Brody Klinge can look forward to his first appearance at the PDC World Darts Championship this December after topping the Australian Darts Association Tour 2026 ranking to secure his ticket to Alexandra Palace. The Australian dominated the season with nine titles from 24 events.
The sixth and final weekend of the ADA Tour took place from 11.09.2026 to 13.09.2026 in Elizabeth North. With four tournaments left, the race for the World Championship berth was still open, but Klinge immediately made a key move towards Ally Pally by winning Event 21. The Australian Darts Masters finalist started the weekend superbly, averaging over a ton in his opener against Alexander Brackstone before whitewashing Corey Fortington and Jordan Ford on his way to the semi-finals. There, Karl Schaefer also had little chance as Klinge won 6-1 to reach the final in style, then maintained that level in the decider against Danny Porter to claim his ninth ADA Tour title of the season.
Even so, Klinge was not yet certain of his World Championship debut. Raymond Smith set up a dramatic finale on Saturday by winning both Event 22 and Event 23. At Event 22, Smith took out Stephen Schmitt, Dave Burke, and Sam Ballinger, overpowered Jeremy Fagg 6-1 in the quarter-finals, then edged Mal Cuming in a deciding leg with a 97 average. In the final he faced Klinge, keeping his World Championship hopes alive by beating his direct rival 6-3. One tournament later, the script repeated: Smith posted three 6-1 wins to reach the Event 23 quarter-finals, survived a tough tie against Ballinger, and met Cuming again in the semi-finals, once more going to a last leg. That set up another final between Smith and Klinge, and this time it was a thriller. Klinge had ten match darts to seal the title but could not convert, and Smith capitalised to win 6-5. It was the 46-year-old Australian's fifth ADA Tour title of 2026 and kept the fight for top spot alive to the very last event.
At Event 24, Klinge appeared to leave the door ajar, losing his opening match to David Boyle and left to wait on Smith's result. He did not have to wait long. Smith fell in the last 16 against Braidon Charlton, which meant Klinge could no longer be knocked off top spot and his World Championship debut was secured. Charlton made the most of the opportunity to cap a standout weekend, claiming his first ADA Tour title at the final tournament of the season. After wins over Michael Chan and Curtis Patterson, Charlton ended Smith's run in the last 16, winning 2-0 in sets, then dismissed Fagg in the quarter-finals. In the semi-finals, Charlton faced Cuming, who posted a seven-point higher average, but Charlton turned the match his way and completed the job in the final against Stuart Coburn, a straight-sets victory sealing his maiden ADA Tour title.
After 24 events, Klinge finished top of the 2026 ADA Tour ranking, having won no fewer than nine tournaments, and will make his Alexandra Palace debut in December. It caps a strong year for Klinge, who earlier this season reached the Australian Darts Masters final while impressing above all with his volume of titles on the national tour. The final ADA Tour standings also impacted the ANZ Premier League, with the top four on the ranking qualifying for the 2026 edition. Alongside Klinge, Raymond Smith, Tim Pusey, and Joe Comito secured their places.
