The 2027 PDC calendar has been released, and PDC chief executive Matt Porter was on hand to discuss the changes, including a brand new major tournament, a maiden European Tour event for France, and the expansion of current major competitions. Speaking on the Darts Show podcast, Porter said: "Busy is a good word for it. I think it's been an interesting year. Obviously, we've seen the dominance of Luke Littler, which recently ended in a TV space, if you like, by Ross Smith. But there have been other faces who've done well in different areas, Ross being one of them. Wessel Nijman has had a really good year, players like Luke Woodhouse have made really good progress. They're just the guys who are perhaps away from the big names who maybe don't get as many headlines. So, there's been lots of stories at different stages."
The biggest event of the year, the PDC World Darts Championship, will have a new look, with the darts to be played in the bigger Great Hall at Alexandra Palace for the first time. Porter said: "I mean, that's a really big step forward for us to move into the Great Hall at Ally Pally, increasing the capacity to over 5,000 a session. It's going to elevate the event to the next level. And it was already great. So, I think it's going to be a real boost for the sport, and I think something that people all over will be excited to see, because the event has grown and grown in recent years. And we want to maintain the atmosphere that you get at Ally Pally and the exciting anticipation that that event brings. But this is a way of doing that whilst also making sure that the event stays, the level of prestige, gets the level of prestige that it really should do."
A brand new major event, the European Open, will take place from June 18-20 in Salzburg, Austria. Porter revealed: "The format is going to be very much in line with the UK Open, with the qualifiers having more of a slant towards Central European places." He added: "I think that's the right move for us, because the sport is moving increasingly more global. Obviously, Western Europe being the second biggest market for us after the UK. And the amount of talent that's coming out of not just Germany, but the wider German-speaking region, and also Benelux and Scandinavia, et cetera, just shows that we're ready for development there. So, this will be a really exciting event." Porter is confident the event will match the UK Open's success: "The UK Open is a really loved sport by darts fans. So, there's no reason why this format, with multi-boards and plenty of action going on constantly in different arenas, won't work as well in Salzburg. It's going to be fast-paced. It's going to be thrill-a-minute and plenty of upsets, I'm sure. But most importantly of all, it's going to be another opportunity for players to have a crack at a big title."
France will host a European Tour event for the first time, with the fourth tournament of the year set for Lievin from March 19-21. Porter commented: "I think is a big step forward. It's important for us that every year the European Tour expands and takes on new territories. We've done that eastwards in the last few years with Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Czech Republic, etc. So now looking at other countries where there's growing demand, and France really 10 years ago or so didn't register on the radar at all. There was very little interest, but we've got a good broadcast partner there in L'Équipe." Thibaut Tricole is France's main man in darts, having been the leading member of the World Cup of Darts team with Nicolas Thuillier, who made it out of the group stage earlier this year. Porter noted: "It's a city that has staged international sporting events before, and one that's well connected to other parts of the continent."
Meanwhile, the World Series of Darts calendar for 2027 is still being finalised. Porter hinted: "Well, we're working on a couple of options. It takes time to put these events together. And obviously, there's certain things happening in different parts of the world at the moment that are perhaps generating a little bit of uncertainty. So, the World Series always takes a little bit longer than everything else to put together. It could be a combination of some new places and some old places. But we're constantly striving to expand the concept and bring new territories on board. So, we'll wait and see. But I would hope by the end of probably November to be able to have next year's World Series calendar up and running." He added: "I would hope we could creep it up towards seven. The biggest challenge is space in the calendar. And I think we've set ourselves a ceiling of eight. We feel that's probably the maximum that we could have in any one year. We're not quite there yet, but we've had seven before and we've been able to accommodate that."
Two current major tournaments are being expanded. The Players Championship Finals will rise from 64 to 128 players, and the European Championship will increase from 32 to 48 players. Porter explained: "We want to look to offer more players the opportunities that are generally, or previously, only reserved for the top players, you know. So, by expanding that event to 128 players, the top 128 from the Players' Championship Order of Merit, we're giving more players the opportunity to qualify for another TV event, particularly just before the World Championship. It's really important for them to get that exposure and also keeps the interest levels in the Players' Championship going throughout the year, you know, for players who are a little bit lower down the rankings, maybe top-up players, the players who haven't played in as many of the events, to still have that opportunity to qualify." On the European Championship, he said: "So, by expanding the European Championship to the top 48, it will give, again, more players opportunity to qualify for the big stage. It makes that event last almost a week now. The prize money will be increased and it elevates it to the same sort of status as some of the other week-long events, which, when you look at the size of the crowds that it gets in Dortmund and the standard of player that Central Europe is now producing, is a natural fit, I think."
All these changes have been implemented with the idea of giving lower-ranked players more of a chance to compete on the big stage. Porter concluded: "In the past, years and years ago, one of the main criticisms of the PDC was that it was only really there for the top players. And I think we've proven by building a structure over recent years that we're there for more than that. But it's important that you do have those pathways and you do have those opportunities. So, even if you're not in the top 16, not in the top 32, there's still plenty to play for in the second half of the year."
