"Withdrawing like this damages that image": Nathan Aspinall criticised after missing out on Players Championship Finals due to ProTour absences
PDC
Nathan Aspinall will miss the 2026 Players Championship Finals. The previous year’s runner-up passed up his final opportunities to qualify for the tournament in Minehead. In the latest episode of “Tops Tops Tops”, Adrian Geiler, Max Meintz and Fabian Dippold discussed his withdrawals. They were openly critical, while stressing that they did not know the specific reasons behind them.
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Aspinall’s withdrawal from the final two Players Championship events, tournaments 33 and 34, confirmed that he was out of the qualification race. That means both finalists from last year will be absent this time around: defending champion Luke Littler will also miss Minehead. The PDC confirmed that both players would be absent before the final ProTour double-header.
The podcast focused in particular on whether Aspinall should have skipped those events given his position in the game. Geiler sees a gap between the Englishman’s ambitions and his choices when planning his tournament schedule.
Geiler: “But he isn’t in that position”
“I get the feeling that Nathan Aspinall sees himself on the same level as Luke Humphries, Gerwyn Price and other players who can pick and choose which tournaments they enter and still qualify for the majors,” Geiler said.
In his view, Aspinall cannot currently afford that freedom without taking a sporting risk. “But he isn’t in that position where he can say, ‘You know what? I don’t care if I play this tournament.’”
Geiler pointed to the potential gains for direct rivals. A strong run from players such as Stephen Bunting or Luke Woodhouse could strengthen their cases and see them overtake Aspinall in the world rankings. Missed opportunities could matter, particularly when it comes to a possible Premier League selection.
What particularly concerns Geiler is that the decision, in his view, does not match Aspinall’s attitude on the oche. The Englishman is known as a player who fights back even in difficult situations.
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“I don’t think this is in keeping with Nathan Aspinall,” Geiler said. “He’s known as the terrier of darts, the one who always digs in. But withdrawing like this damages that image.”
Aspinall lost to Luke Littler in the 2025 Players Championship Finals final.
Meintz sees questions—and an opportunity at the World Championship
Max Meintz broadly agreed with the criticism. He had already been puzzled by Aspinall leaving the previous Players Championship block. After playing on the first day, Aspinall did not return for the second.
At the same time, Meintz made clear that personal or health-related circumstances could certainly justify a withdrawal. “Of course, if it’s something to do with family, illness or whatever, there are always good reasons to pull out.”
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If Aspinall’s only reason for withdrawing was that he was willing to miss the Players Championship Finals, Meintz said he could not understand the decision. Without knowing the actual reasons, however, he stressed that this was only speculation.
Meintz still believes Aspinall has every chance to turn his season around. The World Championship, in particular, could quickly change how the Englishman is viewed.
“People soon forget if he reaches a World Championship semi-final. That’s just how it is,” Meintz said. A run like that could count for more in the Premier League race than a good result in Minehead followed by a poor World Championship. His verdict on Aspinall’s position: “He can still turn things around.”
Dippold criticises the lack of communication
Fabian Dippold focused above all on the unknown reasons behind the withdrawals. He warned against overlooking possible explanations, while also outlining why the decision had created an unfavourable impression.
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“There are always plenty of reasons to pull out. But that’s exactly what we don’t know,” Dippold said. “And when there’s no explanation, it creates exactly the impression you mentioned—that it looks like giving up.”
He pointed to Luke Humphries as a counterexample. Humphries also uses Players Championship events to maintain his rhythm and prepare for what lies ahead.
“Look at Luke Humphries and how he uses these tournaments to stay in form. That’s very professional,” Dippold said.
He made his judgment of Aspinall’s approach conditional: “If there isn’t a valid reason—and we don’t know, because nothing has been communicated—then it seems totally unprofessional to me.”
That was why the decision struck him as “a little haphazard, a little strange”. Overall, Aspinall’s withdrawal had surprised him.
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How much time off suits a player’s position in the game?
Geiler described the impression Aspinall’s withdrawals had made on him as “phlegmatic”. He also pointed to private commitments that could shape a player’s schedule, including family birthdays and a summer wedding.
Such reasons were legitimate. However, Aspinall still needed to keep his sporting goals in mind, along with the tournaments he had to play to achieve them.
“At the end of the day, he is still a professional, and he needs to be playing in the major tournaments,” Geiler stressed. Aspinall’s absence from Minehead stands out even more after he reached the final there last year.
Geiler illustrated his criticism with a comparison to school. Aspinall struck him as someone who needed to study but could be persuaded by others not to bother. The result, Geiler suggested, could be a poor grade.
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Are higher prize funds changing tournament schedules?
Dippold offered another possible explanation: the rise in prize money. In his view, this could affect how often established professionals compete and which events they prioritise.
“I also think we are seeing the after-effects of the increase in prize money,” he said. Players may increasingly conclude that they do not need to compete in every tournament.
Dippold made clear that he was deliberately overstating the point. Even so, top players’ financial security could encourage them to skip certain events.
Geiler agreed with the general argument and criticised what he saw as the excessive importance placed on the World Darts Championship. He also acknowledged the strain of the packed calendar, particularly for Premier League players. Aspinall, however, is not currently part of that group.
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Read also
That made an honest assessment of his own position essential: “Where do I stand in the world right now, and what should I really be doing?”
For now, Geiler remains sceptical about Aspinall’s announcements that he will play many more tournaments in future. “I’m not taking him at his word just yet, because he is too inconsistent.”
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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