EXPLANATION: This is how all the Order of Merits work in darts

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.

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

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.

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.

- 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 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.

- 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 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.

- 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 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.

- 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 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.

- 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 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.

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.

- 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 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.

- 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 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.

- The top-2 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