One of the most highly anticipated events on the 2026 darts calendar took place over the weekend, the inaugural North African World Championship qualifier.
In previous years, the continent of Africa had just one spot at Ally Pally, often taken by a South Africa qualifier such as Cameron Carolissen or Devon Petersen. However, history was written in 2025, as David Munyua became the very first Kenyan to qualify for a World Championships. This came a year after Peter Wachiuri lost in the final match up in 2024.
INTERESTED IN GLOBAL DARTS? Checkout DartsWorld’s Dedicated Area
Munyua went on to win the hearts of everyone as he overcame a two-set deficit to take out Mike De Decker in the first round in London.
A combination of all these major milestones led to the PDC changed the rules around the African qualifier, gifting them a second spot at the World Championships. The first would be held in September, open to all players from the northern nations, while the second would be held in November, open to the southern nation.
The best players from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania all travelled to Mombasa over the weekend to take on the the fourth Continental Tour of the season, followed by the PDC World Championship qualifier.
Kenya’s Joseph Wanjohi came out on top in the Continental Tour, taking out North African #1 Peter Wachiuri in a deciding leg in the final, and Uganda’s #1 Patrick Ocheng in the Semi-Finals. Kenya’s Agnes Jerotich secured the title on the Women’s Series, having taken out Tanazia’s Redempta Mwebesa in the Quarter-Finals, and Uganda’s Sarah Makanga in the Final.
The World Championship qualifier took place on the Sunday, with the play kicking off from the Last 64 stage, with the top 64 ranked players at the venue qualifying for the event.
Favourite Falls Early
Peter Wachiuri (above) came into the event as the big favourite, especially after taking out World Cup qualifier Patrick Ocheng in the Last 16 with a dominant 5-2 win, but the Kenyan’s run was swiftly halted. His World Championship dreams were ended at the Quarter-Finals stage by Evans Njuguna, ranked 24th on the Northern Tour.
Festus Chepkwony also saw his way through to the Semi-Finals, taking out the likes of Charles Njuguna and Dominic Ojiambo on route. Ranked at #20 on the Northern Tour, there was a massive opportunity on this half of the draw. Evans Njuguna dominated the Semi-Final despite a host of missed doubles, taking the match 7-3 to move through to the final.
The bottom half saw two more established players fight their way through. Ranked sixth in North Africa, Peter Wanjii took out second seed Dominic Munyao in the Quarter-Finals with a near-78 average. He took on last year’s winner David Munyua for a spot in the final, after the Kenyan had taken out Ugandans in back-to-back matches: Acridri Isaac Passi and Okalany Robert Clegg.
Darts Cult Hero Rises To The Occasion Again
Despite a relatively average season on the Continental Tour, failing to reach a single final in the four events, Munyua inherited the favourite tag after the demise of the other top players in the draw, and he took this well. He beat Wanjii 7-5 with a fourth consecutive 80+ average to move into the decider.
The Final saw a very high quality and tight affair, with neither player ever really getting much of a gip on the proceedings. Evans Njuguna missed a match dart in the fourteenth leg to win it 8-6, before Munyua took out 16 to send it to a decider for a spot at Alexandra Palace.
DARTS PLAYER MERCHANDISE AND COLLECTABLES AT OUR DARTSWORLD STORE
Incredibly, Munyua kicked off with an 81 followed by a 180, which allowed him time to get the match wrapped up after missing a whole host of match darts himself. He eventually found double ten to book a spot at the World Championships for a second consecutive year.
“Why Not” will be looking to recreate his magical win against Mike De Decker in December, as he returns to the place he got labelled as an Ally Pally cult-hero in 2025!
North African World Championship 2026
Quarter-Finals
Evans Njuguna (76.8) 6-5 Peter Wachiuri (79.0)
Festus Chepkwony (74.9) 6-4 Charles Njuguna (76.8)
Peter Wanjii (77.9) 6-2 Dominic Munyao (76.0)
David Munyua (80.5) 6-0 Okalany Robert Clegg (59.0)
Semi-Finals
Evans Njuguna (70.2) 7-3 Festus Chepkwony (67.4)
David Munyua (82.2) 7-5 Peter Wanjii (80.4)
Final
David Munyua (83.3) 8-7 Evans Njuguna (76.1)
Images: PDC
