All to play for at last Players Championship of 2025: Here's how things stand in race to the Ally Pally with two former world champions in trouble
PDC
The last Players Championship of the year takes place today in Wigan. It is also the last chance for several players to get into the top-40 of the Pro Tour Order of Merit and thus secure a place at the 2026 PDC World Darts Championship.
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The upcoming World Darts Championship will feature 128 players for the first time. Of the 128 PDC Tour Card holders, the top-40 of the world rankings and the top-40 of the Pro Tour Order of Merit qualify for the darts spectacle in 'Ally Pally'.
The 34th and final Players Championship therefore, promises to provide some excitement. Cor Dekker is currently 37th on the Pro Tour Order of Merit and is almost certain to qualify for the World Darts Championship.
Behind him are currently Keane Barry, Owen Bates and Connor Scutt still just inside the top-40. Just outside of that fall Andy Boulton and Maik Kuivenhoven. The latter two need to win at least one match and hope the players ahead of them lose right away in the first round.
Former world champions in trouble
Belgian Andy Baetens still has a small chance to qualify. The winner of the WDF World Championship at Lakeside in 2023 would have to reach the quarter-finals at least this afternoon, something he has not managed to do all year.
Or will Jelle Klaasen pull another gigantic stunt? The 2006 BDO world champion reached the final of the third Players Championship early this year, but has since fallen completely silent. 'The Cobra' is currently 49th on the Pro Tour Order of Merit and needs to reach at least the semifinals today to still qualify for the World Darts Championship.
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Excitement is guaranteed at the last Players Championship of the year. As always, you will be able to follow all the action right here on Dartsnews.com, including in our liveblog, so stay tuned for more updates as the day progresses.
Kieran WoodDarts Journalist
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He contributes to DartsNews.com, where he covers professional darts through news, match reports, analysis, and live coverage across the PDC calendar and major tournaments.
A key part of his work is on-site reporting from leading events. Kieran has covered the PDC World Darts Championship in person, reporting daily from the venue and providing first-hand insight from the tournament. During his coverage, he has conducted interviews with leading players including Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, and Gerwyn Price.
He is also one of the leading voices of the English-language Dartsnews Podcast, contributing regular analysis and discussion on developments across the professional darts circuit.
In his reporting, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles when new, verified information becomes available.
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- Well,I suppose if you don't play the tournaments ,then why should any player qualify? There are players who enter every tournament,and if they don't win it,they carry on, spending money they haven't won,yet certain players seem to think they should qualify. Winners only I thinkrick6714-11-2026
- Everyone knows what a fantastic champion Taylor was,but his performances in the seniors were poor. He wouldn't throw littler off stage,as he'd miss these days!!rick6712-11-2026
- He produced some impressive numbers in that qualifying campaign. I'm excited to see him compete at the World Championship once again, even if it will be difficult to replicate last year's success even with an improved performance, with the draw playing a huge role in determining his fortunes.Deduce635811-11-2026
- I often think about this very question. I think they should revive the format. They could even invite representatives from MODUS Super Series, with four series winners from the past year, and the ADC, with finalists from the Global Championship and perhaps other events. Why not throw in eligible representatives from the JDC and even the soft-tip game too?Deduce635811-11-2026
- So what if littler missed out, he doesnt have to enter everythingant10-11-2026
- Good, absolutely no loss if we never see this dancing goof ever again......no that is not fair. He absolutely cannot and has never been remotely able to dance!richieburnettrocks10-11-2026
- Yes Phil,now the money in the game is bigger than ever,you'd play littler. Well so would I! Retire on your memory Phil,and your successful careerrick6709-11-2026
- And why should he listen to you?Deduce635807-11-2026
- Ultimately it is a bye for whoever draws Barney. It will be another stroppy and sulky performance once he goes behind. Barney was excellent but really must completely call it a day now.richieburnettrocks07-11-2026
- I'm disappointed he was not able to secure a spot at the Grand Slam. With Carl Sneyd taking care of Daryl Gurney, he would have had to beat Andy Boulton before facing the winner of Sneyd vs Mensur Suljović for a Grand Slam spot. Unfortunately, after beating Filip Bereza comfortably, he succumbed to Boulton, and the board would ultimately be won by the highly inconsistent Carl Sneyd. Since he could instead have been drawn against the likes of Cristo Reyes, Dirk van Duijvenbode and Stephen Bunting, I think once Gurney was out of the picture he would have been favourite to win his board, and it seems like a massive missed opportunity to put 5 grand on his ranking and seal another major TV appearance ahead of the Worlds. The highs and lows of following Raymond van Barneveld!Deduce635806-11-2026
