Nothing to defend, everything to gain: Van Veen, Wade and the players set to climb the Order of Merit in 2026
PDC
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
Kieran WoodDarts Journalist
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He contributes to DartsNews.com, where he covers professional darts through news, match reports, analysis, and live coverage across the PDC calendar and major tournaments.
A key part of his work is on-site reporting from leading events. Kieran has covered the PDC World Darts Championship in person, reporting daily from the venue and providing first-hand insight from the tournament. During his coverage, he has conducted interviews with leading players including Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, and Gerwyn Price.
He is also one of the leading voices of the English-language Dartsnews Podcast, contributing regular analysis and discussion on developments across the professional darts circuit.
In his reporting, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles when new, verified information becomes available.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- She is a professional. If darts is her income, she is a professional. Same as Adrian Lewis, Martin Adams. A tour card just means someone can play on the PDC tour. You could even make a case that Clayton wasn't a professional (until recently I believe) because he had employment elsewhere.BandB04-11-2026
- She's technically not a professional though as she doesn't hold a pro tour card.mr-pablo04-11-2026
- Such a shame that lakeside has been reduced to this. Fantastic venue,and previously a great tournament. Not any morerick6703-11-2026
- Seems to me that the top 16 players pick and choose whatever they want to play. Good,all the money will get spread out more. They get more money from exhibitions than tournaments so let them all withdrawrick6703-11-2026
- Play all legs and the winners split the pot. Luke gets the lot of he wins them all. If your occupation is darts player you can't enter, regardless of ability.BandB01-11-2026
- I'm quite a jaded person all things considered, but to be honest I found Beat Luke Littler to be pretty entertaining. It certainly wasn't seamless, which is to be expected given the lack of precedence, but I actually think the pacing was pretty good, the production was impressive, and there was a good sense of humour and levity to it. I think it was a very ambitious undertaking but one that, for the most part, paid off. I liked the system with the four pots and I think it added to the drama and intrigue. I enjoyed seeing the diverse range of entrants and learning about their backstories. I think the interactivity was pretty clever and well-integrated. The panel was a little incoherent at times; Lee Mack shone however, and his improvisational skills were appreciated during some more awkward interstitial moments. As far as the darts is concerned, it was a shame that the format didn't allow Littler to get into full flow. You obviously don't want him to steamroll everyone but you want to feel like you're getting the full Littler package rather than seeing him struggling to get out of first gear. I will say that his leg against Jayden Walker was very impressive, but it was mostly downhill from there. The attraction revolves around Littler being this untouchable, indomitable force, yet the format doesn't really allow him to fulfil that characterisation. As for Fallon Sherrock, she was mightily impressive and deserved the victory. It is a testament to her unshakeable character that she was able to bang in a 14-darter under such mind-bending pressure. Everything that has been said about the misleading marketing is valid, though they were clear about their eligibility criteria and were able to offload the responsibility somewhat by bringing the viewers into the decision-making process in real time. What is clear though, is that Fallon played the game according to the rules, and she should not be criticised for that, much less abused. I will admit though that it is a kick in the teeth for those true amateurs who committed time and money to the course, and I would also question those who think pub players would have no chance, given that some of Littler's winning legs were dispatched in 7 visits to the board! The great thing about darts is that it isn't so much that amateurs cannot replicate the feats of brilliance pulled off by professionals of the sport, than it is that they simply cannot replicate the consistency of their output, something that this format almost entirely removes from the equation. It should also be noted that, financially, Fallon certainly stands to benefit much less in relative terms from the paycheque than would your average pub thrower, as I'm sure she nets a fair income from the lucrative exhibition circuit alone. What I do hope is that she might use this as an opportunity to really build up a head of steam heading into the new season, as it seems long overdue that she come through Q-School and really take it to the pros on a week-in week-out basis, but whatever she chooses to do, she has certainly achieved enough already for one if not several lifetimes, so who am I to dictate terms? To conclude though, I will state once again that I found Beat Luke Littler to be a pretty enjoyable evening of entertainment. I do feel for the contestants who never actually had the chance to try their luck against the world #1, although I suppose it comes with the format, but all which inevitably raises the question: will Netflix be tempted to do it all again next year? It's hard to say. Whether it would be financially viable, I can't weigh in there. One point I have been making though, and which I touched on earlier, is that the entire concept relies on a public perception that Littler is more or less unbeatable, and that certainly hasn't been the case of late. If the execs had been trying to pitch the show in recent months while Littler has seemed vulnerable, rather than when he was mopping up almost every major title on the calendar, it would certainly be a tougher sell. We will have to see in about 6 months' time whether Littler can still reliably command perception as a near-unstoppable force in darts, and then we'll have a clearer idea about whether we should expect a second helping. Even as a one-off experiment though, and with all the controversy taken into account, I still don't think they disgraced themselves by any means, and that will probably be my lingering assessment of the event when all is said and done.Deduce635801-11-2026
- Fair play to Fallon. But...shows the mockery when a professional players wins what was meant to be an amateur v Pro event, Littlers performance was poor, and what about the players who didn't get a game? Would have been better if the pot was split amoungst all the winners and they all got a leg.BandB31-10-2026
- Not even slightly interestedrick6730-10-2026
- And yet the PDC has decided to aggravate this problem by doubling the Players Championship Finals field from 2027. I can't imagine there will be fewer withdrawals next year with even less reason to turn up. I can only hope that a whole slew of Challenge Tour top-up players receive enough prize money in the absence of much of the elite, that some of the more complacent among them struggle to scrape into even a heavily diluted field! More semi-pro players will get to test their mettle, but the standard of competition will be much inferior. It could hardly be said that the Players Championship series will provide an opportunity for darts' second string to test their Tour Card credentials anymore, but at least it will underscore the achievements of those Challenge Tour players of current and previous years, who were able to prove themselves as more than capable of competing with, and beating, the elite of the sport on a consistent basis, and reaping the due rewards.Deduce635828-10-2026
- No point in being there? Champions want to win.Deduce635828-10-2026