Eight perennial contenders will take on eight regional qualifiers at each tournament, with visits to the Netherlands, United States, Norway, Poland, Australia and New Zealand on the schedule prior to the series finale on 13-15 September in Amsterdam.

World champion Luke Humphries, 16-year-old prodigy Luke Littler, Michael van Gerwen, Gerwyn Price, Michael Smith, Rob Cross, Nathan Aspinall and Peter Wright are the eight big names making the trip to the Persian Gulf, with regional stars such as Man Lok Leung and Tomoya Goto waiting for their chance to shine.

Unsurprisingly, it's the likes of Humphries (2/1) who are favoured in the betting. 'Cool Hand Luke' has won four of the last five major PDC tournaments and claimed victory over Littler in the World Championship final at the Alexandra Palace. He boasts a three-dart average of 99.55 since October – best in the world – and has won 36 of his last 40 individual match-ups.

Littler, meanwhile, is a 7/2 shot following his rise to fame in December and January. 'The Nuke' sits just behind Humphries in terms of three-dart average over the last three months and has won 27 of his last 30 matches. The World Youth Champion dropped just six sets through six rounds on his way to the final at Alexandra Palace before running into the juggernaut that is Humphries.

In January 2023, then World Champion Michael Smith (17/2) took his form into the Bahrain Masters and claimed the title. Smith hasn't maintained those standards, however, with 'Bully Boy' failing to make the final of a televised event over the past 12 months. Smith has won just 13 of his last 24 matches and he is below five of this week's rivals in terms of three-dart average in the last three months.

Of course, the likes of Van Gerwen (7/2), Price (6/1) and Rob Cross (10/1) could all make a run depending on the draw for the tournament. Van Gerwen has an impressive record on the World Series of Darts winning 19 tournaments out of 51, with eight more final appearances.

Those thinking of a regional upset should probably keep their hands in their pockets. Man Lok Leung (66/1) is the leading contender according to the bookies, but his three-dart average (83.55) will struggle to compete with the game's best arrowsman. He did, however, average 96.26 and 92.56 in his two outings at the World Championship, beating Gian van Veen 3-2 in round one before losing to Gabriel Clemens in the last 64.