Luke Littler remains outside the top 100 on the Players Championship Order of Merit following a disappointing start to his comeback

The Players Championship series comprises a total of 34 tournaments which take place over Hildesheim, Wigan, Leicester, Milton Keynes and new for 2026, a trip to Den Bosch.

It sees the top names including Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen and Gian van Veen in action over the course of the year with the PDC ProTour being seen as the so-called Bread and Butter tournaments that help towards qualifying for most majors including the PDC World Darts Championship.

But the Players Championship Order of Merit is the one to watch for this series as it sees the top 64 players over the course of the season qualify for the Players Championship Finals which take place in Minehead at the end of November.

It is determined based on total prize money won by each player in the Players Championship events throughout the year. The top 64 qualify and it also spells some issues as it did in 2025 for the likes of Luke Littler, Nathan Aspinall and Luke Humphries who had to qualify late. Michael van Gerwen for instance did not qualify at all.

Luke Littler made significant progress towards the top 64 of the Players Championship Order of Merit during the Pro Tour double-header in Leicester, despite missing out on a title. After reaching the quarter-finals at Players Championship 27, ‘The Nuke’ went one step further on Tuesday by reaching the semi-finals at Players Championship 28.

That semi-final appearance earned him £6,500 in prize money, taking his total to £10,500. Littler skipped all of the first 26 Players Championship events of the season, but with a chance to win all of the majors in a single year, he has decided to play some floor tournaments after all. This is the only route through which Littler can qualify for the Players Championship Finals at the end of November. With six Players Championship events still to come, Littler needs to make up at least £16,750 on his current deficit.

Luke Humphries made a huge move up the rankings thanks to his title at Players Championship 28. He climbed from 38th to 13th. There was also good news for Brendan Dolan and Mike De Decker, who were far from certain of qualifying for Minehead. Dolan moved from 59th to 38th after reaching the final. De Decker was even outside the top 64 heading into the tournament, but his semi-final appearance lifted him to 59th.

The standings are still led by Wessel Nijman, who has already won six Players Championship events this year. With £146,000 in prize money, Nijman has a substantial lead over his nearest challengers, including Kevin Doets (£96,750), Chris Dobey (£94,500) and Luke Woodhouse (£85,000).

(as of dartsrankings.com)