Wessel Nijman joins Michael van Gerwen in exclusive club after sixth Players Championship title of 2026

Wessel Nijman’s latest Players Championship title has put him level with Michael van Gerwen on one of the most exclusive ProTour lists of the modern era.

The Dutchman beat Ryan Searle 8-6 in the final of Players Championship 21 to claim his sixth Players Championship title of 2026, continuing a floor season that has left him clear at the top of the Players Championship Order of Merit.

The wider landmark came from his status in the draw. Nijman has now won five Players Championship titles as number one seed since 2018, matching Van Gerwen at the top of that specific list.

Gerwyn Price sits next on four, with Dave Chisnall on three. Joe Cullen, Stephen Bunting and Peter Wright have each managed it once in that period.

Nijman’s overall 2026 tally now stands at six Players Championship titles, with wins at PC2, PC8, PC10, PC12, PC14 and PC21.

Five of those have been converted from the number one seed position, taking him alongside Van Gerwen as the joint leader in that regard since 2018. It is another measure of Nijman’s grip on the floor circuit, where he has repeatedly arrived as the player to beat and still found a way through the draw.

His latest title came after another strong day in Wigan. Searle pushed him in the final, but Nijman came through 8-6 to add another £15,000 title to a season already stacked with ProTour success.

The result also strengthened his position on the Players Championship Order of Merit, where he has built a commanding lead over the rest of the field.

Winning as number one seed has been rare even for some of the biggest names on the ProTour since 2018.

As mentioned, Price has done it four times, Chisnall three, while Cullen, Bunting and Wright have one title each from that position. Nijman is now level with Van Gerwen on five, after another event where top billing did not stop him converting.

That has become the defining pattern of his 2026 Players Championship campaign. Nijman has not just been winning events from outside the spotlight. He has been doing it while carrying the ranking, the expectation and the target that comes with being the leading name in the draw.

PC21 added his sixth Players Championship title of the year. It also moved him into Van Gerwen company on a list built around repeated wins from the most exposed position on the ProTour floor.