Gian van Veen will kick off his SkyCity New Zealand Darts Masters campaign against Jonny Tata, as Damon Heta and Ben Robb also lock horns in Auckland.
The year’s penultimate World Series of Darts event will take place at the Spark Arena this week, as eight PDC superstars take on eight regional representatives on August 14-15.
World number two Van Veen will be the highest-ranked player in action Down Under, and the Dutchman will play New Zealand’s World Cup star Tata in an intriguing quarter-final tie.
Friday’s opening round will see the PDC superstars go head-to-head with their Oceanic counterparts for a place at Finals Day, with Australian number one Heta pitted against an in-form Robb.
2022 champion Gerwyn Price – the only former winner in this year’s field – faces Mark Cleaver, while former finalist Jonny Clayton begins his title bid against home favourite Haupai Puha.
Ten-time TV title winner James Wade marks his return to Oceania against Kayden Milne, while Northern Ireland’s number one Josh Rock and Australian stalwart Simon Whitlock renew their rivalry on the World Series stage.
Elsewhere, third seed Stephen Bunting opens his challenge against the returning Raymond Smith, with Ross Smith set to meet Tour Card Holder Adam Leek in a battle of the debutants.
Following Friday’s opening night, the 2026 New Zealand Darts Masters will conclude with the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final during a bumper Saturday evening session at the Spark Arena.
Play gets underway from 1900 local time (0800 BST) on each day, with coverage broadcast live on Sky in New Zealand and Fox Sports in Australia, and through DAZN in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
UK fans can watch the action live on ITV4, with coverage also available on PDCTV in all global territories.
2026 SkyCity New Zealand Darts Masters August 14-15, Spark Arena, Auckland Draw Bracket (1) Gian van Veen v Jonny Tata Jonny Clayton v Haupai Puha (4) James Wade v Kayden Milne Josh Rock v Simon Whitlock (2) Gerwyn Price v Mark Cleaver Damon Heta v Ben Robb (3) Stephen Bunting v Raymond Smith Ross Smith v Adam Leek
Schedule of Play Friday August 14 ((1900 NZST, 0800 BST) Gerwyn Price v Mark Cleaver Ross Smith v Adam Leek James Wade v Kayden Milne Josh Rock v Simon Whitlock Gian van Veen v Jonny Tata Jonny Clayton v Haupai Puha Damon Heta v Ben Robb Stephen Bunting v Raymond Smith Best of 11 legs
Saturday August 15 (1900 NZST, 0800 BST) Quarter-Finals Best of 11 legs
Semi-Finals Best of 13 legs
Final Best of 15 legs
All Saturday matches to be played in Draw Bracket order.
