Two very different darting journeys, one shared destination: Alexandra Palace. Over the weekend, the ever-expanding global tapestry of darts found two more names stitched into the lineup for the 2026 Paddy Power World Championship.
Both Xiaochen Zong and Adam Sevada sending a reminder that the sport is far from just a European affair.
Let’s start in Asia, where Xiaochen Zong once again cemented his status as the immovable object of Chinese darts. At just 27, Zong has spent most of the last decade hoarding domestic trophies like a tungsten dragon guarding his treasure.
His latest victory came at the PDC China Championship, where he brushed aside Qingyu Zhan 3–1 in the final. Along the way, Zong suffered a rare wobble – losing a group match to Tianxiao Cao – but quickly righted the ship with whitewash wins and back-to-back straight-set victories.
In the final, his timing was impeccable: 89 and 121 checkouts that slammed the door on Zhan’s hopes and opened the gate to Ally Pally for the fifth time.Granted, Zong is still searching for that elusive first victory on darts’ grandest stage, but with every passing year he looks more seasoned. He will also headline the PDC Asian Championship this autumn in Qingdao, where four days of darting fireworks will pit him against the continent’s finest.
Asian darts has long been labelled the sleeping giant – and with Zong at the helm, it’s finally stirring from its slumber.
Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, Adam Sevada has been turning the CDC into his personal playground. The Californian capped off the Chicago weekend with his fifth ProTour crown of the year, confirming not only his dominance in North America but also his ticket to a debut at Alexandra Palace.
Sevada, nicknamed The Reaper, has been in merciless form throughout 2025. In Chicago, he swatted away opponents with averages in the mid-90s as if they were nothing more than warm-up exercises.
His 7–2 win over Daryl Christie in the Event 13 final was destructive, clinical, and dripping with the aura of a man in total control. Sevada’s triumph felt like the headline act, underlining his place at the top of the CDC rankings.
With the final stretch of the season looming in Indiana, he stands tall as the figurehead of American darts, leading a one-two-three of USA talent alongside Buntz and Leonard Gates.
So, while Europe will inevitably hog much of the Ally Pally limelight, don’t be surprised if the loudest stories this winter come from farther afield. Zong, the pride of China, and Sevada, the scourge of the CDC, both represent the sport’s booming frontiers.
Their journeys couldn’t be more different, but together they symbolise what darts has become: a truly global game where new heroes rise from every corner of the map.
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Images: PDC
