Preview Premier League Darts 2026 Night 2: Debut in Antwerp sees Littler-Humphries and Van Gerwen-Rock among headline acts

The second match night of the Premier League Darts 2026 is set for Thursday evening, 12/22026, as the PDC brings its invitational to Antwerp for the first time in history. Among others, Michael van Gerwen and Gian van Veen will be part of this Premier League debut in Belgium.

Van Gerwen starts this second night as league leader with 5 points. He won the opening night last week by defeating Gian van Veen in the final, who sits second with 3 points. Jonny Clayton and Luke Humphries each won one match and follow in third and fourth with 2 points apiece. Gerwyn Price, Luke Littler, Josh Rock, and Stephen Bunting lost their first ties last week and therefore begin this second night on 0 points.

It is the first time the Premier League Darts lands in Belgium. In the AFAS Dome in Antwerp, no fewer than 23,000 fans will be part of this debut. It promises to be a special evening, but who will take the win on Night 2? Below is a preview of the first four opening matches of this second match night. Note in the UK, it starts an hour earlier due to the time difference.

We open the night with a cracking showdown between the two Lukes. World champion Luke Littler faces world number 2 Luke Humphries. Littler began his Premier League campaign last week with a defeat to Gian van Veen, and a second loss would leave him on 0 points after two nights. The 19-year-old will not panic, though, as he also lost his first match last year but still cruised to Finals Night.

Humphries edged his first match last week against Gerwyn Price but then lost to the eventual night winner Michael van Gerwen. The titleholder will want to lay down a marker against his namesake and biggest rival of recent years.

The pair have met 27 times in total, with Littler leading on 17 wins. Humphries has beaten the world champion 10 times. Looking only at the Premier League, they have faced each other 14 times. Littler also holds a clear edge there. ‘The Nuke’ has come out on top 10 times, with Humphries prevailing 4 times.

Next up is the winner of the opening night: Michael van Gerwen. The Dutchman plays his first match in Antwerp against this year’s debutant Josh Rock. Van Gerwen impressed in Newcastle last week by taking the nightly title straight away. ‘Mighty Mike’ fell 2-0 behind in his first match against Stephen Bunting but then reeled off 6 legs on the spin to win. He then proved too strong for Luke Humphries 6-2 in the semi-final, with his finishing making the difference. 87, 97, 104, 110, and 114 all went in within 2 or 3 darts. In the final he beat his compatriot and fellow debutant Gian van Veen 6-4 to claim the title.

Josh Rock could not mark his debut with a victory. ‘Rocky’ averaged over 101 in a solid display but ran into a rampant Jonny Clayton. The Welshman averaged close to 110 and was therefore too strong for the Northern Irishman. The head-to-head favors the Dutchman. Van Gerwen and Rock have met 12 times in total, with ‘MVG’ winning 8 and Rock 4. They have faced three times at major TV events, where Van Gerwen also holds a slight edge with 2 wins. As this is Rock’s debut year in the Premier League, they will meet there for the first time this Thursday night.

The third match pits Jonny Clayton against Stephen Bunting. Clayton looked on course last week to challenge for the nightly win straight away. He beat Rock with an average close to 110, but then stalled completely in his second match. Multiple visits of 26, 41, or 45 led to a 6-4 semi-final defeat against Van Veen. Still, that opening tie showed what he can produce, and tonight he may face the most favorable opponent.

Stephen Bunting has not been in sparkling form in recent months, and last week again proved difficult for ‘The Bullet’. Although he took a 2-0 lead in his opener against Van Gerwen, his level then dipped and he failed to win another leg. Last year’s Premier League was also a real struggle for the Englishman, and unless his form picks up soon, this year could follow the same pattern.

The head-to-head record also slightly favors Clayton. The pair have met 20 times in total, with the Welshman coming out on top 12 times. Bunting has beaten ‘The Ferret’ on eight occasions. However, Clayton and Bunting have never faced each other in the Premier League.

The final quarterfinal tie pits Gerwyn Price against Gian van Veen. The Dutchman impressed on his debut last week by reaching the final straight away. In the opening round he immediately dispatched world champion Luke Littler, before also beating a below-par Clayton. In the final, however, he had to concede to compatriot Michael van Gerwen.

Price played well against Humphries but missed two match darts in the deciding leg and ultimately lost the match. “The Iceman” did impress on Tuesday at the second Players Championship event of the year. Price reached the final and swept Michael van Gerwen 6-0 along the way, posting an average of over 117. He lost the final 8-7 to Wessel Nijman despite averaging over 107. He recorded a 100+ average in 6 of his 7 matches, underlining that the Welshman is currently in top form.

Van Veen will therefore have a tough assignment in Price, and the head-to-head record between the two hardly speaks in the Dutchman’s favor. Price and “The Giant” have played each other 9 times in total, with Van Veen winning only once. That came in a European Tour quarterfinal last year. The Dutchman has made significant strides over the past year and has now climbed to third in the world rankings. Even so, he will very likely need to find his absolute best if he wants to topple “The Iceman.”