Australian Darts Masters 2026: Price and Clayton Favoured to Reach Final, Klinge to Challenge Smith
by Devesh Jaganath | by Devesh Jaganath
All Welsh Final on the Cards in Wollongong Following Auckland Spectacle?
The 2026 Australian Darts Masters is here, and with Luke Littler and Luke Humphries both opting against participating in the Oceanic legs of the World Series, the field is wide-open for a new champion to be crowned in Wollongong this week.
Gian van Veen is the top seed in his debut campaign at the Australian Darts Masters!
The Giant has been excellent over the past two years, and while he has yet to win a senior PDC title in 2026, he has recorded impressive finishes, most notably reaching the World Championship final, where he beat Luke Humphries 5-1 in the quarter-final and Gary Anderson 6-3 in the semis.
However, according to our expert’s Australian Darts Masters predictions, Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton are installed as the ones to beat Down Under, after the two Welshmen battled out the final at the New Zealand Darts Masters in Auckland last weekend.
Clayton went on to lift the title, beating Price 8-4 in the final. The result also allowed the Ferret to exact his revenge on the Iceman, who won the very same final back in 2022, when the competition was known as the New South Wales Darts Masters.
Clayton has now won his last three matches against his compatriot and World Cup of Darts partner!
Still, counting out Price is never a good idea, as the Iceman has built a reputation for defying the odds and finding an extra level when coming up against the world’s best, as we saw at the European Darts Grand Prix in Sindelfingen earlier this year.
Price also won the Australian Darts Masters in 2024, beating Littler 8-1 in the final, where he averaged a remarkable 99.42. He reached the quarter-final here last year by beating Joe Comito in the opening round before bowing out to Chris Dobey 6-4.
Brody Klinge to Add to Ross Smith’s Disappointment Down Under?
Given the absence of regulars like Littler, Humphries and Michael van Gerwen, Ross Smith has been called up for his World Series of Darts debut this year, but his campaign began with a major disappointment in Auckland last week.
Smudger was drawn against Adam Leek and ended up on the wrong side of the biggest shock of the opening round of the tournament, losing to the Aussie 6-5 after missing a total of six match darts.
Our experts have picked out Smith’s opener here in Wollongong as the possible upset of the opening round, with the Englishman set to take on a tricky opponent in Brody Klinge. Get all the insights for this clash in our Ross Smith vs Brody Klinge prediction.
Brody Klinge is the number-one-ranked player in the ADA Rankings in 2026!
Klinge made his Australian Darts Masters debut last year and lost in the opening round 6-1 to Stephen Bunting. However, the final scoreline did not tell the full story, as the Aussie local recorded a 95.10 average - the highest of the eight Oceanic representatives in that opening round.
Additionally, Klinge is enjoying a spectacular 2026 on the Australian Darts Association Tour, winning eight titles from the first 20 events. His latest two titles came immediately before this World Series event, meaning he arrives in Wollongong carrying genuine momentum.
