THE PDC have announced that Africa will receive a second qualifying spot into next year’s World Darts Championship.
Kenyan star David Munyua was one of the star attractions during the opening round of this year’s tournament.
Munyua, 30, remarkably came back from 2-0 down to defeat world No18 and Premier League hopeful Mike De Decker.
From next year onward, two African stars will be given the platform to showcase their skills.
As part of a host of changes coming into effect next year, a PDC statement confirmed: “Darts across Africa will be boosted by a new agreement with the African Darts Group, which will see the African Continental Tour feature six R50,000 (£2,200) events each across the Northern and Southern regions respectively.
“And will increase to featuring two World Championship qualifiers from the 2026/27 event.”
The change was confirmed amid confirmation of a more than £3million investment into the Global Affiliate Tours over the next few years.
In addition to Africa – Asia, North America, the Nordic and Baltic region, New Zealand, China and Australia will all benefit from new tournaments.
Players from these regions will also be able to compete at PDC Qualifying School.
The investment comes as part of a drive to expand the game globally.
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This year’s tournament featured a 128-player draw – expanded from the previous 96.
The expansion has enabled more players from more further to be given a chance to shine on the biggest stage.
Munyua, who went on to lose to Kevin Doets in round two, said: “It is amazing, the exposure that I have got, and playing quality players like Kevin and Mike makes it all worthwhile.
“Winning the first round was phenomenal for me, and with this being my first time at Ally Pally, I have done my best, and I am happy with that.”
The vet from Nairobi – nicknamed Why Not? – added: “If we could have different countries from Africa (at the tournament), that would be impressive. If Munyua is doing it why not them?
“From Cameroon, Nigeria, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania. There is nothing that could unite Africa more than sport, sport is the only activity that can join us.”
PDC chief executive Matt Porter said: “The success Kenya’s David Munyua and India’s Nitin Kumar in being their nation’s first winners on the World Championship stage and with Jesus Salate becoming the first Argentinian player in the event will only inspire more players from around the world and there is now a defined route for these players to gain more big-stage experience.”
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