Nothing to defend, everything to gain: Van Veen, Wade and the players set to climb the Order of Merit in 2026
PDCSaturday, 17 January 2026 at 13:30
While 2026 looks dangerous for players carrying heavy ranking baggage, it is shaping up as a golden year for others. Those with very little to defend on the Order of Merit start the season with a built-in advantage.
The PDC Order of Merit is based on prize money from the previous two calendar years. When big results from 2024 drop off, players must replace them. But if you earned little in that period, almost everything you win in 2026 is pure gain.
With prize money rising across the calendar, that structural edge matters more than ever.
Gian van Veen: low defence, realistic shot at world number two
Gian van Veen starts 2026 as world number three, but the structure of his ranking gives him a genuine chance to move even higher. Only about £176,000 of his ranking total drops off this year, roughly 19 percent.
For a player now embedded in the Premier League, winning on TV and automatically qualifying for every major, that is a very manageable figure. Even without winning titles, his guaranteed access to the biggest money events covers a large part of that defence.
The key is what happens above him. With Luke Humphries defending far more prize money, the balance between world numbers two and three is tilted in Van Veen’s favour. Even a single-place rise would be one of the biggest ranking shifts of the year.
James Wade: big name, surprisingly light defence
James Wade sits in a rare middle ground: a major finalist with relatively little to lose.
Only around £194,000 of his ranking money falls away in 2026, roughly 35 percent of his total. That is a small figure for someone still reaching the latter stages of major events.
Last season brought finals at the UK Open and the World Matchplay and a long stretch of form that put him in Premier League contention again. Even if he reproduces only part of that level, Wade is structurally set up to move forward rather than backward.
He may not have many places left to climb, but the direction of travel still points upward.
Krzysztof Ratajski: low-risk platform for a rebound
Ratajski enters 2026 with around £98,000 to defend, about 30 percent of his ranking total.
That is a forgiving position for a player who showed clear signs of revival at the World Championship and still managed to win a ProTour title during a difficult season. If his form stabilises and he becomes a regular presence at majors again, that £98,000 should not be a heavy obstacle.
For someone who has lived inside the top 16 before, the structure is there for a steady climb back toward that zone.
Wessel Nijman: first year of defending, still favourable
Wessel Nijman is entering his first real season of defending ranking money. After earning about £220,000 last year and £100,000 the year before, roughly 30 percent of his total is at risk in 2026.
That is still a healthy position for a player now regularly qualifying for European Tour and major events. His volume of matches gives him many chances to replace what drops off.
The bigger question is conversion. His non-TV results show top-16 ability. Turning that quality into stage wins would allow him to use his favourable ranking position to climb quickly.
Another good year for Nijman could see the Dutchman threaten the upper echelons of the Order of Merit
Kevin Doets: small defence, steady upward trend
Kevin Doets has around £87,000 to defend in 2026.
That is a light figure for someone who reached multiple ProTour quarter-finals last season and continues to hover just outside the established elite. His pattern is gradual progress rather than sudden spikes, but the ranking system rewards exactly that kind of steady accumulation.
With players ranked 16 to 32 under constant pressure from below, Doets is well placed to benefit from any stumbles ahead of him.
Niko Springer: nothing to defend, pure upside
Niko Springer is the purest example of a free-swing season. He has roughly £129,000 on the rankings and none of it drops off in 2026.
Every pound he earns this year goes straight on top. He is now regularly qualifying for the main routes of ranking money: UK Open, Masters, European Tour events and ProTour events. On his current trajectory, he is also in range of the World Matchplay and possibly the World Grand Prix, with the World Championship likely if he holds a top-40 position.
For a player defending zero, even average consistency creates rapid movement. One deep major run could shift him dramatically up the Order of Merit.
Conclusion: 2026 belongs to the clean slates
While some stars enter 2026 weighed down by past success, others walk in almost empty-handed.
For players with little to defend, consistency is more powerful than brilliance. You do not need to win majors to climb fast. You just need to keep earning.
In a year of rising prize money, the players starting with clean slates are not outsiders. They are the ones best positioned to reshape the Order of Merit.
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