Year-to-Date Order of Merit: Luke Littler dominates 2026 prize-money ranking as Luke Humphries and Michael van Gerwen lose ground

Luke Littler has left the rest of the PDC field trailing in the 2026 Year-to-Date Order of Merit, while Luke Humphries and Michael van Gerwen find themselves well down the prize-money standings after the opening seven months of the season.

The official PDC Order of Merit covers prize money earned across a rolling two-year period, but the yearly standings offer a clearer picture of which players are producing the strongest results right now.

After the opening seven months of 2026, Littler is comfortably ahead of the field with £485,000 in ranking prize money. Wessel Nijman sits second on £278,500, narrowly ahead of Gerwyn Price.

Humphries, meanwhile, occupies only tenth place after failing to make a deep run at either the UK Open or World Matchplay. Van Gerwen sits even lower in 20th, with the three-time world champion yet to reach a quarter-final at a ranking major during 2026.

Despite missing several tournaments, Littler has earned more than £200,000 more than any other player during 2026. The reigning world champion has won the World Masters, UK Open and most recently the World Matchplay, as well as adding a European Tour title to his collection.

Those results have placed the 19-year-old in a category of his own at the top of the yearly ranking. Littler has not needed to play a complete schedule to build an enormous advantage, with his performances on the sport’s biggest stages accounting for much of the gap. The battle behind him is considerably tighter.

Nijman has collected £278,500 during a breakthrough season featuring eight PDC ranking titles. The 25-year-old has won six Players Championship events and two European Tour tournaments, establishing himself as one of the most prolific winners on the circuit.

Price is only £4,500 behind Nijman in third. The Welshman has won on both the European Tour and Players Championship circuit, while his run to the World Matchplay final provided another substantial addition to his total.

Ross Smith has also enjoyed one of the best seasons of his career. Two Players Championship victories, the International Darts Open title and a World Matchplay quarter-final have placed him fourth in the yearly standings.

James Wade and Josh Rock complete the top six, ahead of Gian van Veen and Kevin Doets. Van Veen strengthened his position by reaching the World Matchplay semi-finals in July and has earned £166,250 across the season. Doets follows closely on £163,000 after winning a Players Championship title and repeatedly reaching the latter stages of ProTour and European Tour events.

Humphries is tenth despite beginning the campaign as one of the leading players in the world. His position partly reflects a reduced schedule, but early exits at the UK Open and World Matchplay have also limited his ranking earnings. Those results have contributed to Humphries losing second place on the official PDC Order of Merit to Van Veen.

Van Gerwen’s position is even more striking. The three-time world champion has not reached a quarter-final at a ranking major during 2026 and sits 20th on the Year-to-Date Order of Merit.

Van Gerwen has won one Players Championship event, but sustained title challenges have otherwise been difficult to find. Across eight European Tour appearances, his best results have been one semi-final and two quarter-finals. He is only one place ahead of Stephen Bunting, while Nathan Aspinall is 22nd and Gary Anderson sits 31st.

Danny Noppert is another player whose yearly position falls below his standing on the official world ranking. He is tenth on the main Order of Merit but only 15th based on his 2026 earnings. Dirk van Duijvenbode has moved in the opposite direction. His World Matchplay semi-final helped lift him to 16th for the year, six places higher than his position on the official ranking.

The standings also underline the progress being made by players further down the PDC hierarchy. Cristo Reyes is 34th following an impressive return to the professional circuit, while Beau Greaves sits 37th after continuing to establish herself against Tour Card opposition. Tom Sykes is another notable climber in 48th.

Their immediate challenge is different from the one facing Littler, Nijman and the other title contenders. Every pound earned contributes towards the two-year total that will ultimately determine whether they finish inside the top 64 and retain a PDC Tour Card.

For now, the 2026 standings tell two very different stories. Littler has created a substantial gap at the top, while the results behind him suggest the established order beneath the world champion is changing quickly.