Race to PDC World Darts Championship 2026/27: Who is on track for Ally Pally with big names in danger of missing out?

PDC
Saturday, 04 July 2026 at 06:00
2026-07-03_16-17_Landscape
The first six months of the PDC season are in the books, marking a natural checkpoint in the race towards the 2027 World Darts Championship. While the key televised tournaments are still to come, a large part of the Pro Tour season has already been completed. As a result, it is becoming increasingly clear which players are on track for a ticket to Alexandra Palace and which big names must seriously fear missing the biggest darts tournament of the year.
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This year’s field in London again features 128 players. Unlike several years ago, all participants start from the first round. The line-up is composed of the top 40 on the PDC Order of Merit, the top 40 on the Pro Tour Order of Merit, and 48 international qualifiers. The latter group emerges from secondary PDC rankings, international circuits, and qualifiers, once more creating a global field with darters from every part of the world.
The bulk of the Pro Tour season is now behind us. After six months, 22 of the 34 Players Championship events have been played, while nine of the fifteen Euro Tours have also been completed. That means the qualification race has largely taken shape, though it should be noted that the lucrative majors are staged in the second half of the season. Those can still trigger major shifts on the world rankings.
That matters not only for qualification, but also for the World Championship draw. The higher a player sits on the PDC Order of Merit, the more favorable his position in the bracket. The number 32 seed knows, on paper, he could already run into the world number one in the third round.

Luke Littler locked in as top seed at Ally Pally

One thing is now certain: Luke Littler will head to the Worlds as the top seed once again. The English world champion won the last two editions of the World Championship, and the prize money he earned there carries such weight on the world rankings that the chasing pack has no realistic chance of catching him for now. On the live rankings, his lead is now close to two million pounds.
Behind him, however, a notable battle is unfolding. Gian van Veen currently sits third on the official PDC Order of Merit, but occupies second place on the live World Championship ranking. The runner-up at the last world title showdown holds a lead of over £100,000 on Luke Humphries, who must currently settle for third.
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Jonny Clayton and Gerwyn Price are also on course for places in the top five of the seedings. That would mean both Welshmen, if the rankings remain unchanged, land in the same half of the draw as Littler. James Wade currently rounds out the live top six.
Luke Littler proudly poses with the World Championship trophy
Luke Littler won the last two editions of the World Darts Championship

Van Gerwen at risk of sliding further

The most striking name near the top of the live world rankings is undoubtedly Michael van Gerwen. For years, the Dutchman was the ever-present at the summit of the PDC Order of Merit. Between January 2014 and January 2021 he held the number one spot without interruption, after which he remained second or third for years.
That era appears to be over for now. At the moment, Van Gerwen sits seventh on the live list, and there is even a chance he could slip further in the coming months. That is entirely tied to the prize money he must defend in the second half of the season.
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The World Championship in particular poses a major risk. Van Gerwen reached the final at the start of 2024 and will have to defend that hefty haul. If he fails to do so, even a drop out of the world’s top sixteen is possible.

Nijman making huge strides as Wright and Smith teeter on the edge

While Van Gerwen threatens to lose ground, Wessel Nijman is mounting an impressive surge. At the last World Championship he started as world number 31, but thanks to an excellent Pro Tour season he has now climbed to ninth on the live world rankings.
Albeit the strides also leave several big names outside the seeded bracket. Peter Wright is currently 34th, while former world champion Michael Smith sits only 37th on the live list.
Peter Wright throws darts.
Peter Wright seems likely to miss out on seedings.
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Pro Tour offers plenty of opportunities

In addition to the world rankings, the Pro Tour Order of Merit is also a key route to Alexandra Palace. The best forty players not yet qualified via the world rankings will likewise receive a World Championship ticket.
On that list, Kim Huybrechts is the standout surprise for now. The Belgian is enjoying an impressive resurgence and tops the cleaned Pro Tour ranking. That puts him on course for his sixteenth consecutive World Championship appearance and, for the moment, he is the only Belgian to qualify via this route.
The second spot also immediately catches the eye. Cristo Reyes returned this season as a Tour Card holder after six years away and looks set to book his place at Alexandra Palace straightaway.
One of the season’s biggest stories is Beau Greaves. In her first year as a Tour Card holder, the Englishwoman has already won a Players Championship event and has racked up £55,250 in prize money on the floor. That puts Greaves a fine third on the Pro Tour Order of Merit and nothing appears to be standing in the way of a World Championship debut.
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Beau Greaves shaking her fist
Beau Greaves is third on ProTour Order of Merit.
The current top 40 also features several familiar names. Max Hopp looks on his way to a World Championship spot, while Mensur Suljovic and Ian White also have strong credentials to return to the sport’s biggest stage. Ricky Evans and Mervyn King are also above the cut for now, but cannot afford a dip in form over the coming months.
Other familiar faces such as Ian White, Alan Soutar, Keane Barry, Charlie Manby, James Hurrell among others are also high up in these lists and are likely certainties.
A special milestone beckons for several players as well. Based on the current standings, Tom Bissell, Tom Sykes, Joe Hunt, Darryl Pilgrim, Shane McGuirk, Tommy Morris, Jimmy van Schie, and Martijn Dragt can realistically dream of a debut at Alexandra Palace.
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International spots largely still open

The battle for international tickets has yet to truly ignite. Many secondary PDC Tours are only decided later in the season and most international qualifiers still have to be played.
As a result, only two international entrants are confirmed for now. David Cameron secured his place by winning the CDC Continental Cup, while Adam Sevada clinched his World Championship ticket by taking the North American Darts Championship.
Over the coming months, the international field will therefore gradually fill up further.

Big names face missing out

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Although there are still a significant number of tournaments to come, several well-known names now find themselves in a worrying position.
The biggest name outside the virtual field at the moment is Raymond van Barneveld. The five-time world champion sits only 44th on the virtual world rankings and is also down in 77th place on the Pro Tour Order of Merit. A tough task awaits him, as Van Barneveld still needs to make up at least £10,000 to reach the top 40 of the Pro Tour ranking.
Dimitri Van den Bergh is also on the outside looking in for now. The Belgian has played the World Championship in each of the last eleven editions, but is enduring a difficult season. On the virtual world rankings he sits only 59th, and he is 56th on the Pro Tour Order of Merit. His situation is not yet hopeless, though. The gap to the virtual number 40 is only £3,500, meaning a few good results could be enough to reconnect with the pack.
Scott Williams, Brendan Dolan, and Martin Lukeman are also outside the World Championship places at present.
Raymond van Barneveld in action
Raymond van Barneveld has not yet virtually qualified for the World Darts Championship
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Decisive months ahead

Although the outline of the World Championship field is becoming clearer, the qualification race is anything but settled. With twelve Players Championship events, six Euro Tours, and all the major TV tournaments still to come, there is everything to play for in the second half of the season.
For players currently above the cut, the focus now is on defending their position. For others, the task is clear: results must follow in the second half of the season to secure a place at Alexandra Palace.

Virtual PDC Order of Merit

RankNamePrize money (in units of £1,000)
1 Luke Littler 2647
2 Gian van Veen 865.5
3 Luke Humphries 738.5
4 Jonny Clayton 599
5 Gerwyn Price 588
6 James Wade 548
7 Michael van Gerwen 538.75
8 Josh Rock 535
9 Wessel Nijman 518.25
10 Ryan Searle 517.25
11 Stephen Bunting 510.5
12 Chris Dobey 499
13 Danny Noppert 496.75
14 Nathan Aspinall 488.75
15 Gary Anderson 460.5
16 Ross Smith 426.5
17 Luke Woodhouse 421.25
18 Krzysztof Ratajski 382
19 Jermaine Wattimena 381
20 Martin Schindler 363.25
21 Damon Heta 349.25
22 Rob Cross 345
23 Kevin Doets 340
24 Andrew Gilding 329.75
25 Ryan Joyce 306.5
26 Dirk van Duijvenbode 291
27 Daryl Gurney 286
28 Cameron Menzies 282
29 Joe Cullen 267.25
30 William O'Connor 238
31 Dave Chisnall 235
32 Niels Zonneveld 228.5
33 Niko Springer 224.75
34 Peter Wright 212.25
35 Ricardo Pietreczko 206.25
36 Mike De Decker 204.75
37 Michael Smith 191.5
38 Justin Hood 181.5
39 Callan Rydz 179
40 Madars Razma 163.5
41 Jeffrey de Graaf 157.75
42 Ricky Evans 157
43 James Hurrell 154.75
44 Raymond van Barneveld 140.25
45 Karel Sedlacek 137.75
46 Ian White 137.5
47 Kim Huybrechts 134.25
48 Gabriel Clemens 133.75
49 Mensur Suljovic 132.5
50 Connor Scutt 130.5

Virtual PDC Pro Tour Order of Merit

RankNamePrize money (in units of £1,000)
1 Kim Huybrechts 57.75
2 Cristo Reyes 57.75
3 Beau Greaves 55.25
4 Sebastian Bialecki 52.25
5 Karel Sedlacek 48.75
6 Maik Kuivenhoven 44.75
7 Richard Veenstra 44.5
8 Tom Bissell 44
9 Jeffrey de Graaf 41.25
10 Tom Sykes 38.75
11 Max Hopp 38.75
12 Mensur Suljovic 38.5
13 Mickey Mansell 36
14 Rob Owen 35.75
15 Connor Scutt 35.75
16 Ian White 34.75
17 Alan Soutar 34.5
18 Keane Barry 33.75
19 Joe Hunt 33.5
20 Charlie Manby 32.25
21 Darius Labanauskas 31.75
22 Lukas Wenig 31.25
23 Gabriel Clemens 30
24 Darryl Pilgrim 29
25 Ritchie Edhouse 28
26 Christian Kist 28
27 James Hurrell 27.5
28 Jimmy van Schie 27
29 Alexander Merkx 26
30 Jim Long 25.25
31 Ricky Evans 24.5
32 Mervyn King 23.75
33 Thibault Tricole 22.5
34 Adam Gawlas 22.5
35 Shane McGuirk 22.25
36 Tommy Morris 21
37 Jurjen van der Velde 21
38 Andy Boulton 20.75
39 Cam Crabtree 20.25
40 Martijn Dragt 20.25
41 Scott Waites 20
42 Brendan Dolan 19.75
43 Jeffrey Sparidaans 19.25
44 Thomas Lovely 19.25
45 Cor Dekker 19.25
46 Jeffrey De Zwaan 19
47 Adam Lipscombe 19
48 Mario Vandenbogaerde 18.25
49 Tyler Thorpe 18.25
50 David Sharp 17.75
51 Ryan Meikle 17.75
52 Chris Landman 17.5
53 Owen Bates 17.25
54 Leon Weber 17.25
55 Wesley Plaisier 16.75
56 Dimitri Van den Bergh 16.75
57 Nick Kenny 16.75
58 Bradley Brooks 16.5
59 Derek Coulson 16.5
60 Tommy Lishman 16.25
61 Stephen Burton 16
62 Niall Culleton 15.25
63 Arno Merk 15.25
64 Benjamin Pratnemer 15
65 Sietse Lap 15
66 Adam Leek 14.75
67 Jack Tweddell 14.75
68 Marvin van Velzen 14.25
69 Kai Gotthardt 14
70 Scott Williams 13.75
71 Viktor Tingstrom 13.25
72 Adam Paxton 12.75
73 Stephen Rosney 12.5
74 Rhys Griffin 12
75 Steve Lennon 11.25
76 Stefan Bellmont 10.75
77 Raymond van Barneveld 10.75
78 Greg Ritchie 10.25
79 Tavis Dudeney 10.25
80 Henry Coates 9.75
81 Harry Ward 9.75
82 Nathan Potter 9.75
83 Samuel Price 9.5
84 Paul Krohne 9.5
85 Carl Sneyd 8.5
86 Boris Krcmar 8.5
87 Daniel Klose 8.25
88 Yorick Hofkens 8.25
89 Pascal Rupprecht 8.25
90 Andy Baetens 8
91 Adam Warner 7
92 Marvin Kraft 7
93 Patrik Kovacs 7
94 Dennie Olde Kalter 6.5
95 Dominik Gruellich 6.5
96 Martin Lukeman 5.75
97 Oskar Lukasiak 5.5
98 Marcel Hausotter 5.5
99 Michael Unterbuchner 5.5
100 Maximilian Czerwinski 5
101 Tytus Kanik 4.5
102 Lewis Pride 4.5
103 Jonas Masalin 4
104 Jan Schmidt 4
105 Dragutin Horvat 4
106 Johan Engstrom 4
107 Finn Behrens 4
108 Callum Goffin 4
109 Anton Ostlund 4
110 Daniel Ayres 3.75
111 Filip Bereza 3.75
112 Valters Melderis 3.5
113 Jack Aldridge 3.25
114 Oliver Mitchell 3
115 Aden Kirk 2.5
116 Christopher Wickenden 2.5
117 Rusty-Jake Rodriguez 2.5
118 Jaimy Van de Weerd 2
118 Mio Varila 2
120 Adrian Dudek 2
120 Gabriel Varaljay 2
120 Jan Sliacky 2
120 Juraj Holub 2
120 Peter Kelemen 2
125 Jason Riedtke 2
125 Nandor Major 2
125 Teemu Harju 2
128 Gyorgy Jehirszki 2
128 Liam Maendl-Lawrance 2
130 Aaron Hardy 2
130 Nick Zwittnigg 2
130 Zoran Lerchbacher 2
133 Michael Hurtz 2
133 Petr Krivka 2
133 Robin Masino 2
136 Kevin Troppmann 2
137 Francois Schweyen 2
137 Jani Haavisto 2
137 Pascal Devroey 2
140 Florian Hempel 2
140 Florian Preis 2
140 Wojciech Brulinski 2
143 Stefaan Henderyck 2
144 Andreas Harrysson 2
144 Dawid Robak 2
144 Krzysztof Kciuk 2
144 Miroslaw Grudziecki 2
144 Piotr Maciejczak 2
149 Pero Ljubic 1.25
150 Danny Trueman 1.25
151 Ted Evetts 1.25
152 Matthias Ehlers 1.25
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