DISCUSSION: Players Championship 13 & 14 - Is it time to move from Hildesheim after big names skip again as unstoppable Nijman and resurgent Hopp shine

The Players Championship series roared into Hildesheim for Events 13 and 14 over the past two days (4-5 May) with Kevin Doets and Wessel Nijman crowned champions.

Nijman, of course, is very much a familiar face, having won five this year, while Doets has won his first but has long been the next player to win one, ironically defeating the other player in that bracket, Luke Woodhouse.

But the latest double header did raise discussion points in particular about Nijman being the next big Dutch hope to replace MVG and challenge Van Veen. Whether Max Hopp is now the top German and also whether the tournaments in Hildesheim should be moved.

Many of the top names have decided to either play exhibitions, attend Alex Warren concerts if you're Luke Littler or Stephen Bunting, or generally have the Bank Holiday weekend in the UK off with zero darts. But as Nijman continues to dominate, what harm does this do for the PDC brand, given that they are not playing European Tours either for the most part.

Wessel Nijman continues to defy his perceived ceiling. The Dutchman was long a bit of a nearly man with a chequered past who had the talent on paper but whether he'd use it was another matter.

But now he has shown that he can use it at least on the floor to further his ambitions and speaking afterwards he even said that he doesn't care about records or even Blackpool in two months, he cares about the here and now and being the best version of Wessel Nijman he can be and that is something that certainly resonates.

Not someone who wants to jump too quickly amid perhaps the media pressure that would come with such a rise, he doesn't want to be the next player as he has found himself even to play on TV and then flounder when the expectations heighten.

Kevin Doets showed again why he is one of the players to beat, winning his first title finally. This is part of a new Dutch generation, and both are the next hopes, especially with MVG about to fall in the rankings, meaning that even when he's further down, he will now have two more players clipping at his heels from his home nation.

Max Hopp perhaps showed the dismal state of German darts, as Martin Schindler has not even reached a Quarter-Final this year, while 'Maximiser' has reached a final. It is great to see him back, but in a period where Schindler, Springer, and even Wenig perhaps were seen as the next players to dominate it is the old faithful.

But also, this double header raised the issue of the venue. Once again, dozens of players decided they didn't fancy it and didn't play. The PDC no doubt will have a headache as it can't be dubbed the best 128 players when nearly 20 don't turn up. Also, the issue they have, too, of course, is that on the European Tour, even with blanket protection for the top names, they don't bother either, so the PDC have shot themselves in the foot by giving such a blanket to the top 16 to basically not play on both the Players Championship and European Tour. Hildesheim has often been hard to get to, and whether they look at moving is very much on the cards, given that it has been going on for years while tournaments get played there.

Once again, Wessel Nijman proved unstoppable. On Tuesday, he stormed to his fifth Players Championship title and sixth ranking title of the season. Only a select group of players in darts history have managed to win five or more Players Championship events in a single year, placing Nijman in elite company alongside legends such as Phil Taylor, Michael van Gerwen, and Gary Anderson. One striking pattern, however, is that Nijman consistently captures his titles on the second day of these Players Championship double-headers. A minor area for improvement heading into future floor events would be converting that dominance into victories on the opening day of the week as well.

It was also encouraging to see Max Hopp back in a Players Championship final, something that hadn’t happened in seven years. The German started the season under pressure, battling to retain his PDC Tour Card, but that concern now appears to have faded. His resurgence suggests renewed confidence and a return to the level that once marked him out as one of Germany’s leading talents.

The other event of the double-header was also claimed by a Dutchman, Kevin Doets. It marked his first PDC ranking title, and it came as little surprise. Doets had already reached seven quarter-finals or semi-finals this season, making it clear that a breakthrough victory was only a matter of time. That long-awaited title has now arrived, and it also secures him spots at both the World Matchplay and the World Grand Prix later this year. With his current form, Doets could well emerge as a dangerous outsider, a genuine banana skin for the sport’s established names on the big stage.

What more is there to say about Wessel Nijman. The greatest compliment you can give him is that he is the first player to win five Players Championship titles in a calendar year since Michael van Gerwen in 2016. ‘The Green Machine’ was in his pomp then, showcasing how good Nijman is doing. Not just the titles or performances, but the mentality on display. Displeased to drop a single leg against a hapless Max Hopp in the final. He is currently on a rampage, and he will not want it to end anytime soon.

With Kevin Doets finally getting his first PDC ranking title, that is another player to win one before Luke Woodhouse. He is knocking on the door but just has not been able to seize his chance. He will need to keep at the task at hand and eventually he will earn the coveted prize. As for Doets, this is the least he deserves. Taking home PC13 may release him even more. Now a title holder, the inform Dutchman is a threat to anyone on the PDC Tour.

There has to be questions over Danny Noppert. Now eight floor semi-final defeats on the spin along with all the major semi-final defeats in the past year. His inability to get over the line in a Euro Tour final has to be placed into this topic. While these are all fine achievements, the man is ranked ninth in the world. He needs to be winning these titles on a more regular basis, not continuously exiting at this stage. His form continues to be very impressive, but titles will get him on the map, not close calls.

He was one of only three top 50 players who made it into the quarterfinal stage. A large part on why this occurred was the amount of darters not making the trip to Hildesheim. Notoriously tricky to reach, these tournaments are normally skipped by many players. For example, van Gerwen was the only Premier League player to make the trip. From a neutral perspective, it can open the door for other players to make deep runs (Suljovic, Bissell, Hunt, etc) but it could become a problem. There is no qualm in missing the six events located in Germany with another 28 to earn money at. The PDC may need to re-think re-locating from Halle 39.

What I raised as a question here last week can, just one week later, essentially be answered with a definitive “yes”: Max Hopp is currently the best German darts player — and it is not particularly close.

This is partly due to what happened on Monday. A home event in Hildesheim, 15 German Tour Card holders plus two substitutes, and much of the world’s elite absent — and yet not a single German player reached the last 16. Only two even made it to a board final, while 15 were eliminated in rounds one and two. A reflection of the season so far — if it were not for Max Hopp.

Hopp, who made an unlikely — and somewhat fortunate — return to the Pro Tour in 2025 after years of sporting struggles, has since been performing at a level we had not seen from “The Maximiser” for quite some time. At Players Championship 14 in Hildesheim, Hopp crowned an already strong season with a run to the final. He is now well on course to retain his Tour Card, return to Alexandra Palace, and is currently even occupying a provisional qualification spot for the World Grand Prix. What may sound like 2019 is, in fact, the reality in 2026. And after years of sporting struggles, years without a Tour Card, and years of unpleasant media coverage, I cannot express enough how pleased I am for Max Hopp.

Taking off the German lens, I can only take my hat off to Dutch darts. Two tournament wins this week are further proof that — even though legends like Michael van Gerwen and Raymond van Barneveld are past their sporting peak — we are currently witnessing a golden Dutch generation.

Wessel Nijman is already approaching £100,000 in the Players Championship Order of Merit — at the beginning of May. Remarkable. Even more remarkable: he is just one of several Dutch players in outstanding form, alongside names such as Kevin Doets, who finally rewarded weeks of world-class performances with his first PDC title on Monday. In my view, he is yet another Dutch player waiting in the wings to shape the future of the sport at the highest level.

Wessel Nijman is rapidly becoming the man to beat on the Players Championship circuit. The Dutchman simply doesn’t seem to know when to stop, and—almost routinely on a Tuesday—he claimed his fifth Players Championship title of the year. And he’s done it in just fourteen events. That means the 25-year-old from Uitgeest has won nearly a third of all floor tournaments staged so far this season. In doing so, he joins an elite group featuring legends like Phil Taylor and compatriot Michael van Gerwen, both of whom have also managed five floor titles in a single calendar year.

The real question now is whether Nijman can carry that blistering form onto the sport’s biggest stages. The majors still lie ahead, and while he clearly has the potential to break into the world’s top ten, he’ll need to deliver beyond the Players Championship circuit. He has already impressed on the European Tour this year, but if he wants to climb even higher, deep runs at events like the World Matchplay or World Grand Prix will be essential.

This double-header wasn’t just about Nijman, though. Kevin Doets finally turned consistency into silverware by capturing his maiden PDC title. 'Hawkeye' had been knocking on the door in recent weeks, regularly reaching quarter-finals and semi-finals without reward. That changed on Monday. After a strong day’s play, he defeated Luke Woodhouse in the final to get his hands on that long-awaited first trophy.

For Dutch darts, it’s an encouraging development. With Van Gerwen no longer as dominant as in years past, and established names like Dirk van Duijvenbode and Jermaine Wattimena struggling for form, it’s refreshing to see a new generation stepping up. Nijman and Doets are proving they can go deep in tournaments—and do so consistently.

Another compelling storyline came from Germany’s Max Hopp. 'The Maximiser' has been around the PDC scene for years, and after losing his Tour Card for a spell, he regained it in 2025. Results had been hard to come by, but this Tuesday, he suddenly re-emerged, storming all the way to the final like a bolt from the blue.

For German darts, that represents a welcome boost. With Martin Schindler struggling to live up to expectations as the nation’s number one, and players like Ricardo Pietreczko and Gabriel Clemens also lacking consistency, Hopp’s resurgence offers a different kind of hope. Not a breakthrough star, but a familiar face rediscovering his rhythm and quietly working his way back up the ranks.

Many withdrawals and a title for Wessel Nijman — you could think everything went as expected. But once again, these two days had so much more to offer.

Among the biggest stories was Kevin Doets finally winning his first PDC title, something he more than deserved. His excellent form has finally been rewarded. If he keeps playing like this, he could establish himself in the world’s top 16 for the long term.

At the same time, you have to feel for Luke Woodhouse. He has been incredibly consistent for years and continues to improve, yet he is still waiting for his first PDC title. A trophy would be enormously important for his confidence right now.

Another very positive development is Mensur Suljović. Many people had already written him off, but a semifinal and a quarterfinal appearance, combined with several strong performances, showed how good he still can be, even if he ran out of energy towards the end. Still, this was a very important step for his confidence, his Tour Card hopes, and his next Darts WM qualification chances.

And of course there is Max Hopp. Currently the best German player, he reached the final of Players Championship 14 and once again showed his consistency. You can only praise him for the development he has made.

I am still worried about Ricardo Pietreczko. He averaged around 80 in one event and then retired from his match in the other. If he wants to compete at the World Cup of Darts in five weeks, he still has a lot to improve on, and the pressure certainly is not getting any smaller.

Overall, apart from Hopp and a last-16 run from Lukas Wenig, the German performances were very disappointing.