ONCE upon a time many had a conniption fit at the idea of two World Championships in the game of darts. 2025 saw us with three established events. The Amateur Darts Circuit are developing their Global Championships each year. The prize pool is comparable with the WDF’s Lakeside format is improving every year as we acknowledged before last years hosting:
A THIRD worldwide championship was added to the tungsten calendar in 2024 and was instantly won by a continent which had never before claimed such a title, what will come next…
Scott Hunt says the ADC have made a statement with the vastly increased prize fund for their Global Championship this year.
The second staging of the ADC’s flagship event will feature an expanded field of 56 players (up from 24 players last year), along with a bumper £150,000 prize fund, of which £60,000 will go to the champion.
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The top figure trumps the £50,000 awarded to the winner of the WDF Men’s World Championship at Lakeside, an event which the Global Championship clashes with as the dates were also confirmed in a recent announcement.
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The inaugural Global Championship last December saw South Africa’s Devon Petersen pocket £25,000, from a prize pot of £85,000, with this sizeable injection of cash now making the ADC’s season-ending extravaganza the most lucrative for amateur players to compete in.
“The aim was to reinvest and give something back to the players,” said Hunt, the ADC’s head of global operations.
“We’ve been able to do that quicker than I thought, to be honest. I thought it was a five-year plan, but we’ve got there in year two.
“To have a £150,000 prize fund and £60,000 of that go to the winner, it’s a statement. We’ll put on a good event that will be worth everyone’s time.
“I got involved in darts around 10 years ago and my personal aim was to hold a TV tournament, and put on a global, worldwide event, and we’re getting there.
“It isn’t global yet. We want to get into different territories, but this is a starting block.”
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The increased field of players for the 2025/26 Global Championship will include a qualifier each from North America and South America, along with two qualifiers from Oceania.
Almost a third of the spots will be awarded to players from events and tours held in Europe (outside of the UK of the Ireland), whilst two qualifiers are set to come from the ADC’s women’s tour – the WADC.
“The door is open,” Hunt said. “We want to get into every territory and offer opportunities in your hometowns, home areas and home countries, so players aren’t having to travel overseas and racking up expenses.
“They don’t need to do that. Not everyone is in a financial position or has a good sponsor. We want to make sure the best players come through and it’s all about ability.”
All 56 players will be in action during the first week of the Global Championship, which runs from December 1-7, meaning players who also qualify for Lakeside will likely need to make a choice on which tournament they play in.
“We don’t speak to the WDF,” Hunt said. “With regards to the choice to put it on (the same time as Lakeside), it’s a business decision.
“All of our partners were involved, Pluto TV, the MODUS Super Series, the sponsors and brands we work with. It was the best decision for us to put it on at that time, simple as that.”
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Editors Note: Several of DW team enjoyed the inaugural holding of this event and reported back accordingly. They also made several suggestions to the owners in the hope that the Global Championship would survive and thrive going forward.
It’s superb to see a third worldwide type event in the darting calendar and one with several unique features. It’s expansion should be welcomed by all and the enhanced second edition, will be highly anticipated!
Words: Alex Moss
Originally published in Darts World Extra
Images: ADC/MODUS
