2027 World Darts Championship qualifying race: Littler firmly on top, concerns for Van Gerwen and Van Barneveld

The battle for spots at the 2027 PDC World Darts Championship is taking clearer shape. With a few months of the season remaining, several players have already built a solid platform for a ticket to Alexandra Palace. For others, the situation is becoming increasingly worrying. A number of familiar names still cannot be certain of a place at the most important tournament of the year.

Much can still change in the coming months. The major TV events in particular offer significant prize money, meaning a single strong result can have major consequences for the PDC Order of Merit. Even so, the current standings provide a clearer picture of who is well placed and who will need to graft hard in the autumn. A large part of the regular Pro Tour season is already in the books. Of the 34 Players Championship events, 26 have been played in the first seven months. The Euro Tour is also approaching its decisive phase: ten of the fifteen events are now complete.

There are 128 tickets available for the Worlds. All players now start from the first round. The top 40 on the PDC Order of Merit qualify directly, while the best forty non-qualified players from the Pro Tour Order of Merit also secure a berth. The remaining 48 places are allocated through various international routes. These include secondary PDC rankings, international circuits and standalone qualifiers. This ensures the Worlds once again feature an international field with players from different parts of the globe.

The race on the PDC Order of Merit is about more than just earning a Worlds ticket. World ranking position also determines seeding and, to a large extent, a player’s potential path through the draw. A high seeding can prevent the elite from clashing early. For players near the lower end of the seedings, it is different. Under the system, the 32nd seed could, on paper, face the world number one as early as the third round. With eight Players Championships, five Euro Tours and several lucrative majors still to come, the battle is far from over. The shape of the field is becoming clearer, but strong or poor results in the final months can still have a major impact on the road to Ally Pally.

There is barely any doubt about that top spot. Luke Littler has built such a huge lead that his status as top seed is no longer under threat. The Englishman won the last two editions of the World Championship and amassed a vast haul of ranking prize money. On the provisional world ranking, Littler’s lead is now close to £2 million. It is therefore certain he will start the Worlds as the top seed once again.

Gian van Veen looks set to start the 2027 World Darts Championship from a particularly favorable position. The Dutchman is currently second on the PDC Order of Merit and has built a healthy cushion over his pursuers on the provisional Worlds ranking.

The gap to Luke Humphries is especially significant. On the provisional ranking, Van Veen has over £200,000 more to his name than the former world champion. Humphries lost that spot in July after an early exit at the World Matchplay. Van Veen capitalized and moved into second. If the Dutchman can hold that position through to the Worlds, he will arrive at Alexandra Palace as the second seed. That would place him on the opposite side of the draw from the world number one.

Behind Littler and Van Veen, the chase for the other high seeds is heating up. Jonny Clayton and Gerwyn Price are currently on course for places inside the top five seeds. If that holds until December, both Welshmen would land in Littler’s half of the draw. James Wade currently occupies sixth on the provisional seeding list.

Michael van Gerwen faces a crucial second half of the season. ‘Mighty Mike’ is now seventh in the world rankings and only eighth on the provisional Worlds seeding list. He will want to avoid that latter position in particular, as it could set up a quarterfinal against Littler at Ally Pally. Either way, it is highly likely Van Gerwen will run into an elite opponent as early as the last eight.

That is a stark contrast to a few years ago, when the three-time world champion dominated the rankings for years. From January 2014 to January 2021, Van Gerwen held the top spot on the PDC Order of Merit without interruption. Even after losing that position, he remained among the absolute elite for a long time, hovering mainly between second and third. After the World Championship, he even risks dropping outside the world’s top 10 or even top 16. The Dutchman reached the Worlds final at the start of 2024, and he must defend that prize money at the upcoming edition.

The makeup of the top 32 could shift considerably heading into the World Championship. While established names like Peter Wright and Michael Smith currently sit outside the seeded positions, Wessel Nijman has surged rapidly into the bracket of the world’s best.

The Dutchman entered the last World Championship as world number 31, but has made huge strides since. Thanks to strong Pro Tour results, Nijman has climbed to ninth on the virtual PDC Order of Merit. That puts a place in the global top ten at the start of the Worlds firmly within reach.

Despite his struggles, Wright has slipped to 34th and sits just outside the top 32. Smith’s situation is even more disappointing. The former world champion is only 37th in the virtual ranking, and will need to earn some more ranking money quickly if he is going to confirm his spot at Ally Pally.

A further 40 players secure a World Championship ticket via the Pro Tour Order of Merit. This ranking has a surprise leader in Cristo Reyes. The Spaniard returned to the PDC Tour after six years away and has made an immediate impression on his comeback.

Newcomer Beau Greaves is also excelling. The three-time women’s world champion won a Players Championship event in her Pro Tour debut season and impressively sits fourth. She has played at the PDC World Darts Championship before and will be hoping to kick on there and continue her immaculate development in what already is a brilliant career.

Someone in trouble is Raymond van Barneveld. The five-time world champion is a serious doubt to qualify for the time being with wins becoming scarce whether on the floor or big stage. Qualifying for a couple of European Tour events later in the year could be crucial with Barney running out of time to get into those crucial qualifying positions.

Even further down former semi-finalists Scott Williams and Dimitri Van den Bergh are way off the pace. They will know a couple of deep runs should be enough with the pair of them having the quality to do so.

While the PDC Order of Merit and the Pro Tour Order of Merit are bringing increased clarity over the World Championship field, the international qualification race remains almost completely open. Of the 48 berths allocated via international routes, most still need to be decided in the coming months.

This is mainly because several secondary PDC circuits conclude later in the season. In addition, many of the individual international qualifiers are still to be played. As a result, the field from various regions of the world will only take definitive shape toward the end of the year.

For now, only three players have secured World Championship participation via these routes at Alexandra Palace. David Cameron is among that trio. He clinched a berth by winning the CDC Continental Cup. Adam Sevada can also stop worrying about qualification. He earned his ticket by taking the North American Darts Championship. The third already awarded international spot went to Jesus Salate. He qualified for the World Championship by winning the circuit for players from Latin and South America.