Michael van Gerwen threatens to drop out of top four in PDC Order of Merit after thirteen years; World Championship favourites rise sharply

The quarter-finalists at the 2026 PDC World Darts Championship are set. Eight players will, after the turn of the year, battle it out to be crowned world champion. There is also plenty to gain in this phase on the PDC Order of Merit. The deeper we go into the tournament, the steeper the prize money climbs. Who can finish where, and which players should start to worry?

All eight players who have reached the quarter-finals are already guaranteed £100,000. The four who make the semi-finals will receive £200,000. The runner-up doubles that and banks £400,000, but the winner hits the jackpot. For the first time in history, the world champion will pocket a staggering £1,000,000. That could vault you straight into the world’s top three.

The eight players still in the hunt for that million are Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, Jonny Clayton, Gian van Veen, Gary Anderson, Ryan Searle, Krzysztof Ratajski, and Justin Hood. Not much will change for Littler and Humphries. Littler leads comfortably with total earnings of £1,870,500, and can only lose his No. 1 spot if he loses in the quarters or semis and Humphries then becomes world champion. “Cool Hand Luke” in turn does not really need to fear a big drop. He currently sits on £1,172,000, almost £500,000 more than No. 3 Michael van Gerwen. Humphries can drop a maximum of one place if he does not win the world title himself, and then only if one of the other six wins the championship.

Then there is Michael van Gerwen’s No. 3 position. The Dutchman became world No. 1 for the first time after his maiden world title in 2014. He held that spot until January 2, 2021, when Gerwyn Price dethroned him. Since then, however, “Mighty Mike” has always remained inside the world’s top three. That could now change for the first time in 11(!) years. The Dutchman sits on £691,250, with Jonny Clayton and compatriot Gian van Veen breathing down his neck. If both Clayton and Van Veen win their quarter-finals, they will each leapfrog Van Gerwen, dropping him to fifth. If both lose their last-eight ties, the Dutchman can only be knocked off third if Gary Anderson reaches at least the final, or if Searle, Ratajski, or Hood becomes world champion. The latter scenario, however, seems highly unlikely.

Van Gerwen therefore has serious reason to fear Clayton and Van Veen. On top of that, the Dutchman has a huge amount of prize money to defend next year. In 2024 he reached the finals at the Masters and the World Matchplay, and also made the quarter-finals at the Worlds. If he fails to rediscover his form next year, Van Gerwen could slide even further than a possible fifth place this year.

For Jonny Clayton, this Worlds has not changed a great deal on the rankings yet. The Welshman started the tournament as world No. 6 and has since climbed one spot to No. 5. If he wins his quarter-final, he could move up one more place, but that seems the limit. To go second in the world, he would need to win the Worlds. Gian van Veen has already climbed five places thanks to his fine run and now sits fifth, just behind “The Ferret.” The Dutchman also has room to rise. He must beat Humphries in his quarter-final and hope Clayton loses. If Van Veen were to win the world title, he would be assured of the No. 2 spot in the world rankings.

And then there’s the PDC’s “enfant terrible”: Gary Anderson. The Scot has proven at this Worlds that he remains a world-class player and has climbed from 14th to 11th on the Order of Merit. For now, that creates no issues for the PDC, but what if he goes much deeper? Or even becomes world champion? If “The Flying Scotsman” beats Hood in his quarter-final, he will at least be guaranteed sixth in the rankings. And if he then also reaches the final, he could even break into the top four. Then the PDC has a problem. Normally the world’s top four are assured of a Premier League spot, but the 55-year-old Anderson has repeatedly stated that he has no interest in it and would decline the invitation, even if he becomes world champion. So the question is what the PDC will do if the Scot lands his third world title this tournament.

For the other three quarter-finalists, this is already a fine tournament, but there are still serious moves to be made on the world rankings. Ryan Searle has already climbed seven places and is now 13th. If he beats Jonny Clayton, he would rise even further to No. 7. Ratajski started the tournament as world No. 37, has played his way into the top 32, and currently sits 28th. If he wants to climb further, he must overcome world champion Luke Littler. Not impossible, but very tough. If he does pull it off, he would jump another nine places to No. 19.

And then the last quarter-finalist. The man of the moment and surprise package of this tournament: Justin Hood. No one, absolutely no one, factored in “Happy Feet” before the tournament. But the diminutive Englishman stunned everyone, firing four matches at or over a 100 average and beating big names like Danny Noppert and Josh Rock as if it were the most normal thing in the world. Hood started the tournament ranked 86th in the world, but has already climbed 36 places to number 50. And why shouldn’t there be even more to come? He faces Gary Anderson in the quarter-finals, which looks tough on paper. Then again, what can’t Justin Hood do at this tournament? If he can beat Noppert and Rock, Anderson should be within reach. If he manages to reach the semi-finals he will climb further to 37th and, on World Championship prize money alone, be within touching distance of the top 32.

Since the last update during the Christmas break, several players have been eliminated but still made significant moves on the world rankings. Take 20-year-old Charlie Manby. The Englishman without a Tour Card climbed no fewer than 85 places at this Worlds thanks to his run to the fourth round and now sits 81st. Sweden’s Andreas Harrysson also reached the last 16 without a Tour Card and jumped 41 spots to 73rd. Despite an excellent Worlds, both will still have to go to Q-School to fight for their Tour Card.

Josh Rock lost to Hood in the fourth round, but still rose to seventh in the world at this Worlds. Woodhouse also just missed out on the quarter-finals and stayed 21st, a rise of four places. Finally, James Hurrell is worth mentioning. The Englishman beat Stephen Bunting in the third round but then lost to Searle. Even so, this strong result lifted him 15 places and he currently occupies 48th on the Order of Merit.