Humphries considers skipping Players Championships in 2026: "It's 34 days of darts, maybe just give it a miss and focus on everything else"

Luke Humphries showed again in Wolverhampton why he is the current world number one. With an average of 104.98 and nine maximum scores, the he convincingly defeated Michael Smith 16-8 Friday night in the quarterfinals of the Grand Slam of Darts. Afterwards, it was also about his striking future plans.

Humphries is considering not playing a single Players Championship next year. In doing so, he would forego much of the PDC Pro Tour season, a remarkable choice for a player currently at the top of the world circuit as he spoke at the Grand Slam of Darts.

“I’ve been thinking about not playing any Players Championships next year, to be honest," said Humphries. "Like, giving the whole tour a miss because it’s so busy and you have to prioritise what you want to do."

The reigning world champion emphasized that he is not about complaining, but about balance. "I’ll see how I feel. It’s 34 days of darts. I might just give it a go at the start and if it doesn’t go my way, then maybe just give it a miss and focus on everything else."

“Obviously it’s a busy lifestyle – not too busy. I saw what Michael Smith said yesterday, and he’s right. You can’t moan and we’re kind of blessed to be involved in so much darts. It’s not like I’m moaning. It just might be my decision to spend those 34 days at home and miss one big tournament to sacrifice it. I’ll see how it goes.

Humphries honestly admitted that motivation is often lacking at floor tournaments. “I do enjoy playing the ProTour still, a little bit, but it’s hard. When you’re on the big stage I play my best. When I’m on the floor, I just don’t – so it’s harder for me.”

If Humphries actually implements his plans, he risks exclusion from the Players Championship Finals in Minehead, for which only the 64 best players on the Players Championship Order of Merit are eligible, a ranking based entirely on those non-televised events.

However, the former world champion does not seem too concerned about that. After a long and intense year of darts, in which he shone on almost every major stage, maintaining freshness and focus seems more important than ranking points.