Zhijun Cui and Tianxiao Cao. However, his run came to an end at the final hurdle, and with it went his hopes of a seventh World Championship appearance, having already made six appearances at Alexandra Palace.
The difference was made over the course of the final, where Wen raised his game just as Zong began to falter. The 3-0 sets score does not fully reflect the exchanges, but it does show a clear surge in form from the winner in the second and third sets.
What the title means for the future
By winning in Nanjing, Wen has secured his first major event on the PDC circuit - the World Championship - to which the Asian Tour had already sent Ryuta Arihara this summer. The 41-year-old is no unknown quantity: he finished runner-up in the China ProTour this season, having won two titles, and has previously represented China in the World Cup, a competition in which he has played alongside Zong for several campaigns.
For China, this additional place confirms an increasingly regular presence in the World Championship draw. Zong had been the face of the team for the past six editions; Wen is now the new figurehead of a system that now produces its qualifiers through competition, rather than by invitation.
A packed China ProTour right up to the final day
The China Championship rounded off a busy weekend, with the final four events of the China ProTour taking place from 31 October to 1 November. Wen had made a strong start in Event 17 on Saturday, winning the final leg against Zong in the final, having previously defeated Binjie He in similar fashion. Yuyi Shao claimed Event 18 by beating Wen 5-2, posting an average of over a tonne in his dominant display against Desheng Li. Jianjun Jia won Event 19 by defeating Wen en route to the final, before beating Chao Geng 5-3. Zong rounded off the weekend with his ninth title of the year in Event 20, conceding just six legs across five matches.
This intense schedule explains the form on display on Monday: China’s top players have been competing against one another all season, and the overall standard of the final draw reflects this. For Wen, the next stage will be a completely different challenge, on a stage where every leg counts.
