PDC Order of Merit Update during World Matchplay | Luke Littler closes on historic £3m and Gian van Veen eyes world No.2
PDC
The World Matchplay quarter-finals will have major consequences for the PDC Order of Merit, with Luke Littler closing on an unprecedented £3 million ranking total and Gian van Veen potentially replacing Luke Humphries as world number two.
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Behind them, James Wade, Gerwyn Price, Josh Rock and Gary Anderson all retain routes towards fourth place. Ross Smith could climb as high as fourth by lifting the Phil Taylor Trophy, while Dirk van Duijvenbode can potentially rise 15 positions from his pre-tournament ranking.
The live Order of Merit has already removed prize money from the 2024 World Matchplay and credited the eight remaining players with the £35,000 guaranteed for reaching this year’s quarter-finals.
Littler on the verge of breaking £3m barrier
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Littler entered the World Matchplay with an enormous advantage at the top of the rankings. His victories over Niko Springer and Nathan Aspinall have increased his provisional Order of Merit total to £2,953,500.
| Player | Provisional ranking | Highest possible ranking |
| Luke Littler | 1st | 1st |
| Gian van Veen | 3rd | 2nd |
| James Wade | 5th | 4th |
| Josh Rock | 7th | 4th |
| Gerwyn Price | 8th | 4th |
| Gary Anderson | 11th | 4th |
| Ross Smith | 15th | 4th |
| Dirk van Duijvenbode | 25th | 13th |
A semi-final place would take that figure to £2,983,500, leaving him just short of the milestone. Reaching Sunday’s final would increase his total to £3,043,500, making him the first player to hold more than £3 million on the two-year PDC Order of Merit.
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Defending the title would take Littler to £3,143,500. His position as world number one is already guaranteed regardless of what happens against Rock in Thursday’s quarter-final.
Littler in action at the World Matchplay
Van Veen can replace Humphries as world number two
Van Veen’s dramatic 14-12 victory over Wessel Nijman moved him to £968,500. He remains third behind Humphries, whose provisional total has fallen to £1,008,000 following his opening-round defeat to Cameron Menzies.
Victory over Wade would lift Van Veen to £998,500. He would remain third and sit only £9,500 behind Humphries.
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Reaching the final would take the Dutchman to £1,058,500, enough to move above Humphries and become the new world number two. It would also make Van Veen the third current player to hold a seven-figure total, alongside Littler and Humphries.
A first World Matchplay title would increase his ranking money to £1,158,500. Van Veen cannot challenge Littler for top spot, but he can leave Blackpool as the leading player in the chasing group.
Wade leads crowded battle for fourth
Jonny Clayton currently occupies fourth place with £684,500, but his 11-7 defeat to Anderson has left that position vulnerable.
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Wade has already climbed provisionally from sixth to fifth despite defending the £100,000 he earned by reaching last year’s final. His current total of £657,250 leaves him £27,250 behind Clayton.
A quarter-final victory over Van Veen would take Wade to £687,250 and move him into fourth by £2,750. Reaching another Blackpool final would increase his total to £747,250, while winning the tournament would leave him on £847,250.
Price has provisionally slipped from seventh to eighth despite reaching the last eight. A semi-final place would move him to £665,000 and potentially as high as fifth, depending on the result between Van Veen and Wade.
The Welshman would be guaranteed to climb to fourth by reaching the final, when his total would stand at £725,000. Winning the title would raise that to £825,000.
Rock is involved in the same congested section of the rankings. He currently sits seventh on £639,500, only £4,500 ahead of Price and £3,500 behind Michael van Gerwen.
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Beating Littler would move Rock to £669,500 and potentially fifth. A place in the final would take him to £729,500, while a first major title would guarantee fourth place with £829,500.
Rock debuts a new shirt at the 2026 World Matchplay
Anderson can surge back into top four
Anderson has moved above Ryan Searle into 11th following his victories over Ryan Joyce and Clayton. His provisional total now stands at £601,750.
Victory over Van Duijvenbode would take the Scot to £631,750 and ninth place. Reaching the final would raise his total to £691,750, giving him a possible route to fourth depending on the identity of his opponent.
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Winning a second World Matchplay title would guarantee Anderson fourth place on £791,750. He began the tournament ranked 12th and carrying questions over his limited schedule, but two more victories would return him to the world’s top four.
Smith and Van Duijvenbode chase biggest rises
Smith remains 15th despite advancing to the quarter-finals following Menzies’ withdrawal. His ranking would not change significantly with a semi-final appearance, but the rewards increase sharply if he defeats Price and then overcomes either Van Veen or Wade.
Reaching the final would lift Smith six positions to ninth with £625,250. Victory in Blackpool would take him to £725,250 and potentially as high as fourth, although he would finish fifth if Rock ended the tournament as runner-up on £729,500.
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Van Duijvenbode has already made the largest provisional climb among the quarter-finalists, moving from 28th to 25th after his extended victories over Chris Dobey and Van Gerwen.
A win against Anderson would move him to 23rd. Reaching the final would lift him to 19th, while the title would propel him to 13th with £585,750.
Van Duijvenbode therefore carries the widest possible ranking range into the quarter-finals. He could leave Blackpool in 25th after Thursday night or complete a title run that moves him 15 places above the position from which he entered the tournament.
PDC Order of Merit as of World Matchplay Quarter-Finals
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| Rk | +/- | Name | Prize Money |
| 1 | Luke Littler | 2953.5 | |
| 2 | Luke Humphries | 1008 | |
| 3 | Gian van Veen | 968.5 | |
| 4 | +1 | Jonny Clayton | 684.5 |
| 5 | +1 | James Wade | 657.25 |
| 6 | -2 | Michael van Gerwen | 643 |
| 7 | +1 | Josh Rock | 639.5 |
| 8 | -1 | Gerwyn Price | 635 |
| 9 | Stephen Bunting | 618.25 | |
| 10 | Danny Noppert | 604.25 | |
| 11 | +1 | Gary Anderson | 601.75 |
| 12 | -1 | Ryan Searle | 597.25 |
| 13 | +1 | Wessel Nijman | 577.25 |
| 14 | -1 | Chris Dobey | 570.5 |
| 15 | Ross Smith | 535.25 | |
| 16 | Nathan Aspinall | 531.75 | |
| 17 | Jermaine Wattimena | 510.25 | |
| 18 | Luke Woodhouse | 492 | |
| 19 | Martin Schindler | 447.75 | |
| 20 | Krzysztof Ratajski | 430.5 | |
| 21 | +2 | Damon Heta | 430.25 |
| 22 | Mike De Decker | 428 | |
| 23 | -2 | Rob Cross | 424 |
| 24 | Ryan Joyce | 396.25 | |
| 25 | +3 | Dirk van Duijvenbode | 395.75 |
| 26 | +1 | Cameron Menzies | 385.75 |
| 27 | -2 | Andrew Gilding | 364.25 |
| 28 | +1 | Dave Chisnall | 361.75 |
| 29 | -3 | Daryl Gurney | 353.5 |
| 30 | Kevin Doets | 343.5 | |
| 31 | Joe Cullen | 316 | |
| 32 | Ritchie Edhouse | 298.75 | |
| 33 | +1 | Peter Wright | 280.75 |
| 34 | +1 | Ricardo Pietreczko | 277.25 |
| 35 | -2 | Michael Smith | 251.5 |
| 36 | Niels Zonneveld | 249 | |
| 37 | William O'Connor | 246.75 | |
| 38 | Martin Lukeman | 214.25 | |
| 39 | +3 | Niko Springer | 209.25 |
| 40 | +1 | Callan Rydz | 200.5 |
| 41 | -1 | Raymond van Barneveld | 198.75 |
| 42 | +1 | Madars Razma | 193.25 |
| 43 | +1 | Mickey Mansell | 188.75 |
| 44 | +1 | Gabriel Clemens | 187.5 |
| 45 | +1 | Connor Scutt | 184 |
| 46 | -7 | Dimitri Van den Bergh | 183.5 |
| 47 | Justin Hood | 180.5 | |
| 48 | Scott Williams | 171.5 | |
| 49 | Ricky Evans | 171 | |
| 50 | James Hurrell | 168 | |
| 51 | Jeffrey de Graaf | 167.25 | |
| 52 | +1 | Kim Huybrechts | 162.75 |
| 53 | +1 | Mensur Suljovic | 158.25 |
| 54 | -2 | Brendan Dolan | 155.25 |
| 55 | Ian White | 154.75 | |
| 56 | Keane Barry | 146 | |
| 57 | Alan Soutar | 139.75 | |
| 58 | Richard Veenstra | 139.5 | |
| 59 | Karel Sedlacek | 139.25 | |
| 60 | Sebastian Bialecki | 130 | |
| 61 | Rob Owen | 128.25 | |
| 62 | Ryan Meikle | 124.5 | |
| 63 | Lukas Wenig | 123.5 | |
| 64 | Nick Kenny | 121.25 |
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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- 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
- Probably i will receive a lot of backlash and hate for this reaction, but well, so be it. I am more than sick and tired of those lies of you Barry Hearn. How dare you defend yourself over the back of Fallon’s son! He has a disability and not an illness, so let me correct that for you! I know because I have the exact same disability. I have tried to reach out to Fallon in the past, and offered her to help her and her son, because I was struggling with the same problems, and I understood the boy. I wanted him to have finally someone who understood him. However she told me that she did not want my help, and I have respected Fallon’s choice. I have never asked Fallon for money. They don’t need money in that case. I only ever wanted the best for Fallon and Rory, but I have to be honest about the situation. Fallon should tell the true story and not be forced to tell lies. I don’t hate Fallon, and I don’t begrudge or envy a single penny that she gets, but this situation/case is just not fair. I hate the lies and the dishonesty and injustice. I don’t want Fallon to be hated because there is an unfair disadvantage created. Don’t proclaim your false lies over the back of Rory! I only stand for integrity and justice. I am precisely the one who always sticks up for Fallon. And you don't, you don't give a damn about them. You were never there for them, and now you only want to save your own position! You are just trying to talk your way out of your own bad behavior at the expense of someone with a disability. And to Fallon, I don’t know if this may ever reach you, and you read it, but I want you to know I love you and I love your son Rory very much, I am sorry how things developed and went. I hope you and Harriet are still friends. I am sorry if I were too persistent to you, or you experienced it that way, but it was never my intention. Please understand I have autism as well. As Barry Hearn would say, I am only just a human being too, and I also make mistakes and misjudge things sometimes. I promise you I did everything out of the deepest love and care for you and Rory. If I were you, I should just keep all the money, only please never be dishonest or tell lies anymore for Barry Hearn, or anyone else. I hope you have the best life, and I wish nothing more than the best for you. I have always loved the two of you. Farewell.Hiddo05-11-2026
- She is a professional. If darts is her income, she is a professional. Same as Adrian Lewis, Martin Adams. A tour card just means someone can play on the PDC tour. You could even make a case that Clayton wasn't a professional (until recently I believe) because he had employment elsewhere.BandB04-11-2026
- She's technically not a professional though as she doesn't hold a pro tour card.mr-pablo04-11-2026
- Such a shame that lakeside has been reduced to this. Fantastic venue,and previously a great tournament. Not any morerick6703-11-2026
- Seems to me that the top 16 players pick and choose whatever they want to play. Good,all the money will get spread out more. They get more money from exhibitions than tournaments so let them all withdrawrick6703-11-2026
- Play all legs and the winners split the pot. Luke gets the lot of he wins them all. If your occupation is darts player you can't enter, regardless of ability.BandB01-11-2026
- I'm quite a jaded person all things considered, but to be honest I found Beat Luke Littler to be pretty entertaining. It certainly wasn't seamless, which is to be expected given the lack of precedence, but I actually think the pacing was pretty good, the production was impressive, and there was a good sense of humour and levity to it. I think it was a very ambitious undertaking but one that, for the most part, paid off. I liked the system with the four pots and I think it added to the drama and intrigue. I enjoyed seeing the diverse range of entrants and learning about their backstories. I think the interactivity was pretty clever and well-integrated. The panel was a little incoherent at times; Lee Mack shone however, and his improvisational skills were appreciated during some more awkward interstitial moments. As far as the darts is concerned, it was a shame that the format didn't allow Littler to get into full flow. You obviously don't want him to steamroll everyone but you want to feel like you're getting the full Littler package rather than seeing him struggling to get out of first gear. I will say that his leg against Jayden Walker was very impressive, but it was mostly downhill from there. The attraction revolves around Littler being this untouchable, indomitable force, yet the format doesn't really allow him to fulfil that characterisation. As for Fallon Sherrock, she was mightily impressive and deserved the victory. It is a testament to her unshakeable character that she was able to bang in a 14-darter under such mind-bending pressure. Everything that has been said about the misleading marketing is valid, though they were clear about their eligibility criteria and were able to offload the responsibility somewhat by bringing the viewers into the decision-making process in real time. What is clear though, is that Fallon played the game according to the rules, and she should not be criticised for that, much less abused. I will admit though that it is a kick in the teeth for those true amateurs who committed time and money to the course, and I would also question those who think pub players would have no chance, given that some of Littler's winning legs were dispatched in 7 visits to the board! The great thing about darts is that it isn't so much that amateurs cannot replicate the feats of brilliance pulled off by professionals of the sport, than it is that they simply cannot replicate the consistency of their output, something that this format almost entirely removes from the equation. It should also be noted that, financially, Fallon certainly stands to benefit much less in relative terms from the paycheque than would your average pub thrower, as I'm sure she nets a fair income from the lucrative exhibition circuit alone. What I do hope is that she might use this as an opportunity to really build up a head of steam heading into the new season, as it seems long overdue that she come through Q-School and really take it to the pros on a week-in week-out basis, but whatever she chooses to do, she has certainly achieved enough already for one if not several lifetimes, so who am I to dictate terms? To conclude though, I will state once again that I found Beat Luke Littler to be a pretty enjoyable evening of entertainment. I do feel for the contestants who never actually had the chance to try their luck against the world #1, although I suppose it comes with the format, but all which inevitably raises the question: will Netflix be tempted to do it all again next year? It's hard to say. Whether it would be financially viable, I can't weigh in there. One point I have been making though, and which I touched on earlier, is that the entire concept relies on a public perception that Littler is more or less unbeatable, and that certainly hasn't been the case of late. If the execs had been trying to pitch the show in recent months while Littler has seemed vulnerable, rather than when he was mopping up almost every major title on the calendar, it would certainly be a tougher sell. We will have to see in about 6 months' time whether Littler can still reliably command perception as a near-unstoppable force in darts, and then we'll have a clearer idea about whether we should expect a second helping. Even as a one-off experiment though, and with all the controversy taken into account, I still don't think they disgraced themselves by any means, and that will probably be my lingering assessment of the event when all is said and done.Deduce635801-11-2026
- Fair play to Fallon. But...shows the mockery when a professional players wins what was meant to be an amateur v Pro event, Littlers performance was poor, and what about the players who didn't get a game? Would have been better if the pot was split amoungst all the winners and they all got a leg.BandB31-10-2026