This will be the 22nd instalment of Premier League Darts, with the tournament having been staged every year since its inception in 2005. Phil Taylor won that inaugural edition thanks to defeating Colin Lloyd in the final, before he lifted a further five Premier League crowns over the course of the next seven years. Dutch hero Michael van Gerwen is the competition’s most successful player despite the Power’s early dominance, having emerged triumphant on seven separate occasions.
After becoming a back-to-back world champion in early January and landing a maiden Masters title last week, Luke Littler is unsurprisingly the bookies’ favourite to clinch Premier League silverware for the second time in three years.
What happens at Premier League Darts?
The Premier League Darts series consists of an initial league phase and a subsequent play-off final, with the overall winner declared at the end of an intense four-month schedule. The league phase is staged across 16 (Thursday) nights, which are hosted at different venues across the United Kingdom and several other European countries. A mini knockout tournament takes place on each of these nights, as each participant competes for a share of the points on offer. These points are applied to a traditional league table, enabling all players to be ranked based on their progressive performance.
Although participant numbers have varied over the past two decades, recent tournaments have been contested by eight players (as will be the case in 2026). All participants will face each other in a quarter-final tie at some stage between Night 1 and Night 7, and then again between Night 9 and Night 15. On Night 8 and Night 16, the quarter-final line-up is decided by each player’s current league position. The highest (1st) and lowest (8th) ranked players are pitted against one another, while the other ties follow this same pattern on a sliding scale (i.e., 2nd versus 7th, 3rd versus 6th). Therefore, the players at the top end of the table receive the most favourable draw at the midway and end points of the league phase.
Those who assume the league table’s top four positions at the conclusion of Night 16 will progress to the play-offs, while the players ranked fifth to eighth are eliminated from the competition. A set of semi-finals then takes place to determine the two finalists, before the champion is eventually crowned.
Who will feature at this year’s Premier League Darts?
The top four-ranked players in the PDC Order of Merit qualify automatically, ensuring those who have delivered the strongest performances at televised events are rewarded with an invitation to one of darts’ most prestigious tournaments. The PDC selects the remaining four participants as wild cards, considering aspects such as recent form and past Premier League appearances to help make their decision.
The eight players who will compete in the 2026 Premier League Darts series are as follows:
1. Luke Littler (England) – 1st in PDC Order of Merit
2. Luke Humphries (England) – 2nd in PDC Order of Merit
3. Gian van Veen (Netherlands) – 3rd in PDC Order of Merit
4. Michael van Gerwen (Netherlands) – 4th in PDC Order of Merit
5. Jonny Clayton (Wales) – PDC Wild Card pick
6. Stephen Bunting (England) – PDC Wild Card pick
7. Josh Rock (Northern Ireland) – PDC Wild Card pick
8. Gerwyn Price (Wales) – PDC Wild Card pick
Schedule
We’ve provided a full breakdown of the 2026 Premier League Darts schedule, which includes dates, venues, and details of the fourteen quarter-finals ties that have already been confirmed. The full league phase draw has already been mapped out, so players can see who their potential semi-final opponents will be on each night. With regards to the schedule below, the winners of quarter-finals 1 & 2 will be paired together in the semi-finals, while those who progress from quarter-finals 3 & 4 are poised to meet each other in the last four.
The tournament will visit Belgium for the very first time, with Antwerp’s AFAS Dome set to stage Night 2 following this week’s opening contest in Newcastle. It’s worth noting that venues in all four home nations will be used, while Ireland, Germany, and the Netherlands also assume hosting responsibilities.
League Phase: February 5th to May 21st
February 5th: Night 1 – Utilita Arena, Newcastle
Quarter-final ties:
1. Josh Rock vs. Jonny Clayton
2. Luke Littler vs. Gian van Veen
3. Luke Humphries vs. Gerwyn Price
4. Stephen Bunting vs. Michael van Gerwen
February 12th: Night 2 – AFAS Dome, Antwerp
1. Luke Littler vs. Luke Humphries
2. Michael van Gerwen vs. Josh Rock
3. Jonny Clayton vs. Stephen Bunting
4. Gerwyn Price vs. Gian van Veen
February 19th: Night 3 – OVO Hydro, Glasgow
1. Stephen Bunting vs. Gian van Veen
2. Luke Humphries vs. Josh Rock
3. Michael van Gerwen vs. Luke Littler
4. Jonny Clayton vs. Gerwyn Price
February 26th: Night 4 – SSE Arena, Belfast
1. Luke Littler vs. Jonny Clayton
2. Stephen Bunting vs. Luke Humphries
3. Michael van Gerwen vs. Gerwyn Price
4. Gian van Veen vs. Josh Rock
March 5th: Night 5 – Utilita Arena, Cardiff
1. Michael van Gerwen vs. Luke Humphries
2. Gian van Veen vs. Jonny Clayton
3. Gerwyn Price vs. Stephen Bunting
4. Luke Littler vs. Josh Rock
March 12th: Night 6 – Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham
1. Josh Rock vs. Stephen Bunting
2. Jonny Clayton vs. Michael van Gerwen
3. Luke Humphries vs. Gian van Veen
4. Gerwyn Price vs. Luke Littler
March 19th: Night 7 – 3Arena, Dublin
1. Gian van Veen vs. Michael van Gerwen
2. Stephen Bunting vs. Luke Littler
3. Josh Rock vs. Gerwyn Price
4. Jonny Clayton vs. Luke Humphries
March 26th: Night 8 – Uber Arena, Berlin
The quarter-final line-up for Night 8 is determined by league position. Ties will become apparent following the conclusion of Night 7 in Dublin.
April 2nd: Night 9 – AO Arena, Manchester
1. Michael van Gerwen vs. Stephen Bunting
2. Gerwyn Price vs. Luke Humphries
3. Gian van Veen vs. Luke Littler
4. Jonny Clayton vs. Josh Rock
April 9th: Night 10 – Brighton Centre, Brighton
1. Luke Humphries vs. Jonny Clayton
2. Gerwyn Price vs. Josh Rock
3. Luke Littler vs. Stephen Bunting
4. Michael van Gerwen vs. Gian van Veen
April 16th: Night 11 – Rotterdam Ahoy, Rotterdam
1. Luke Littler vs. Gerwyn Price
2. Gian van Veen vs. Luke Humphries
3. Michael van Gerwen vs. Jonny Clayton
4. Stephen Bunting vs. Josh Rock
April 23rd: Night 12 – M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool
1. Gian van Veen vs. Gerwyn Price
2. Stephen Bunting vs. Jonny Clayton
3. Josh Rock vs. Michael van Gerwen
4. Luke Humphries vs. Luke Littler
April 30th: Night 13 – P&J Live, Aberdeen
1. Josh Rock vs. Luke Littler
2. Stephen Bunting vs. Gerwyn Price
3. Jonny Clayton vs. Gian van Veen
4. Luke Humphries vs. Michael van Gerwen
May 7th: Night 14 – First Direct Arena, Leeds
1. Gerwyn Price vs. Jonny Clayton
2. Luke Littler vs. Michael van Gerwen
3. Josh Rock vs. Luke Humphries
4. Gian van Veen vs. Stephen Bunting
May 14th: Night 15 – Utilita Arena, Birmingham
1. Josh Rock vs. Gian van Veen
2. Gerwyn Price vs. Michael van Gerwen
3. Luke Humphries vs. Stephen Bunting
4. Jonny Clayton vs. Luke Littler
May 21st: Night 16 – Utilita Arena, Sheffield
The quarter-final line-up for Night 16 is determined by league position. Ties will become apparent following the conclusion of Night 15 in Birmingham.
Play-offs
May 28th: Finals Night – O2 Arena, London
The top four-ranked players at the conclusion of the league phase advance to the play-offs at London’s O2 Arena. The semi-final ties will be as follows: 1st vs. 4th and 2nd vs. 3rd
All play-off matches (semi-finals and final) take place on the same evening.
For further details about this year’s tournament, check out Flashscore’s comprehensive guide to the 2026 Premier League Darts campaign.