PDC European Tour Order of Merit Update: Aspinall closing in on leading lights Nijman and Humphries as Michael Smith has renaissance weekend
PDC
In Munich, the fourth tournament of the 2026 European Tour, the German Darts Grand Prix, was on the schedule last weekend. The title went to Nathan Aspinall, who proved too strong for Danny Noppert in the final with an 8-5 win.
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After their runs to the final at the German Darts Grand Prix, both men also move into the top 10 of the PDC European Tour Order of Merit. The top spot, however, still belongs to the Englishman Luke Humphries. “Cool Hand Luke” skipped last weekend, but with £45,000 in prize money he still holds a £2,000 lead over second-placed Wessel Nijman.
Aspinall hot on Nijman’s heels
Nijman went out straight away last weekend and sees Aspinall close to within £3,000. Littler, who like Humphries skipped the German Darts Grand Prix last weekend, sits fourth and is also only narrowly behind Nijman and Humphries.
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The top five is completed by Niels Zonneveld. The 27-year-old Dutchman is putting together a superb year on the European Tour. After two semi-finals earlier, he reached the quarterfinals last weekend. Zonneveld has now collected £31,500 in prize money this year.

Signs of life for Smith.
Noppert also makes a significant move in the standings and climbs to sixth after his runner-up finish. “The Freeze” is thus the fourth Dutchman in the top 10. Also notable is Michael Smith’s top-10 position. The former world champion has been struggling and has slipped to 31st in the world rankings. Last weekend, however, he showed signs of improvement with a quarterfinal spot.
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The top 32 after the 15 tournaments of the 2026 PDC European Tour will ultimately qualify for the European Championship. Van Veen will defend his title at that event, having edged Humphries 11-10 in last year’s final.
Notable names outside the top 32
A few notable players currently outside that top 32 are Stephen Bunting (34th), Dave Chisnall (39th), Joe Cullen (41st), Mike De Decker (60th), Rob Cross and Raymond van Barneveld (joint 69th). Gary Anderson is not even on the list at the moment because he has not played a single tournament yet.
The next European Tour event is scheduled for the weekend of 17/4/2026 to 19/4/2026, when the European Darts Grand Prix takes place in Sindelfingen, Germany. Gary Anderson starts that tournament as the defending champion after he beat Andrew Gilding 8-0 in last year’s final.
PDC European Tour Order of Merit
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| Rank | Name | Prize money |
| 1 | Luke Humphries | 45 |
| 2 | Wessel Nijman | 43 |
| 3 | Nathan Aspinall | 40 |
| 4 | Luke Littler | 40 |
| 5 | Niels Zonneveld | 31.5 |
| 6 | Danny Noppert | 28 |
| 7 | Jonny Clayton | 28 |
| 8 | Chris Dobey | 23 |
| 9 | Josh Rock | 21 |
| 10 | Michael Smith | 20 |
| 11 | Ross Smith | 20 |
| 12 | Gian van Veen | 20 |
| 13 | Krzysztof Ratajski | 17 |
| 14 | Dirk van Duijvenbode | 16.5 |
| 15 | Kevin Doets | 15 |
| 16 | Jermaine Wattimena | 15 |
| 17 | Gerwyn Price | 15 |
| 18 | Kim Huybrechts | 14 |
| 19 | Cristo Reyes | 14 |
| 20 | Niko Springer | 13 |
| 21 | William O'Connor | 12 |
| 22 | Daryl Gurney | 12 |
| 23 | Luke Woodhouse | 12 |
| 24 | Andrew Gilding | 11.5 |
| 25 | Ryan Joyce | 11.5 |
| 26 | Martin Schindler | 10 |
| 27 | Michael van Gerwen | 10 |
| 28 | Ryan Searle | 10 |
| 29 | Damon Heta | 10 |
| 30 | Boris Krcmar | 8.5 |
| 30 | Cameron Menzies | 8.5 |
| 32 | Andy Baetens | 8 |
| 33 | Richard Veenstra | 8 |
| 34 | Stephen Bunting | 8 |
| 35 | Paul Krohne | 7.5 |
| 36 | Mickey Mansell | 7.5 |
| 37 | Sebastian Bialecki | 7.5 |
| 38 | Karel Sedlacek | 7 |
| 39 | Dave Chisnall | 7 |
| 39 | Ricky Evans | 7 |
| 41 | Joe Cullen | 7 |
| 42 | Ian White | 6 |
| 43 | Ritchie Edhouse | 5.5 |
| 44 | Lukas Wenig | 5.5 |
| 45 | Adam Gawlas | 5.5 |
| 46 | Mensur Suljovic | 5 |
| 47 | Michael Unterbuchner | 4 |
| 48 | Finn Behrens | 4 |
| 49 | Anton Ostlund | 4 |
| 49 | James Hurrell | 4 |
| 51 | Jeffrey De Zwaan | 4 |
| 51 | Keane Barry | 4 |
| 53 | Thomas Lovely | 4 |
| 54 | Brendan Dolan | 3.5 |
| 54 | Marcel Hausotter | 3.5 |
| 54 | Patrik Kovacs | 3.5 |
| 54 | Ricardo Pietreczko | 3.5 |
| 58 | Ryan Meikle | 3.5 |
| 59 | Darius Labanauskas | 3.5 |
| 60 | Connor Scutt | 3.5 |
| 60 | Darryl Pilgrim | 3.5 |
| 60 | Mike De Decker | 3.5 |
| 63 | Liam Maendl-Lawrance | 2 |
| 64 | Alan Soutar | 2 |
| 64 | Chris Landman | 2 |
| 64 | Gabriel Clemens | 2 |
| 64 | Nick Kenny | 2 |
| 64 | Rob Owen | 2 |
| 69 | Jurjen van der Velde | 2 |
| 69 | Madars Razma | 2 |
| 69 | Maik Kuivenhoven | 2 |
| 69 | Michael Hurtz | 2 |
| 69 | Oskar Lukasiak | 2 |
| 69 | Raymond van Barneveld | 2 |
| 69 | Rob Cross | 2 |
| 69 | Robin Masino | 2 |
| 69 | Valters Melderis | 2 |
| 78 | Adam Lipscombe | 2 |
| 78 | Cor Dekker | 2 |
| 78 | Jan Schmidt | 2 |
| 78 | Kevin Troppmann | 2 |
| 78 | Stephen Burton | 2 |
| 83 | Francois Schweyen | 2 |
| 83 | Jani Haavisto | 2 |
| 83 | Pascal Devroey | 2 |
| 83 | Scott Williams | 2 |
| 83 | Sietse Lap | 2 |
| 83 | Thibault Tricole | 2 |
| 83 | Tyler Thorpe | 2 |
| 90 | Cam Crabtree | 2 |
| 90 | Dragutin Horvat | 2 |
| 90 | Florian Hempel | 2 |
| 90 | Florian Preis | 2 |
| 90 | Jonas Masalin | 2 |
| 90 | Kai Gotthardt | 2 |
| 90 | Mario Vandenbogaerde | 2 |
| 90 | Shane McGuirk | 2 |
| 90 | Wojciech Brulinski | 2 |
| 99 | Andreas Harrysson | 2 |
| 99 | Callan Rydz | 2 |
| 99 | Carl Sneyd | 2 |
| 99 | Dawid Robak | 2 |
| 99 | Jeffrey de Graaf | 2 |
| 99 | Krzysztof Kciuk | 2 |
| 99 | Marvin Kraft | 2 |
| 99 | Miroslaw Grudziecki | 2 |
| 99 | Piotr Maciejczak | 2 |

Samuel GillChief Content Officer
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
In his current role, Samuel works closely with editors and writers to ensure content meets clear journalistic standards, with a focus on source verification, editorial consistency, and timely updates when new, confirmed information becomes available.
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- Ultimately it is a bye for whoever draws Barney. It will be another stroppy and sulky performance once he goes behind. Barney was excellent but really must completely call it a day now.richieburnettrocks07-11-2026
- I'm disappointed he was not able to secure a spot at the Grand Slam. With Carl Sneyd taking care of Daryl Gurney, he would have had to beat Andy Boulton before facing the winner of Sneyd vs Mensur Suljović for a Grand Slam spot. Unfortunately, after beating Filip Bereza comfortably, he succumbed to Boulton, and the board would ultimately be won by the highly inconsistent Carl Sneyd. Since he could instead have been drawn against the likes of Cristo Reyes, Dirk van Duijvenbode and Stephen Bunting, I think once Gurney was out of the picture he would have been favourite to win his board, and it seems like a massive missed opportunity to put 5 grand on his ranking and seal another major TV appearance ahead of the Worlds. The highs and lows of following Raymond van Barneveld!Deduce635806-11-2026
- Probably i will receive a lot of backlash and hate for this reaction, but well, so be it. I am more than sick and tired of those lies of you Barry Hearn. How dare you defend yourself over the back of Fallon’s son! He has a disability and not an illness, so let me correct that for you! I know because I have the exact same disability. I have tried to reach out to Fallon in the past, and offered her to help her and her son, because I was struggling with the same problems, and I understood the boy. I wanted him to have finally someone who understood him. However she told me that she did not want my help, and I have respected Fallon’s choice. I have never asked Fallon for money. They don’t need money in that case. I only ever wanted the best for Fallon and Rory, but I have to be honest about the situation. Fallon should tell the true story and not be forced to tell lies. I don’t hate Fallon, and I don’t begrudge or envy a single penny that she gets, but this situation/case is just not fair. I hate the lies and the dishonesty and injustice. I don’t want Fallon to be hated because there is an unfair disadvantage created. Don’t proclaim your false lies over the back of Rory! I only stand for integrity and justice. I am precisely the one who always sticks up for Fallon. And you don't, you don't give a damn about them. You were never there for them, and now you only want to save your own position! You are just trying to talk your way out of your own bad behavior at the expense of someone with a disability. And to Fallon, I don’t know if this may ever reach you, and you read it, but I want you to know I love you and I love your son Rory very much, I am sorry how things developed and went. I hope you and Harriet are still friends. I am sorry if I were too persistent to you, or you experienced it that way, but it was never my intention. Please understand I have autism as well. As Barry Hearn would say, I am only just a human being too, and I also make mistakes and misjudge things sometimes. I promise you I did everything out of the deepest love and care for you and Rory. If I were you, I should just keep all the money, only please never be dishonest or tell lies anymore for Barry Hearn, or anyone else. I hope you have the best life, and I wish nothing more than the best for you. I have always loved the two of you. Farewell.Hiddo05-11-2026
- 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






