"It does not matter how good you are; everyone is at risk": Wake-up call for Littler and co after missing Minehead as Gary Anderson and Michael van Gerwen thrive again

The Players Championship season concluded this past week with Luke Humphries and Tommy Morris collecting titles, while we also saw good weeks for Michael van Gerwen and Gary Anderson.

Is Van Gerwen back after firing in multiple massive averages? Has Anderson found his mojo ahead of a busy end to the year while with multiple names missing out on qualification for the Players Championship Finals? Is this the wake-up call needed to Littler and co.?

Samuel Gill, Head Editor for DartsNews.com was delighted to see Michael van Gerwen return to some semblance of his best.

It was great to see Tommy Morris win a title this week, and it was kind of the best two stories in winning the titles as Luke Humphries continued his Leicester stranglehold and showed why he is so good, especially in the Mattioli Arena.

While Morris has been consistently excellent all season and will now play the next few majors, it shows exactly what can be done in reality even if you aren't on the tour.

But my main takeaway from this week was in fact the revival of Michael van Gerwen, who thumped in massive averages and had some semblance of vintage MVG back, especially in a format like the ProTours that doesn't tend to suit him that much usually. So big props to him.

Same with Gary Anderson, who perhaps wouldn't turn up usually to these last events but got a run in on both days and ended up qualifying for Minehead. Others had less joy overall, but for some like Littler and Aspinall, I wasn't hugely shocked.

Lucas Michael, editor for DartsNews.com, looked back on the season and said that missing out on Minehead was certainly a wake-up call for all involved.

"34 tournaments later, the Players Championship events in 2026 have come to a steady halt. One very entertaining thing about these last few events is the race to Minehead. This will not be as dramatic next year, so darts fans had to make the most of this one this year.

"Luke Littler, Josh Rock, and Nathan Aspinall, among others, not featuring in the Players Championship Finals is obviously a shame for the sport, as you want all the top players to feature in the major tournaments, but it is also a wake-up call that it does not matter how good you are; everyone is at risk.

"Littler was an anomaly, as he only turned up for one double-header. Aspinall and Rock may have skipped numerous events, but when they did turn up, they were not good enough. It would have been a stern warning for future seasons, but that is evidently not the case anymore, meaning that these players will only have to play a few tournaments to be ok.

"Luke Humphries won PC33 and reached the final of PC34. There is no doubt that he is the second-best player in the world when it comes to it. His consistency in recent times, especially on the outer ring, has been a troubling factor, but this has to be a huge statement after missing the European Championship through illness. He will surely be in the business end for these big events at the end of the year, and with Littler’s recent rut, he could even enter Ally Pally as the favourite.

"One person who will not be touted to win major events based on form is Michael van Gerwen. A very commendable two events by the three-time world champion, and much-needed with some vintage performances. However, I am not convinced yet. How many times in the past few years has van Gerwen done something like this and then failed to kick on? He has a solid Grand Slam of darts tournaments, and then I may reverse my stance.

"In darts, form, confidence and momentum are everything. Tommy Morris is one to watch out for. With two finals in four events, he could not defeat Chris Dobey in PC32 but can fire past ‘Cool Hand Luke’ in PC34 and, from out of the blue, is a PDC ranking title holder. He will be in Wolverhampton, Minehead and Ally Pally, and will be a player no one wants to face. One to keep an eye on."

Oliver Ried, editor for DartsNews. DE looked back to a frustrating finish for German ace Ricardo Pietreczko, who showed great late promise, but he couldn't maintain it.

The 2026 ProTour season is officially over. The final two Players Championship events have settled qualification for both the World Championship and the Players Championship Finals. It was a particularly bitter outcome for Wesley Plaisier, who missed out on both tournaments by just £250. To make matters worse, he squandered several match darts against Ryan Joyce on the opening day that would have secured his qualification. Overall, it was a tense double-header, with plenty at stake and several important races decided.

Tommy Morris’s triumph at Players Championship 34 was remarkable. His development over the past few weeks, particularly on the ProTour, has been incredible, and he capped it off by winning his second final. That success gives him real momentum heading into the remaining tournaments of the year. Even more impressively, he has achieved all this without holding a Tour Card.

The other title went to an outstanding Luke Humphries, who once again showed his class and built confidence ahead of the upcoming majors. He recorded four averages above 103, providing another timely boost to his self-belief. Now he needs to carry those performances onto the big stage.

It was a frustrating finish for Ricardo Pietreczko, whose impressive late surge ultimately fell short of securing a Players Championship Finals spot. Nevertheless, those performances should give him encouragement heading into the World Championship.

Gary Anderson did qualify for the Finals, despite many expecting not to see him again before the World Championship. The Scot once again proved the doubters wrong, sealing his place with a semi-final run at Event 33 and showing that he remains a force to be reckoned with.

For many players, this brings their ProTour campaign to an end, at least for now, with the PDPA Qualifier still offering one final opportunity to reach the World Championship. Several players made a strong final impression, including Michael van Gerwen, who caught the eye with his performances. It will be interesting to see what else he can produce in November.

Mats Leering, editor for DartsNieuws.com, shared delight at the positives of Michael van Gerwen.

The Players Championship season has come to an end, with the final two floor events of the year delivering plenty of surprises.

Personally, the biggest highlight for me was Raymond van Barneveld’s impressive run at PC33. His performance secured his place at the World Championship, meaning we will once again get to see Barney grace the stage at Alexandra Palace.

There were also some notable names who narrowly missed out on qualifying for the Players Championship Finals. Nathan Aspinall withdrew from the final two floor events, while Josh Rock was in attendance but failed to produce the results he needed, leaving him outside the top 64 of the rankings.

One of the biggest positives from the final two events was the return to form of Michael van Gerwen. The Dutchman has been struggling for consistency for several months, but he produced two strong runs across the final tournaments, accompanied by some seriously impressive averages.

Hopefully, the three-time world champion can carry this momentum into the upcoming Grand Slam of Darts, the Players Championship Finals and, of course, the World Darts Championship.

Pieter Verbeek, editor for DartsNieuws.com, said Van Barneveld showed he very much still belongs.

"It was an intriguing final two days of ProTour action, with plenty still at stake for several players. Much of the attention initially centred on Raymond van Barneveld. Would the five-time world champion manage to qualify for his 34th World Championship appearance? As it turned out, that question was answered after just one day. The Dutch legend produced his best darts when it mattered most, reaching his second quarter-final of the season at Players Championship 33. His reward will come in December with a return to London, where Barney still very much belongs on the World Championship stage.

"In terms of the strength of the field, Players Championship 33 was arguably the most competitive event of the season. The big names certainly delivered, with Luke Humphries, Gary Anderson and Michael van Gerwen all reaching the semi-finals. The fourth semi-finalist was Niels Zonneveld, who went on to produce an impressive victory over Van Gerwen to book his place in the final. However, Humphries proved far too strong in the decider, securing his fourth Players Championship title of the season.

"The final event of the season then turned into a tense battle for qualification for both the Players Championship Finals and the World Darts Championship. From a Dutch perspective, it was disappointing to see Wesley Plaisier and Jeffrey de Zwaan narrowly miss out. De Zwaan fell just one leg short of securing his place at Alexandra Palace, while Plaisier finished one victory away from qualification.

"The man who ultimately stole the headlines in Leicester was Tommy Morris, the breakout star of recent weeks. Remarkably, the Englishman does not even hold a PDC Tour Card, yet he had already reached a Players Championship final recently. This time, he went one better and claimed the title. As a result, we will be seeing Morris at the Grand Slam of Darts, the Players Championship Finals and the World Darts Championship later this year. It will be fascinating to see what he can produce on the big televised stages."