PDC Order of Merit Update: Michael van Gerwen on brink of dropping out of world's top 10 as Gary Anderson overtakes three-time world champion
PDC
Michael van Gerwen has dropped to tenth in the latest PDC Order of Merit following another disappointing European Tour campaign, with Gary Anderson moving above the three-time world champion in the rankings. The Dutchman is now just £3,000 ahead of Nathan Aspinall, leaving his place among the world's top ten increasingly vulnerable heading into the final months of 2026.
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The conclusion of the European Tour season in Maastricht has brought several changes to the world rankings, with Danny Noppert climbing above Josh Rock, Ross Smith moving into 14th and Dutch Darts Championship winner Niels Zonneveld reaching a career-high position.
Meanwhile, Luke Littler retains his commanding advantage at world number one, although the gap between Luke Humphries and Gian van Veen in second and third remains extremely narrow ahead of the European Championship in Dortmund.
Niels Zonneveld claimed a surprise victory at the Dutch Darts Championship
Van Gerwen drops to tenth as Anderson moves ahead
Van Gerwen's struggles on the European Tour continued at the Dutch Darts Championship, where he suffered a 6-5 defeat to William O'Connor in his opening match.
The three-time world champion was eliminated by a spectacular 121 checkout on the bullseye, leaving him without a victory in his final three European Tour appearances of 2026.
That early exit has seen Van Gerwen fall one place to tenth on the PDC Order of Merit, with Anderson moving above him into ninth.
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The Scot now sits on £591,750 in ranking prize money, compared to Van Gerwen's £587,500. With Aspinall immediately behind on £584,500, the former world number one has just £3,000 separating him from a drop outside the top ten.
It represents another setback for a player who spent years dominating the world rankings, with Van Gerwen now facing the prospect of slipping outside the elite group as the season approaches its conclusion.
Littler dominates as Humphries and Van Veen remain closely matched
At the top of the rankings, Littler continues to hold an enormous advantage over his nearest challengers. The reigning world champion sits comfortably at number one with £3,113,500 in ranking prize money, more than £2 million ahead of second-placed Humphries.
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The battle immediately behind Littler remains considerably tighter. Humphries holds second place with £1,062,500, while Van Veen is third on £1,045,750. Just £16,750 separates the pair, who have exchanged positions in the rankings throughout 2026.
Gerwyn Price remains fourth with £787,000, followed by Jonny Clayton in fifth and James Wade in sixth. Noppert has moved up to seventh after reaching the Dutch Darts Championship final, overtaking Rock, who did not compete in Maastricht.
The former UK Open champion defeated Dave Chisnall, Jermaine Wattimena, Luke Woodhouse and Van Veen on his way to the final, producing a particularly impressive 113.42 average against Woodhouse in the quarter-finals.
However, his wait for a maiden European Tour title continues after an 8-5 defeat to Zonneveld, marking his fifth loss in as many European Tour finals. Noppert nevertheless climbs to £623,500 in ranking prize money, moving £17,000 ahead of Rock and within £57,750 of sixth-placed Wade.
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Ross Smith climbs as Zonneveld reaches career high
Ross Smith has also gained ground after completing an outstanding European Tour season. The Englishman finished top of the 2026 European Tour Order of Merit, collecting £158,000 across a campaign featuring two titles and two runner-up finishes.
Smith rises one position to 14th on the main PDC Order of Merit, overtaking Ryan Searle. With £572,250 in ranking prize money, he sits just £4,000 behind Stephen Bunting in 13th and £5,000 behind Wessel Nijman in 12th.
Meanwhile, Zonneveld has been rewarded for his sensational triumph in Maastricht with a career-high world ranking. The 28-year-old claimed his maiden PDC ranking title after defeating Mike De Decker, Krzysztof Ratajski, Gerwyn Price, Wessel Nijman and Bunting before beating Noppert 8-5 in the final.
His breakthrough European Tour success earned him £35,000 in prize money and lifted him one place to 28th in the world rankings, with £316,750 in ranking earnings. Zonneveld moves above Daryl Gurney and further strengthens his position inside the world's top 32.
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O'Connor breaks into world's top 32 as European Championship places are decided
William O'Connor is another player celebrating a significant rankings milestone following his performances in Maastricht. The Irishman has entered the world's top 32 for the first time in his career, climbing one position to 32nd after his run at the Dutch Darts Championship.
His standout performance came against Van Gerwen, when he produced checkouts of 136, 131 and 121 to defeat the former world number one in front of his home supporters. O'Connor now heads to Dortmund for the European Championship, where he faces world number one Littler in the opening round.
Elsewhere, Karel Sedlacek climbs two places to 44th, moving above five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld, who drops to 45th. The Czech player also secured European Championship qualification through the European Tour Order of Merit, claiming one of the final places at the expense of Kim Huybrechts.
Huybrechts endured a painful end to his qualifying campaign in Maastricht, missing four match darts against Jimmy van Schie before eventually losing 6-5. That defeat cost him a place in Dortmund, while the Belgian also drops four positions to 55th in the main world rankings.
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Jeffrey de Graaf climbs two places to 41st, while Cameron Menzies moves up to 25th at the expense of Kevin Doets.
With the European Tour season complete, the European Championship provides the next opportunity for ranking movement. Van Gerwen enters that stage of the calendar with his top-ten position under immediate pressure, while Humphries and Van Veen remain separated by less than £17,000 in the continuing battle for world number two.
PDC Order of Merit
| Rank | +/- | Name | Prize money |
| 1 | Luke Littler | 3113.5 | |
| 2 | Luke Humphries | 1062.5 | |
| 3 | Gian van Veen | 1045.75 | |
| 4 | Gerwyn Price | 787 | |
| 5 | Jonny Clayton | 706 | |
| 6 | James Wade | 681.25 | |
| 7 | +1 | Danny Noppert | 623.5 |
| 8 | -1 | Josh Rock | 606.5 |
| 9 | +1 | Gary Anderson | 591.75 |
| 10 | -1 | Michael van Gerwen | 587.5 |
| 11 | Nathan Aspinall | 584.5 | |
| 12 | Wessel Nijman | 577.5 | |
| 13 | Stephen Bunting | 576.25 | |
| 14 | +1 | Ross Smith | 572.25 |
| 15 | -1 | Ryan Searle | 570.25 |
| 16 | Jermaine Wattimena | 543.75 | |
| 17 | Chris Dobey | 534.75 | |
| 18 | Luke Woodhouse | 514 | |
| 19 | Krzysztof Ratajski | 440 | |
| 20 | Dirk van Duijvenbode | 434 | |
| 21 | Damon Heta | 418.75 | |
| 22 | Rob Cross | 398.5 | |
| 23 | Martin Schindler | 391.25 | |
| 24 | Ryan Joyce | 390 | |
| 25 | +1 | Cameron Menzies | 378.5 |
| 26 | -1 | Kevin Doets | 375.25 |
| 27 | Andrew Gilding | 359.25 | |
| 28 | +1 | Niels Zonneveld | 316.75 |
| 29 | -1 | Daryl Gurney | 303.5 |
| 30 | Dave Chisnall | 285.25 | |
| 31 | Joe Cullen | 280 | |
| 32 | +1 | William O'Connor | 279.5 |
| 33 | -1 | Ritchie Edhouse | 274.5 |
| 34 | Mike De Decker | 268.5 | |
| 35 | Ricardo Pietreczko | 243.5 | |
| 36 | +1 | Niko Springer | 239.75 |
| 37 | -1 | Michael Smith | 235.75 |
| 38 | Peter Wright | 234.5 | |
| 39 | Callan Rydz | 193.25 | |
| 39 | +1 | Justin Hood | 193.25 |
| 41 | +2 | Jeffrey de Graaf | 190.75 |
| 42 | Mickey Mansell | 189.75 | |
| 43 | -2 | Martin Lukeman | 187.5 |
| 44 | +2 | Karel Sedlacek | 180.75 |
| 45 | -1 | Raymond van Barneveld | 176.25 |
| 46 | +1 | James Hurrell | 175.75 |
| 47 | -2 | Madars Razma | 174 |
| 48 | +1 | Scott Williams | 170 |
| 49 | -1 | Gabriel Clemens | 167.5 |
| 50 | Connor Scutt | 166.75 | |
| 51 | +2 | Brendan Dolan | 166 |
| 52 | +2 | Sebastian Bialecki | 165.5 |
| 53 | -1 | Ricky Evans | 165 |
| 54 | +1 | Mensur Suljovic | 155.5 |
| 55 | -4 | Kim Huybrechts | 152 |
| 56 | Keane Barry | 147.75 | |
| 57 | Ian White | 143.5 | |
| 58 | Richard Veenstra | 138.25 | |
| 59 | Dimitri Van den Bergh | 135.5 | |
| 60 | +1 | Bradley Brooks | 127.5 |
| 61 | -1 | Alan Soutar | 124 |
| 62 | Rob Owen | 123 | |
| 63 | Ryan Meikle | 118.25 | |
| 64 | Lukas Wenig | 116.25 | |
| 65 | Nick Kenny | 116 | |
| 66 | +1 | Max Hopp | 115 |
| 67 | -1 | Mario Vandenbogaerde | 113 |
| 68 | Cam Crabtree | 104.5 | |
| 69 | Thibault Tricole | 100.75 | |
| 70 | +1 | Cristo Reyes | 100 |
| 71 | -1 | Wesley Plaisier | 98 |
| 72 | Maik Kuivenhoven | 85.5 | |
| 73 | Adam Lipscombe | 80 | |
| 74 | Tom Bissell | 76.25 | |
| 75 | Beau Greaves | 72 | |
| 76 | Darryl Pilgrim | 69.5 | |
| 77 | Cor Dekker | 68.75 | |
| 78 | Dominik Gruellich | 62.25 | |
| 79 | Christian Kist | 60.5 | |
| 80 | Tom Sykes | 57.75 | |
| 81 | Andy Boulton | 56 | |
| 82 | Jim Long | 55.25 | |
| 83 | Charlie Manby | 47.25 | |
| 83 | Oskar Lukasiak | 47.25 | |
| 85 | Joe Hunt | 46 | |
| 86 | +1 | Jimmy van Schie | 45 |
| 87 | -1 | Thomas Lovely | 43 |
| 88 | Leon Weber | 41.25 | |
| 89 | Darius Labanauskas | 40.75 | |
| 90 | Marvin van Velzen | 37.75 | |
| 91 | Tavis Dudeney | 37.25 | |
| 92 | Viktor Tingstrom | 37 | |
| 93 | Shane McGuirk | 36.75 | |
| 94 | Alexander Merkx | 34.75 | |
| 95 | Henry Coates | 34 | |
| 96 | Adam Gawlas | 33.75 | |
| 97 | Kai Gotthardt | 33 | |
| 98 | Adam Paxton | 32.75 | |
| 99 | Greg Ritchie | 32.25 | |
| 100 | +1 | Owen Bates | 31.75 |
| 101 | -1 | David Sharp | 31.25 |
| 102 | -1 | Jeffrey De Zwaan | 29.75 |
| 103 | Mervyn King | 29 | |
| 104 | Adam Warner | 28.75 | |
| 105 | Jurjen van der Velde | 28.5 | |
| 106 | Martijn Dragt | 28.25 | |
| 107 | +4 | Stephen Burton | 28 |
| 108 | -1 | Dennie Olde Kalter | 27.5 |
| 109 | -1 | Chris Landman | 26.75 |
| 110 | -1 | Benjamin Pratnemer | 26.5 |
| 111 | -1 | Tommy Morris | 26.25 |
| 112 | Jeffrey Sparidaans | 25.75 | |
| 113 | Tyler Thorpe | 24 | |
| 114 | Sietse Lap | 23.25 | |
| 115 | Tommy Lishman | 23 | |
| 116 | Niall Culleton | 22.75 | |
| 117 | Scott Waites | 22.5 | |
| 118 | Jack Tweddell | 21.75 | |
| 119 | Arno Merk | 21.5 | |
| 120 | Stefan Bellmont | 20 | |
| 120 | Maximilian Czerwinski | 20 | |
| 122 | Rhys Griffin | 19.25 | |
| 122 | Adam Leek | 19.25 | |
| 124 | Derek Coulson | 19 | |
| 125 | Steve Lennon | 17.75 | |
| 126 | Stephen Rosney | 17 | |
| 127 | Stefaan Henderyck | 16.75 | |
| 128 | Tytus Kanik | 15 | |
| 129 | Harry Ward | 14.25 | |
| 130 | Samuel Price | 14 | |
| 131 | Carl Sneyd | 13.5 | |
| 132 | Nathan Potter | 13 | |
| 133 | Daniel Ayres | 12.75 | |
| 134 | Yorick Hofkens | 12.5 | |
| 135 | Pascal Rupprecht | 12.25 | |
| 136 | Andy Baetens | 11.5 | |
| 137 | Daniel Klose | 10.75 | |
| 138 | Lewis Pride | 10.25 | |
| 139 | Rusty-Jake Rodriguez | 10 | |
| 140 | Marvin Kraft | 9.5 | |
| 140 | Paul Krohne | 9.5 | |
| 142 | Boris Krcmar | 8.5 | |
| 143 | +6 | Jonas Masalin | 7.5 |
| 143 | Michael Unterbuchner | 7.5 | |
| 145 | -1 | Jan Schmidt | 7 |
| 145 | -1 | Patrik Kovacs | 7 |
| 147 | -1 | Pero Ljubic | 6.5 |
| 148 | -1 | Christopher Wickenden | 6.25 |
| 149 | -1 | Johan Engstrom | 6 |
| 150 | -1 | Nandor Major | 5.5 |
| 150 | -1 | Dragutin Horvat | 5.5 |
| 150 | -1 | Marcel Hausotter | 5.5 |
| 153 | Jack Aldridge | 5.25 | |
| 154 | Oliver Mitchell | 4.25 | |
| 155 | +15 | Krzysztof Kciuk | 4 |
| 155 | Gyorgy Jehirszki | 4 | |
| 155 | Jani Haavisto | 4 | |
| 155 | Finn Behrens | 4 | |
| 155 | Callum Goffin | 4 | |
| 155 | Anton Ostlund | 4 | |
| 161 | -1 | Ted Evetts | 3.75 |
| 161 | -1 | Aden Kirk | 3.75 |
| 161 | -1 | Filip Bereza | 3.75 |
| 161 | -1 | Scott Campbell | 3.75 |
| 165 | New | Heine Uuldriks | 3.5 |
| 165 | -1 | Laszlo Kadar | 3.5 |
| 165 | -1 | Valters Melderis | 3.5 |
| 168 | -2 | Archie Self | 3.25 |
| 169 | -2 | Patrik Williams | 3 |
| 170 | -2 | Gilbert van der Meijden | 2.5 |
| 170 | -2 | Graham Hall | 2.5 |
| 172 | New | Maikel Verberk | 2 |
| 172 | -2 | Alex Fehlmann | 2 |
| 172 | -2 | Bruno Stoeckli | 2 |
| 172 | -2 | Roman Wellinger | 2 |
| 172 | -2 | Jaimy Jacobs | 2 |
| 172 | -2 | Jeroen Caron | 2 |
| 172 | -2 | Kevin Lankhuizen | 2 |
| 172 | -2 | Michael Hansen | 2 |
| 172 | -2 | Petr Tous | 2 |
| 172 | -2 | David Rosi | 2 |
| 172 | -2 | Jiri Brejcha | 2 |
| 172 | -2 | Martin Homola | 2 |
| 172 | -2 | Andras Borbely | 2 |
| 172 | -2 | David Pisek | 2 |
| 172 | -2 | Milan Biro | 2 |
| 172 | -2 | Jaimy Van de Weerd | 2 |
| 172 | -2 | Michal Smejda | 2 |
| 172 | -2 | Mio Varila | 2 |
| 172 | -2 | Adrian Dudek | 2 |
| 172 | -2 | Gabriel Varaljay | 2 |
| 172 | -2 | Jan Sliacky | 2 |
| 172 | -2 | Juraj Holub | 2 |
| 172 | -2 | Peter Kelemen | 2 |
| 172 | -2 | Jason Riedtke | 2 |
| 172 | -2 | Teemu Harju | 2 |
| 172 | -2 | Liam Maendl-Lawrance | 2 |
| 172 | -2 | Aaron Hardy | 2 |
| 172 | -2 | Nick Zwittnigg | 2 |
| 172 | -2 | Zoran Lerchbacher | 2 |
| 172 | -2 | Michael Hurtz | 2 |
| 172 | -2 | Petr Krivka | 2 |
| 172 | -2 | Robin Masino | 2 |
| 172 | -2 | Kevin Troppmann | 2 |
| 172 | -2 | Francois Schweyen | 2 |
| 172 | -2 | Pascal Devroey | 2 |
| 172 | -2 | Florian Hempel | 2 |
| 172 | -2 | Florian Preis | 2 |
| 172 | -2 | Wojciech Brulinski | 2 |
| 172 | -2 | Sam Spivey | 2 |
| 172 | -2 | Andreas Harrysson | 2 |
| 172 | -2 | Dawid Robak | 2 |
| 172 | -2 | Miroslaw Grudziecki | 2 |
| 172 | -2 | Piotr Maciejczak | 2 |
| 215 | -2 | Danny Trueman | 1.25 |
| 215 | -2 | Matthias Ehlers | 1.25 |
| 215 | -2 | Jack Todd | 1.25 |
| 215 | -2 | Jamai van den Herik | 1.25 |
| 215 | -2 | Oliver King | 1.25 |
| 215 | -2 | Ron Meulenkamp | 1.25 |
| 215 | -2 | Samuel Whittaker | 1.25 |
| 222 | -2 | Danny van Trijp | 0.75 |
| 222 | -2 | Jesus Salate | 0.75 |
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.
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- He produced some impressive numbers in that qualifying campaign. I'm excited to see him compete at the World Championship once again, even if it will be difficult to replicate last year's success even with an improved performance, with the draw playing a huge role in determining his fortunes.Deduce635811-11-2026
- I often think about this very question. I think they should revive the format. They could even invite representatives from MODUS Super Series, with four series winners from the past year, and the ADC, with finalists from the Global Championship and perhaps other events. Why not throw in eligible representatives from the JDC and even the soft-tip game too?Deduce635811-11-2026
- So what if littler missed out, he doesnt have to enter everythingant10-11-2026
- Good, absolutely no loss if we never see this dancing goof ever again......no that is not fair. He absolutely cannot and has never been remotely able to dance!richieburnettrocks10-11-2026
- Yes Phil,now the money in the game is bigger than ever,you'd play littler. Well so would I! Retire on your memory Phil,and your successful careerrick6709-11-2026
- And why should he listen to you?Deduce635807-11-2026
- 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