Paolo Nebrida has won the PDC Asian Championship, securing not only a spot at the World Darts Championship but also a place at November's Grand Slam of Darts. The Filipino defeated Kam Weng Cheng 3-0 in the final, with Nebrida averaging 85.93 to Cheng's 83.54. In doing so, Nebrida edged the first set in five legs before powering through the next two sets convincingly.
There was a historic moment too for Kam Weng Cheng, who became the first ever player from Macau to claim a World Championship spot. Cheng's run to the final included a semi-final victory over Ryusei Azemoto, winning 2-1. Azemoto had taken the first set, but Cheng hit back hard, sweeping the second set 3-0 with a clinical 11-darter. In the deciding leg of set three, Cheng finished the job with a 98 checkout in two darts for a 14-darter. Earlier, Azemoto had escaped against Rolly Gabiana after the latter missed ten match darts.
After the regular Asian Tour season, the fifth edition of the Asian Championship took centre stage. Defending champion Lourence Ilagan impressed in the group phase despite an inconsistent year, firing averages of 101.55 and 103.47, and advanced to the last 32 as a group winner. For the likes of Motomu Sakai, Lok Yin Lee, Paul Lim, Tomoya Goto, and Xiaochen Zong, the tournament ended before the knockout phase.
From the last 32 onwards, the stakes were high, with both finalists booking a place at the Worlds. Nebrida saw off Yan Bin Chen (2-1), Joel Hizon (2-1), and Christian Perez (2-0). In the semi-finals he faced Noel Malicdem, who was back within sight of Ally Pally for the first time since 2019. Malicdem missed three set darts in the opener, and Nebrida pounced, then held his own set to seal his place in the final and confirm his World Championship berth.
On the other side of the draw, several favourites fell. Man Lok Leung lost 2-1 to Sonny Milo Balagat, while Alexis Toylo was swept aside 2-0 by Ilagan. Ilagan then also bowed out 2-1 to Balagat. Cheng halted Balagat's surge and unexpectedly reached the semi-finals.
Results PDC Asian Championship 2026
Final
Paolo Nebrida (85.93) 3-0 (83.54) Kam Weng Chen
Semi-finals
Paolo Nebrida (86.32) 2-0 (86.39) Noel Malicdem
Kam Weng Chen (83.74) 2-1 (80.33) Ryusei Azemoto
Quarter-finals
Noel Malicdem (84.58) 2-0 (78.44) Jenn Ming Tan
Paolo Nebrida (89.40) 2-0 (84.76) Christian Perez
Kam Weng Chen (74.66) 2-0 (74.20) Sonny Milo Balagat
Ryusei Azemoto (89.95) 2-1 (89.20) Rolly Gabiana
Last 16
Noel Malicdem (83.97) 2-1 (81.27) Ryuta Arihara
Jenn Ming Tan (87.55) 2-0 (66.76) Jizhou Li
Christian Perez (94.29) 2-1 (91.08) Haruki Muramatsu
Paolo Nebrida (81.12) 2-1 (74.58) Joel Hizon
Kam Weng Chen (77.91) 2-0 (77.65) Pin Feng Yeh
Sonny Milo Balagat (88.65) 2-1 (85.84) Lourence Ilagan
Rolly Gabiana (84.41) 2-0 (76.05) Ting Chi Royden Lam
Ryusei Azemoto (96.97) 2-0 (71.00) Eduardo Largo
