WORLD number one Luke Humphries and teenage superstar Luke Littler will headline a star-studded line-up when the World Series of Darts returns to New Zealand and Australia in August.
The PDC’s annual trip Down Under begins with the Australian Darts Masters in Wollongong on August 9-10, before the New Zealand Darts Masters takes place at Hamilton’s GLOBOX Arena on August 16-17.
Each World Series event will see a 16-player field competing over two days of action, with eight PDC superstars locking horns with eight Oceanic representatives.
World Champion Humphries will make his debut Down Under following a sensational 12-month spell that saw him follow up World Grand Prix, Grand Slam of Darts and Players Championship Finals titles by lifting the sport’s biggest title in January.
Littler – a runner-up to Humphries at Alexandra Palace and the current Premier League leader – will also make his first appearance in Australia and New Zealand, having already tasted World Series success with victory in January’s Bahrain Darts Masters.
Rob Cross will join the duo as he aims for a double title defence in August, having won in both Hamilton and Wollongong in 2023.
Former New Zealand Darts Masters champion Gerwyn Price and fellow former World Champions Michael Smith and Peter Wright have also been included, while UK Open champion Dimitri Van den Bergh makes his latest appearance Down Under.
Australian number one Damon Heta completes the list of eight PDC representatives, with the former World Cup winner rewarded for breaking into the world’s top ten in 2024.
Heta’s World Cup partner Simon Whitlock will compete in both events as he continues his ever-present record Down Under, and he will be joined by New Zealand’s Haupai Puha, who secured his PDC Tour Card in January.
Brenton Lloyd and Rob Modra have confirmed their spots in Wollongong after qualifying through the domestic DartPlayers Australia circuit this year, with a further four Oceanic qualifiers still to be confirmed.
There are six Oceanic representatives still to be confirmed for the New Zealand Darts Masters, although three of those places will be finalised following the conclusion of this weekend’s DartPlayers New Zealand ProTour double-header.
Tickets for the Australian Darts Masters and New Zealand Darts Masters are now on general sale.
2024 World Series of Darts
Australian Darts Masters
August 9-10, WIN Entertainment Centre, Wollongong
PDC Representatives
Luke Humphries
Michael Smith
Gerwyn Price
Rob Cross
Peter Wright
Luke Littler
Dimitri Van den Bergh
Damon Heta
Oceanic Representatives
Simon Whitlock (AUS)
Haupai Puha (NZ)
Brenton Lloyd (AUS)
Rob Modra (AUS)
DPA Q3 (June 16)
DPA Q4 (July 14)
DPNZ Qualifier (July 6)
Top non-qualified player from DPA OOM (July 14)
2024 New Zealand Darts Masters
August 16-17, GLOBOX Arena, Hamilton
PDC Representatives
Luke Humphries
Michael Smith
Gerwyn Price
Rob Cross
Peter Wright
Luke Littler
Dimitri Van den Bergh
Damon Heta
Oceanic Representatives
Haupai Puha (NZ)
Simon Whitlock (AUS)
DPNZ OOM #1 (May 12)
DPNZ OOM #2 (May 12)
DPNZ OOM #3 (May 12)
DPNZ Q1 (July 6)
DPNZ Q2 (July 7)
DPA OOM Leader (July 14)
NB: Three-time World Champion Michael van Gerwen and World Matchplay champion Nathan Aspinall will miss the August double-header for family reasons.
—–ENDS—–
Images: PDC
