In the world of professional darts, the Order of Merit plays a crucial role. The ranking determines which players qualify for tournaments, who constitute the sport's top players, and how prize money is distributed.
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However, in addition to the general Order of Merit, several rankings cover different circuits and tournaments.
1.PDC Order of Merit
2.PDC Pro Tour Order of Merit
3.European Tour Order of Merit
4.Players Championship Order of Merit
5.World Series Order of Merit
6.Challenge Tour Order of Merit
7.Development Tour Order of Merit
8.Women's Series Order of Merit
2.PDC Pro Tour Order of Merit
3.European Tour Order of Merit
4.Players Championship Order of Merit
5.World Series Order of Merit
6.Challenge Tour Order of Merit
7.Development Tour Order of Merit
8.Women's Series Order of Merit
The above rankings are the main Order of Merits on the PDC circuit. In this article, we explain in detail how all the different rankings work.
1. PDC Order of Merit
The PDC Order of Merit is the most prestigious ranking within the sport of darts. This list is determined based on the prize money players earn at PDC tournaments over a two-year period. The Order of Merit is of great importance because it determines who qualifies directly for major tournaments such as the World Darts Championship and the World Matchplay, as well as smaller events such as the Euro Tour.
Important aspects:
- Prize money from all ranking tournaments counts
- The ranking is updated every week and at that time the results of two years are removed from the rankings
- The top-32 of the world rankings are automatically qualified for the second round at the World Darts Championships
- The top-16 in the world rankings are automatically qualified for the World Matchplay, World Grand Prix and Euro Tour tournaments.
- The ranking is updated every week and at that time the results of two years are removed from the rankings
- The top-32 of the world rankings are automatically qualified for the second round at the World Darts Championships
- The top-16 in the world rankings are automatically qualified for the World Matchplay, World Grand Prix and Euro Tour tournaments.
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Luke Humphries currently leads the PDC Order of Merit.
2. PDC Pro Tour Order of Merit
The PDC Pro Tour Order of Merit is a ranking based on prize money earned in Players Championship tournaments and the European Tour. This ranking is important for players who do not directly qualify for major tournaments via the regular Order of Merit.
Important aspects:
- The top-32 of the Pro Tour Order of Merit will receive an invitation to the PDC World Darts Championship
- The top-16 of the Pro Tour Order of Merit qualify for tournaments such as the World Matchplay, World Grand Prix and events of the European Tour
- These rankings are used to determine the seeding list for the Players Championship tournaments
- The top-16 of the Pro Tour Order of Merit qualify for tournaments such as the World Matchplay, World Grand Prix and events of the European Tour
- These rankings are used to determine the seeding list for the Players Championship tournaments
3. European Tour Order of Merit
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The European Tour Order of Merit is based on performance in European Tour tournaments. These are events played in Belgium (2), Germany (7), Austria (1), the Netherlands (1), the Czech Republic (1), Hungary (1) and Switzerland (1) in large halls with often thousands of fans in attendance.
It offers players the chance to earn hefty prize money as each Euro Tour tournament distributes £175,000 in prize money of which £30,000 goes to the winner.
Important aspects:
- The European Tour Order of Merit is the only route to qualify for the European Championship. The 32 players with the best performances at European Tour tournaments will receive an invitation
- The draw for the European Championship is done based on the final ranking. The higher the ranking, the lower opponent you get
- The higher up the rankings, the lower opponent you get at the European Championship.
- The draw for the European Championship is done based on the final ranking. The higher the ranking, the lower opponent you get
- The higher up the rankings, the lower opponent you get at the European Championship.
4. Players Championship Order of Merit
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The Players Championship Order of Merit is a ranking determined by the prize money players earn in Players Championship tournaments. These are the floor tournaments played throughout the year outside the view of television cameras.
The Players Championship circuit today consists of 34 tournaments spread across playing venues in England, the Netherlands and Germany. Although not televised, the PDC does televise four boards via a live stream. At each Players Championship tournament, £125,000 in prize money is at stake. The winner goes home with the top prize of 15,000 pounds.
Important aspects:
- The top 64 of the Players Championship Order of Merit qualify for the Players Championship Finals
- The draw for the Players Championship Finals is done based on the final ranking. The higher the ranking, the lower opponent you get
- The draw for the Players Championship Finals is done based on the final ranking. The higher the ranking, the lower opponent you get
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5. World Series Order of Merit
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The World Series Order of Merit is a separate ranking based solely on performance in World Series of Darts tournaments. These tournaments are played around the world, with 2025 events in Bahrain, the Netherlands, Denmark, the United States, Poland, Australia and New Zealand.
Important aspects:
- Only prize money from World Series tournaments counts
- The ranking is used to determine seeding for World Series tournaments
- The top of the World Series Order of Merit automatically qualifies for the World Series Finals.
- The ranking is used to determine seeding for World Series tournaments
- The top of the World Series Order of Merit automatically qualifies for the World Series Finals.
Stephen Bunting currently leads the way.
6. Challenge Tour Order of Merit
The Challenge Tour is open to players who participated in the Q-School but did not find a PDC Tour Card there. The circuit consists of 24 tournaments and based on the results, the Challenge Tour Order of Merit is formed.
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Each Challenge Tour tournament has a prize pool of £15,000, of which £2,500 goes to the winner. With good results, lucrative rewards lie ahead for the best players on the Challenge Tour.
Important aspects:
- The highest ranked players will receive an invitation to enter the Players Championship tournaments as alternates
- The top-2 on the Challenge Tour Order of Merit may compete in the PDC World Darts Championship and receive a PDC Tour Card for the following two seasons
- The winner of the Challenge Tour Order of Merit will receive an invitation to the Grand Slam of Darts
- The top eight in the ranking will gain entry to the following year's UK Open
- The top-2 on the Challenge Tour Order of Merit may compete in the PDC World Darts Championship and receive a PDC Tour Card for the following two seasons
- The winner of the Challenge Tour Order of Merit will receive an invitation to the Grand Slam of Darts
- The top eight in the ranking will gain entry to the following year's UK Open
7. Development Tour Order of Merit
The Development Tour Order of Merit is specifically for young talents aged 16 to 23. This ranking is determined by prize money players earn in Development Tour tournaments.
New in 2025 is that players in the top-64 of the PDC Order of Merit will no longer be allowed to compete in Development Tour tournaments. However, they will still have access to the World Youth Championship.
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Important aspects:
- The top-2 on the Development Tour Order of Merit may compete in the PDC World Darts Championship and will receive a PDC Tour Card for the following two seasons
-The winner of the Development Tour Order of Merit will receive an invitation to the Grand Slam of Darts
- The top eight in the ranking will gain entry to the following year's UK Open
- The best youth players compete in the PDC World Youth Championship
-The winner of the Development Tour Order of Merit will receive an invitation to the Grand Slam of Darts
- The top eight in the ranking will gain entry to the following year's UK Open
- The best youth players compete in the PDC World Youth Championship
8. Women's Series Order of Merit
The Women's Series Order of Merit is a ranking specifically for female darters and is based on performance in PDC Women's Series tournaments.
The Women's Series circuit has a total of 24 tournaments. Each event has a prize pool of £10,000, of which £2,000 goes to the winner of the tournament. Through the rankings, ladies can qualify for various majors.
Important aspects:
- The top two of the Women's Series Order of Merit may compete in the PDC World Darts Championship
- The winner of the Women's Series Order of Merit will receive an invitation to the Grand Slam of Darts
- The top eight in the rolling Women's Series Order of Merit (August 10, 2024 to June 9, 2025) will receive a starting ticket to the Women's World Matchplay
- The winner of the Women's Series Order of Merit will receive an invitation to the Grand Slam of Darts
- The top eight in the rolling Women's Series Order of Merit (August 10, 2024 to June 9, 2025) will receive a starting ticket to the Women's World Matchplay
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Samuel GillChief Content Officer
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
In his current role, Samuel works closely with editors and writers to ensure content meets clear journalistic standards, with a focus on source verification, editorial consistency, and timely updates when new, confirmed information becomes available.
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- Play all legs and the winners split the pot. Luke gets the lot of he wins them all. If your occupation is darts player you can't enter, regardless of ability.BandB01-11-2026
- I'm quite a jaded person all things considered, but to be honest I found Beat Luke Littler to be pretty entertaining. It certainly wasn't seamless, which is to be expected given the lack of precedence, but I actually think the pacing was pretty good, the production was impressive, and there was a good sense of humour and levity to it. I think it was a very ambitious undertaking but one that, for the most part, paid off. I liked the system with the four pots and I think it added to the drama and intrigue. I enjoyed seeing the diverse range of entrants and learning about their backstories. I think the interactivity was pretty clever and well-integrated. The panel was a little incoherent at times; Lee Mack shone however, and his improvisational skills were appreciated during some more awkward interstitial moments. As far as the darts is concerned, it was a shame that the format didn't allow Littler to get into full flow. You obviously don't want him to steamroll everyone but you want to feel like you're getting the full Littler package rather than seeing him struggling to get out of first gear. I will say that his leg against Jayden Walker was very impressive, but it was mostly downhill from there. The attraction revolves around Littler being this untouchable, indomitable force, yet the format doesn't really allow him to fulfil that characterisation. As for Fallon Sherrock, she was mightily impressive and deserved the victory. It is a testament to her unshakeable character that she was able to bang in a 14-darter under such mind-bending pressure. Everything that has been said about the misleading marketing is valid, though they were clear about their eligibility criteria and were able to offload the responsibility somewhat by bringing the viewers into the decision-making process in real time. What is clear though, is that Fallon played the game according to the rules, and she should not be criticised for that, much less abused. I will admit though that it is a kick in the teeth for those true amateurs who committed time and money to the course, and I would also question those who think pub players would have no chance, given that some of Littler's winning legs were dispatched in 7 visits to the board! The great thing about darts is that it isn't so much that amateurs cannot replicate the feats of brilliance pulled off by professionals of the sport, than it is that they simply cannot replicate the consistency of their output, something that this format almost entirely removes from the equation. It should also be noted that, financially, Fallon certainly stands to benefit much less in relative terms from the paycheque than would your average pub thrower, as I'm sure she nets a fair income from the lucrative exhibition circuit alone. What I do hope is that she might use this as an opportunity to really build up a head of steam heading into the new season, as it seems long overdue that she come through Q-School and really take it to the pros on a week-in week-out basis, but whatever she chooses to do, she has certainly achieved enough already for one if not several lifetimes, so who am I to dictate terms? To conclude though, I will state once again that I found Beat Luke Littler to be a pretty enjoyable evening of entertainment. I do feel for the contestants who never actually had the chance to try their luck against the world #1, although I suppose it comes with the format, but all which inevitably raises the question: will Netflix be tempted to do it all again next year? It's hard to say. Whether it would be financially viable, I can't weigh in there. One point I have been making though, and which I touched on earlier, is that the entire concept relies on a public perception that Littler is more or less unbeatable, and that certainly hasn't been the case of late. If the execs had been trying to pitch the show in recent months while Littler has seemed vulnerable, rather than when he was mopping up almost every major title on the calendar, it would certainly be a tougher sell. We will have to see in about 6 months' time whether Littler can still reliably command perception as a near-unstoppable force in darts, and then we'll have a clearer idea about whether we should expect a second helping. Even as a one-off experiment though, and with all the controversy taken into account, I still don't think they disgraced themselves by any means, and that will probably be my lingering assessment of the event when all is said and done.Deduce635801-11-2026
- Fair play to Fallon. But...shows the mockery when a professional players wins what was meant to be an amateur v Pro event, Littlers performance was poor, and what about the players who didn't get a game? Would have been better if the pot was split amoungst all the winners and they all got a leg.BandB31-10-2026
- Not even slightly interestedrick6730-10-2026
- And yet the PDC has decided to aggravate this problem by doubling the Players Championship Finals field from 2027. I can't imagine there will be fewer withdrawals next year with even less reason to turn up. I can only hope that a whole slew of Challenge Tour top-up players receive enough prize money in the absence of much of the elite, that some of the more complacent among them struggle to scrape into even a heavily diluted field! More semi-pro players will get to test their mettle, but the standard of competition will be much inferior. It could hardly be said that the Players Championship series will provide an opportunity for darts' second string to test their Tour Card credentials anymore, but at least it will underscore the achievements of those Challenge Tour players of current and previous years, who were able to prove themselves as more than capable of competing with, and beating, the elite of the sport on a consistent basis, and reaping the due rewards.Deduce635828-10-2026
- No point in being there? Champions want to win.Deduce635828-10-2026
- Littler lost to crabtree in the youth/junior/whatever you call it. He had no point in being there. He's unfortunately now got to the stage,he feels all he has to do is get on the stage to win. Well,I hope he realises part of his fear factor has gone. Happened to Taylor,then van gerwen,and it's causing him to realise pretty sharp,he isn't unstoppable. It's good for the sport,not 1 single player in my 60 years has ever,or will ever be, unbeatable.rick6725-10-2026
- I think it's great to see Mark Webster looking good,good ladrick6725-10-2026
- I agree,I can't believe the lack of coverage of this sad loss. Always enjoyed watching him,but I guess now it's all about littler,well it seems that way. Darts has sadly lost a good manrick6717-10-2026
- In the absence of a report regarding the death of Stefan Lord, I'll assist. An excellent player in the late 70s and early 80s, he actually won the now defunct 3rd place match at two World Championships and a couple of the News of the World Championships. A fabulous player and easily the best Swedish player ever. Rest peacefully Stefan.richieburnettrocks16-10-2026