The draw for stage one of the 2026 ADC Global Championship has been made – and let’s just say, it’s got more intrigue than a late-night soap opera.
Only a handful of spots remain up for grabs, but for the most part, the darting world now knows who’s about to step into the tungsten colosseum of Portsmouth.
The action gets underway on 1st December at the MODUS Live Lounge, where every single dart will be broadcast live on Pluto TV – meaning you can watch all the drama unfold without even needing to change out of your pyjamas.
The format is deliciously ruthless: eight groups of seven players each to start with, four advance from every group, and they’ll be split into another eight groups of four.
From there, only the top one in each moves forward – before the whole thing goes full-gladiator mode in a straight knockout to crown the first ever ADC Global Champion.Win it – and you pocket a whopping £60k.
But with a massive £150k prize pot, plenty others will get a good slice of the pie if they have a good run.Over the coming weeks, we’ll be taking a closer look at each group – introducing the household names, the hidden gems, and the “who on earth is that?” newcomers – plus a few fearless predictions on who’ll be booking their ticket to stage two.
But for now, here’s what we know so far. The line-up is almost complete – just six names short of the full set – and it’s already shaping up to be a global showdown of epic proportions.
Group 1
Petri Rasmus (FIN) Callum Goffin (WAL) Mladen Radosavljevic (SER) Timothy Verbrugghe (BEL) Xanti Van den Bergh (BEL) Johnny Haines (ENG) Wes Newton (ENG)
Group 2
Stijn Deklerck (BEL) Nico Plovier (BEL) Brian Dawson (ENG) Gary Stone (SCO) Sander Van Ockenburg-Zwaan (NED) John O’Shea (IRE) Tom Sykes (ENG)
Group 3
Steve De Buck (BEL) Ricardo Ham (NED) Adam Mould (ENG) Shane Turner (ENG) Brandon Weening (AUS)Peter Wachiuri (KEN) Phil Johnson-Hale (ENG)
Group 4
Zereso Zeverboom (NED) UK South Qualifier (ENG) Joanne Oldershaw (ENG) Stuart Dutton (ENG) Ivan Springborg Poulsen (DEN) Adam Leek (AUS) Carl Wilson (ENG)
Group 5
Stefano Bozicek (SNV) Vault Major Winner (TBC) Wesley van Trijp (NED) Jeff Smith (CAN) Robbie Martin (ENG) Jack Tweddell (ENG) Michael Huntley (WAL)
Group 6
N. Ireland Qualifier (NI) Patrick Dekker (NED) Vicky Cautericcio (ENG) Johann Brouwer (NED) MSS Series 12 Winner (TBC) Devon Petersen (RSA) Jonny Barnes (ENG)
Group 7 Danny van Trijp (NED) Kurt Parry (WAL) Jenson Walker (ENG) Kostas Pantelidis (GRE) UK North Qualifier (TBC) Christian Perez (PHI) Jamie Kelling (ENG)
Group 8
Niall Culleton (IRE) Conor Heneghan (IRE) Arne Spee (NED) UK & Ireland Classic Winner (TBC) Jordan Matthews (ENG) Graham Hall (ENG) Jamie Owens (ENG)
With players representing nearly every corner of the darting planet – from the Netherlands to Kenya, the Philippines to Finland – it’s shaping up to be a proper global party.
So mark your calendars, stock the fridge, and get comfy – because when this thing kicks off on December 1st, it won’t just be a tournament… it’ll be a tungsten world tour.
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Images: ADC
