"If we had a swear jar in our office, then that would be on the list": PDC Chief Executive laughs off notion of darting 'Triple Crown'

PDC Chief Executive Matt Porter has dismissed suggestions that darts should adopt a so-called “triple crown” of major titles, despite growing fan debate and buy-in from the sport’s brightest young stars.

Luke Littler and Luke Humphries have called it the triple crown which is the Premier League, World Matchplay and World Darts Championship. Albeit the idea has been rubbished outside of Sky Sports circles who seemed to invent it with the Premier League's inclusion as a non ranked invitational exhibition being the main bone of conjecture.

But this has led to multiple outlets asking what it is, how it would look without the Premier League and whether the PDC want to do the idea. But they don't according to Porter.

“No, we haven’t,” Porter said to Online Darts when asked about the idea. “A small number of people have invented a phrase called the triple crown.”

The concept has been floated repeatedly on social media and, more recently, by Luke Littler and Luke Humphries like alluded to. But Porter was clear that while players and fans may enjoy the narrative, it is not something the PDC will formalise.

“All you do by categorising some events at one level is relegate other events,” he explained. “If we said events A, B, C and D were at that level, what does that say about events E, F, G and H? That they’re still good, but… It doesn’t work when we then go to sell those events.

“This narrative is great, keeps you all busy, gives fans something to talk about over a pint. But if you look at our new prize money structure, there are categories of events within that. It’s not difficult to work out. We’re not going to start chucking things in buckets, because if you put something in a high bucket, you automatically put others in a low one.”

Asked directly if the term “triple crown” is ever used within the PDC itself, Porter joked: “If we had a swear jar in our office, then that would be on the list. Not one of us ever sits in the office and goes, ‘let’s call it this.’”

Still, he acknowledged that the debate has sparked fan engagement: “That’s fine – it keeps you all talking and gets people engaged on social media. But officially, it’s not something we’re adopting.”

While the “triple crown” debate rumbles on, Porter oversaw the release of the PDC’s 2026 calendar this week – the biggest in darts history.

“It’s a heck of a job putting it together,” he said. “Great effort by everybody on our side, PDC Europe, and our partners around the world. With travel challenges and the lack of available days, it’s a real mission. But it’s come out well, and hopefully it’s a mouth-watering year in store.”

The schedule features an extra European Tour event and two new host countries: Poland and Slovakia. “The Polish crowd have proven over the last three years that there’s an appetite there. The standard of local talent has justified it, so it’s a natural step,” Porter explained. “Slovakia coming on board is exciting too – a country not many of us perhaps know too much about in a darts context, but they’ll want to prove themselves.”

The expansion takes the European Tour to nine different nations, with more possibilities on the horizon. “We’ve got two or three conversations ongoing with PDC Europe about potential new opportunities. We can see where players are coming from, where broadcast interest is, where social media hits are. All of that shows us where the demand lies.”

The Premier League will also see a shake-up in 2026. For the first time since 2009, Exeter drops off the schedule, replaced by a debut in Antwerp. “It’s never an easy decision to drop a Premier League venue, particularly Exeter,” Porter admitted. “There’s nothing else in that part of the country. But this is a commercial decision. The growth of darts in Belgium has been explosive, and I think Belgium deserves a Premier League night. The AFS Dome in Antwerp will be a wonderful venue.”

Exeter, he added, could return in future, though its smaller size and dated facilities counted against it. “They’ve always looked after us very well and the atmosphere was always fantastic. But ultimately, it came down to commercials.”

The logistics of moving the tour schedule around mean players and staff will face some new travel challenges, but Porter downplayed concerns: "That journey isn’t too bad. None of the players would be expecting to play on a Friday morning, so it’s an acceptable trip.”

The success of events in Germany, the Netherlands, and now Belgium has raised questions about further Premier League nights abroad. Porter says it’s possible, but expansion will be measured. “It has to be a justifiable decision,” he stressed. “The Premier League is a one-night show, and the infrastructure that goes into it is huge. We’re not going to have 17 nights in 17 different countries.

“Right now, we’ve got the UK and Ireland boxed off, and Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium – the three major Central European countries – each have a night. That’s pretty good for the next few years.”