Entries Players Championship 25 & 26: Luke Littler continues floor absence as Humphries, Bunting, Clayton among withdrawals

The entry lists for Players Championship 25 and 26 have been released with some of the best players in the world getting straight back on the oche following the World Matchplay in a highly anticipated double-header at Halle 39 in Hildesheim. The events will take place on Tuesday 28/07/26 and Wednesday 29/07/26, kicking off from 1300 CEST (1200 BST).

128 players will be making the trip to Germany for the continuation of the 2026 ProTour season as another two PDC ranking titles are set to be handed out. The lineup is comprised of PDC Tour Card Holders and PDPA Associate Members.

With the World Grand Prix the next big major tournament on the horizon, players will be desperate to get some wins under their belt to improve their chances of qualifying for the tournament in Leicester. In contrast, others will be recovering from their recent expedition to the Winter Gardens.

In turn, that has seen a number of players withdraw. Most significantly Luke Littler and Luke Humphries who will not make the trip to Hildesheim. The world number one is still yet to feature on the floor in 2026 with his chances of qualifying for the Players Championship Finals coming under pressure in the race to Minehead.

The other Tour Card absentees include a number of players who recently competed at the World Matchplay. They are Gary Anderson, Nathan Aspinall, Stephen Bunting, Jonny Clayton, Rob Cross, Joe Cullen, Ryan Joyce, Cameron Menzies, Danny Noppert, Josh Rock, Ross Smith, Dimitri Van den Bergh, Ian White and Luke Woodhouse.

In to replace them are Joe Hunt, Daniel Ayres, Tommy Morris, Christopher Wickenden, Nathan Potter, Jack Tweddell, Harry Ward, Martin Dragt, Henry Coates, Daniel Klose, Florian Pries, Levy Frauenfelder, Steve Lennon, Scott Waites, Radek Szaganski and Ted Evetts.

Gian van Veen, Michael van Gerwen and Gerwyn Price will headline the field. Another Dutchman in the form of Wessel Nijman will be chasing a seventh Players Championship title in 2026 and will be the man to beat. Other notable inclusions are Dave Chisnall, Chris Dobey, Mike De Decker, Andrew Gilding, Beau Greaves, Damon Heta, Martin Schindler, Ryan Searle, Michael Smith, Raymond van Barneveld, James Wade and Peter Wright.