Six new names are officially set to join Alexandra Palace. The PDC has confirmed that Ryuta Arihara, Motomu Sakai, Christian Perez, Haruki Muramatsu, Lok Yin Lee and Brody Klinge have qualified for the 2026/27 PDC World Championship, following two very busy tour finales in Asia and Australia.
It’s not the most spectacular news of the day, but it’s the sort of information that shapes the World Championship picture well ahead of the draw. Regional qualifying spots are no mere formality: they reveal which tours have held their own throughout the year, which players are arriving in fine form, and which stories may take centre stage at Ally Pally.
The Asian Tour is sending five players to the PDC World Championship
The first set of figures comes from the official report published by the PDC following the conclusion of the Asian Tour. The season’s final four tournaments, held in China on 12 and 13 September, secured the five places allocated via the 2026 rankings.
| Qualified player | Qualification route |
| Ryuta Arihara | 1st in the 2026 Asian Tour rankings |
| Motomu Sakai | 2nd in the 2026 Asian Tour rankings |
| Christian Perez | 3rd in the 2026 Asian Tour rankings |
| Haruki Muramatsu | Qualified via the Asian Tour rankings |
| Lok Yin Lee | Qualified via the Asian Tour rankings |
Arihara arrives with the clearest claim to qualification. The Japanese player finished top of the rankings and secured his first place at the World Championship. His season has been marked by five titles on the Asian Tour and an average of 113.64, as noted by the PDC earlier in the campaign, with legs of 16, 12, 15 and 11 darts against Eduardo Jr Largo. This isn’t just a case of qualifying on the back of the numbers: his form really spoke for itself.
Behind him, Motomu Sakai completes a Japanese one-two at the top of the rankings. Christian Perez, a former PDC Asian Championship winner, will return to Ally Pally for his fifth appearance. Haruki Muramatsu and Lok Yin Lee round off the list, with Lee also having won Event 27 against Christian De Los Reyes.
Brody Klinge finally secures his place on the Australian side
The following day, the PDC confirmed another key spot: Brody Klinge finished top of the 2026 ADA Tour and will also be competing in his first PDC World Championship.
The final weekend of the Australian circuit took place from 11 to 13 September in Elizabeth North. Klinge won Event 21, his ninth ADA Tour title of the year, before having to withstand pressure from Raymond Smith, winner of Events 22 and 23. The suspense lasted right until the final tournament: Klinge lost in the opening round, but Smith’s elimination in the round of 16 was ultimately enough to secure first place in the standings.
This is significant because Klinge is not a name that has come out of nowhere. A finalist in the Australian Darts Masters and based in Melbourne, he had already been in contention in the Australian qualifying race for the PDC World Championship. This time, the tide has turned: he is no longer just leading the race, he has secured his place.
Why this wave of qualifiers matters now
The PDC World Championship is rarely won by a complete surprise, but its story is often told through its underdogs. Players from regional circuits sometimes arrive with little recognition amongst the European general public, only to turn a first-round match on its head with their average, their rhythm or their lack of nerves.
For the editorial team, the angle to watch is simple: Arihara and Klinge appear to be the two most predictable prospects at this stage. The former dominates the Asian Tour and already boasts some very telling statistics. The latter is coming off the back of a busy year in Australia, with nine titles and well-managed pressure in the final stages. Perez, for his part, remains of particular interest thanks to his experience at Ally Pally.
The next stage in Asia will also be worth keeping a close eye on. The PDC points out that the Asian Championship features 48 players, with a place at the Grand Slam of Darts for the winner and two new places at the World Championship for the finalists, provided they have not already been allocated. If the finalists have already qualified, the places would go to Paolo Nebrida and Man Lok Leung, sixth and seventh in the Asian Tour rankings.
In short: the PDC World Championship draw is taking shape away from the European spotlight. And in this sort of race, the names confirmed in September often become much more interesting by December.
