PDC Chief Executive Matt Porter has dropped a major hint about the soon-to-be-released 2027 calendar, revealing that last-minute changes are being made and teasing a possible new event modelled on the UK Open. Speaking to Viaplay at the World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam, Porter confirmed: "So we're making some last-minute changes. Next week you will see it, and I think hopefully you will like what you see." He then turned to the panel and asked: "Tell me, what's one of your favourite events, Jacques? Do you like the UK Open? Maybe we'll do something like that."
Porter also confirmed that the World Series of Darts Finals will remain in Amsterdam, saying: "There's always more Amsterdams. No, this is definitely not the final Amsterdam. We love having this event here. It works well. Look at the crowd. The players love it here. The crowd are great. You guys, we'll be back." The new scheduling format for the 32-player event was also praised by Porter: "I think it was a natural progression to expand the tournament. It wasn't very clean with having some players playing twice on the same day and others not. We didn't like that. And actually, it made sense to give more players the opportunity to be here. There was an appetite for more, for an expansion of the event. So it was a natural decision."
On the qualifying criteria, Porter said: "I think the blend is right. We want a mixture of the top players in the world, local heroes, emerging talent. This is a kind of semi-pathway for players who want to step out of the comfort zone of playing in their own country and have an opportunity to test themselves against the best in the world in a bigger event than they would have in their own country. So you see Brody Klinge coming here from Australia. We've had players come here from North America, some from Asia. It's a good format." However, he admitted disappointment over Asian withdrawals: "A little bit disappointed that so many of the Asian players at the last minute had to step back." Four Asian representatives were originally set to compete, but Motomu Sakai will be the only one in action in the Netherlands, with Lourence Ilagan and Alexis Toylo both forced to withdraw amid visa issues, while Man Lok Leung pulled out due to illness. Porter added: "But we will learn from the situation with the guys who couldn't get visas. And we will bring that process forward, make that earlier next year to give them a better chance of being able to make it."
Looking ahead to the World Series, Porter highlighted the challenges in the Middle East: "World Series-wise, there's obviously a lot of war in the Middle East. Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, normally January. January is a challenge. Our information from the region is that a lot of the decisions about major sporting events in the Middle East will be made after it's known what's going to happen with Formula One out there. We expect that decision to come within the next four weeks. And I would imagine that the decisions ourselves and other sports properties make, or have made for them, will come as a result of that." He also expressed a desire to return to Southeast Asia: "We'd love to go back to Southeast Asia. We've been to Japan. We've been to China. We went to Singapore once. That region is so strong. One of the reasons why we're so disappointed about the guys not making it here from Asia is because we know the talent is there for them to give the top players a game. So we'd love to go back to the Far East for an event. Places like Hong Kong, Singapore, they're strong darts territories, the Philippines as well. So we'd very much like to have an event there." On timing, he said: "It takes time to put things together. I would hope, if not next year, then the year after."
Porter set a limit on World Series expansion: "Realistically, with the calendar the way it is, the most we could do would be eight. We would hope to do seven next year, if not eight. But we will get to that number quite soon. And also, sometimes things change. We used to do a World Series event in Poland. That's now a European Tour event. We need to keep it flexible." On the European Tour, he confirmed plans to add a new country: "Look, the plan with the European Tour eventually would be to have full representation across the continent. So it's important for us every year to bring a new country in. We will bring a new country in next year. It's not that far from here. So let's try and work it out." He instantly ruled out Luxembourg: "That's not a country." The 2026 European Tour will conclude in Maastricht, switched from Rosmalen, and Porter explained: "I mean, look, especially when we only have one European Tour event in a country, it's important for us to move around. There's no real reason behind it. You know, we may be back in Rosmalen one day, but this year it'll be in Maastricht."
