Premier League Darts 2026: Participant profiles with Luke Humphries, Luke Littler and Gian van Veen in title rivalry

World No 1 Luke Littler and defending Premier League Darts champion Luke Humphries will headline Thursday nights from February till Could. We profile the eight gamers.

The roadshow occasion shall be staged on Thursday nights from opening evening in Newcastle on February 5 till Could 28 at The O2 in London, as the highest names in world darts compete for the coveted title and a file prize fund of £1.25m, with the general winner selecting up £350,000, and a £10,000 bonus accessible at every weekly cease.

The road-up has been revealed with Gian van Veen and Josh Rock making their Premier League bow in an unchanged format.

Premier League Darts qualification includes 4 computerized spots for the highest gamers on the PDC Order of Benefit (world rankings) and 4 wild-card picks chosen by the PDC, making an eight-player area for the season.

High 4 computerized spots

Luke Littler

The 2024 Premier League champion and the 2025 runner-up has gained nearly all of the rating majors previously 12 months. ‘The Nuke’ is the reigning back-to-back world champion and Grand Slam of Darts winner. He’s additionally the reigning UK Open, World Matchplay, World Grand Prix and Gamers Championship Finals winner and shall be odds-on to regain the Premier League crown.

Luke Humphries

The world No 2 dethroned Warrington ace Littler within the 2025 closing having completed as runner-up the 12 months earlier than. Humphries can stay up for a 3rd look within the travelling darts roadshow. ‘Cool Hand’ suffered a 3rd consecutive televised main closing defeat on the Grand Slam in Wolverhampton earlier than sustaining a 5-1 demolition job by the hands of Gian van Veen within the quarter-finals of the latest world championship.

Gian van Veen

The 23-year-old Dutchman is without doubt one of the rising younger stars on the earth of darts and reaffirmed his title credentials by defeating Humphries to say his maiden TV main title with European Championship victory in Dortmund. He then destroyed the world No 2 within the quarter-finals of the world championship en path to his maiden closing at Alexandra Palace the place he was crushed 7-1 by Littler.

Michael van Gerwen

There are ideas ‘Mighty Mike’ might have missed this 12 months’s event, however the 36-year-old naturally belongs in the most effective darts competitors on the earth. He gained the Premier League title for a record-breaking seventh time after defeating Gerwyn Value 11-5 in 2023 however the Dutchman misplaced within the Play-Offs in 2024 and did not qualify for Finals Evening final 12 months.

4 wild-card picks

Josh Rock

‘Rocky’ will grace the Premier League stage for the primary time. He was a semi-finalist on the World Matchplay and UK Open, and impressed Northern Eire to a maiden World Cup victory in June alongside Daryl Gurney. The 24-year-old has a recreation to combine it with the perfect, though he journey on the worlds was stopped by an impressive Justin Hood within the final 16.

Jonny Clayton

Clayton has dropped down the Order of Benefit, however was handed a wild-card spot as a former Premier League winner in 2021. The 51-year-old Welshman that includes in a brace of televised finals on the World Masters and World Cup of Darts, having additionally reached the semi-finals of the UK Open, World Matchplay and World Grand Prix.

Gerwyn Value

The previous rugby ace went from having love-hate relationship with the group to turning into one of many followers’ favourites in latest occasions. ‘The Iceman’ endured a disappointing Worlds, exiting within the second spherical to Wesley Plaisier, however the Welshman has additionally gained a number of titles, together with the Poland Darts Masters, a number of Gamers Championship occasions, and the Baltic Sea Darts Open. He famously landed two nine-darters throughout final 12 months’s Premier League, the place he was a semi-finalist.

Stephen Bunting

‘The Bullet’ slipped out of the highest 4 of the Order of Benefit which out his Premier League ambitions unsure. The world No 7 claimed six PDC titles, together with World Collection wins in Bahrain and Copenhagen, in addition to European Tour successes in Riesa and Basel. His recognition with followers has helped his case. The St Helens star arrives in model along with his iconic ‘Titanium’ walk-on tune.

How does the Premier League work?

Matches happen each Thursday evening between February and Could and are performed in numerous venues round the UK, Eire and Europe, together with Germany, the Netherlands with Antwerp, Belgium a brand new venue this 12 months.

Since 2022, the format has been an eight-person knockout bracket each evening, with every of the gamers assembly as soon as throughout week 1-7 after which once more in weeks 9-15 with weeks 8 and 16 drawn primarily based on league standings.

The factors system is as follows:

• Nightly winner: 5 factors
• Runner-up: 3 factors
• Shedding semi-finalists: 2 factors

After week 16, the highest 4 within the desk contest the semi-finals and the ultimate at The O2 in London.

First performs fourth and second performs third within the best-of-19-leg semi-finals earlier than a best-of-21-leg closing.

Premier League Darts winners

• 2005: Phil Taylor
• 2006: Phil Taylor
• 2007: Phil Taylor
• 2008: Phil Taylor
• 2009: James Wade
• 2010: Phil Taylor
• 2011: Gary Anderson
• 2012: Phil Taylor
• 2013: Michael van Gerwen
• 2014: Raymond van Barneveld
• 2015: Gary Anderson
• 2016: Michael van Gerwen
• 2017: Michael van Gerwen
• 2018: Michael van Gerwen
• 2019: Michael van Gerwen
• 2020: Glen Durrant
• 2021: Jonny Clayton
• 2022: Michael van Gerwen
• 2023: Michael van Gerwen
• 2024: Luke Littler
• 2025: Luke Humphries

Who will win this 12 months’s Premier League Darts? Luke Humphries shall be defending his title and you’ll watch the motion each single Thursday from February fifth in Newcastle till Could twenty eighth at The O2 in London on Sky Sports activities. Stream darts and extra prime sport with NOW.