Smith beats Price to claim World Series of Darts Finals title

Michael Smith has won the World Series of Darts Finals, beating Gerwyn Price in the final to claim the £100,000 top prize. Smith said he was delighted with the victory, noting that it followed two disappointing first-round exits earlier in the 2026 World Series, in New Zealand and Australia. He said facing a player of Price's calibre, widely regarded as one of the best in the world, meant he had to raise his game.

On his way to the final, Smith beat Northern Ireland's Josh Rock 10-7 in the quarter-finals and Dutch player Gian van Veen 11-8 in the semi-finals. Price reached the final by defeating England's James Wade in the quarter-finals before beating fellow Welshman Jonny Clayton, who had earlier knocked out Luke Littler, in the semi-finals.

A tight final turns Smith's way

Price, who previously won the World Series title in 2020 and 2022, won two consecutive legs in the final to level the match at 5-5 against Smith. He kept the contest alive as Smith continued to score heavily but converted checkouts less efficiently. After the interval, however, Smith became far more clinical, winning the next three legs, including back-to-back checkouts of 127 and 123. Although the big finishes tailed off after that, Smith kept winning a series of scrappy legs to seal the title as Price's form faded.

Earlier in the day, Littler's hopes of sweeping every major PDC title in 2026 ended with a 10-4 quarter-final defeat to Clayton. The world number one had followed his World Championship win at Alexandra Palace in January with titles at the World Masters, UK Open, Premier League, World Cup of Darts and World Matchplay. However, after threatening to boycott events in the Netherlands following heavy booing from the crowd during his last-16 win over Nathan Aspinall, the Warrington player failed to find his best form against Clayton.