The lineup for Premier League Darts 2026 has been confirmed, with four wildcards chosen to join the four automatic qualifiers for the 16-week tournament, which begins next month.
Jonny Clayton, Stephen Bunting, Josh Rock and Gerwyn Price were the men selected and will take to the stage when the event gets underway in Newcastle on Thursday, 5 February. Bunting is the man who will consider himself most lucky to have been selected after struggling in the Premier League last year, finishing bottom of the pile.
Sky Sports pundit Wayne Mardle said of the selection: “I'm slightly surprised at Stephen Bunting. He's had a decent enough year but not as good as some in my opinion. He can consider himself a little fortunate. He played OK in the Premier League last year but results didn't go well, especially for the first eight weeks when he didn't win a game. You can’t argue with any of them in terms of their ability and what they are capable of but Bunting will be the one who will breathe a huge sigh of relief.”
That quartet will join double reigning world champion Luke Littler, last year’s Premier League winner Luke Humphries, World Championship finalist Gian van Veen and Dutch icon Michael van Gerwen, who were already assured of their spot due to their current ranking in the PDC Order of Merit. A resurgent Gary Anderson – who reached the World Championship semi-finals and is back up to No 6 in the world – would probably have been a lock for a wildcard place but the veteran Scot has revealed he would have turned it down in order to limit his tournament schedule.
Follow the announcement of the Premier League 2026 wildcards with our live blog below:
Premier League Darts 2026 lineup announcement - live updates
- Jonny Clayton, Stephen Bunting, Josh Rock and Gerwyn Price selected as wildcards for the 2026 Premier League Darts
- Bunting should 'consider himself a little fortunate' to be selected says Sky Sports pundit Wayne Mardle
- The four wildcards will join the four automatic qualifiers for the 16-week event, which begins on 5 February
- Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, Gian van Veen and Michael van Gerwen are automatically assured of a spot due to their world ranking
- The resurgent Gary Anderson stated he won't play in the Premier League this year
Stephen Bunting ‘fortunate’ to get wildcard as Premier League Darts lineup revealed
17:15 , Luke BakerStephen Bunting headlined the four wildcard selections, as the full eight-man lineup for the 2026 Premier League Darts tournament was revealed, and was described as “fortunate” to have received a pick.
Bunting, Jonny Clayton, Josh Rock and Gerwyn Price were the wildcards selected by the PDC, joining the four automatic qualifiers for the 16-week tournament – which gets underway in Newcastle on 5 February.
Those four automatic picks were double reigning world champion Luke Littler, last year’s Premier League winner Luke Humphries, World Championship finalist Gian van Veen and Dutch icon Michael van Gerwen, who were already assured of their spot due to their current ranking in the PDC Order of Merit.
Northern Irishman Rock and new Dutch No 1 Van Veen are the two debutants in this year’s lineup, while Bunting was the most controversial selection after his struggles in recent times.
Stephen Bunting ‘fortunate’ to get wildcard as Premier League Darts lineup revealed
Gian van Veen 'honoured' to compete in Premier League
17:00 , Luke BakerWorld Championship finalist Gian van Veen will make his Premier League debut and the Dutchman has posted on social media that he is “honoured” to get the call.
𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐠𝐮𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔!
— Gian van Veen (@GVV180) January 5, 2026
I’m honoured to be invited to the Premier League of Darts by the PDC. This is another dream coming true!
Can’t wait to see you all on Thursday nights! 👊#GianvanVeen #GVV #Darts #PDC #PremierLeagueofDarts pic.twitter.com/zhH00TvGu3
Josh Rock 'is made for the Premier League'
16:46 , Luke BakerJosh Rock is one of two men who will be making his Premier League debut this year (the other being Gian van Veen) and Wayne Mardle believes he is tailor-made for the format.
“If there is one player who is made for the Premier League, it is Josh Rock,” said Mardle. “The World Cup with Daryl Gurney showed that he loves the stage, he thrives on it, and he is ready to win.
“He is prime. I really believe this format is great for him. Sixteen weeks is made for Josh Rock.”
Mardle was asked if Gerwyn Price, the lowest ranked player in the competition as world No 12, had pressure on him to justify his spot but doesn’t believe the Welshman does.
“I don't see pressure on him, no,” said Mardle. “I think he had a good end to the year to be fair.
“He did have a poor worlds, he got well beaten by Wesley Plaisier. He took care of him but I believe he will be OK. He looked like being one of the faves to win it last year but Luke [Littler] sorted him out [in the semi-finals].”
Wayne Mardle reveals who is facing the pressure
16:28 , Luke BakerHere’s who Wayne Mardle thinks has plenty to prove in this year’s Premier League.
“I think there is pressure on three players,” said Mardle on Sky Sports. “Stephen [Bunting], yes 100 per cent.
"Whoever gets in, you can’t really call it the last pick because we don’t know who the last pick is, but the pressure is on you. And that’s Stephen this year.
“I think the pressure is also on Michael van Gerwen and Luke Humphries.
“I think Humphries needs to re-establish himself with ‘hold on, forget about Gian van Veen.’ Van Veen sorted him out in the quarter-finals and I think he will want to put it right.
“There is pressure on MVG. Two years ago he wins four years of the Premier League in the same format. Last year he did not make the play-offs and he did not win a week. He needs to hit the ground running.”
Who missed out on selection?
16:16 , Luke BakerSo if Bunting was slightly fortunate to be selected, who can consider themselves unlucky to have missed out?
Fan favourite Nathan Aspinall won’t compete in the Premier League for the first time since 2022, despite finishing third in the standings last year, winning two nights
Danny Noppert, the world No 10, was being touted by many as a man set to make his Premier League, having controversially been snubbed last year but he misses out again.
“Danny Noppert has been really unlucky,” said pundit Wayne Mardle. “He's reached the semi-finals of four majors. Nathan Aspinall had a squeak but Noppert I feel – what's he got to do? He won the UK Open a few years ago. Since then he's got better and better. Maybe he's got to reach a final or win one, but Stephen [Bunting] hasn't done that this year.”
Two-time world champion Gary Anderson also misses out, although would have turned down a place if offered anyway, while World Championship semi-finalist Ryan Searle and James Wade are among the other omissions.
Bunting's struggles over the past year
16:07 , Luke BakerStephen Bunting will be the selection that causes the most consternation given his struggles over the past year.
Bunting won two World Series events and a Euro Tour tournament in the first half of 2025 but struggled in the majors in the second half of the year.
The 40-year-old also finished bottom of the Premier League table last season after failing to win a game for the first eight weeks of the event, although he rallied slightly in the second half of the group phase.
Having entered the recent World Championship as fourth seed, and declared he would win the event, Bunting scraped through his first-round encounter 3-2 against Sebastian Bialecki and then crashed out in round three, going down 4-3 to James Hurrell.
Wayne Mardle: Bunting can consider himself fortunate
15:55 , Luke BakerFive-time World Championship semi-finalist Wayne Mardle gave his reaction to the lineup and believes Stephen Bunting can consider himself lucky.
Mardle said: “I'm slightly surprised at Stephen Bunting. He's had a decent enough year but not as good as some in my opinion.
“He can consider himself a little fortunate. He played OK in the Premier League last year but results didn't go well, especially for the first eight weeks when he didn't win a game.
“You can’t argue with any of them in terms of their ability and what they are capable of but Bunting will be the one who will breathe a huge sigh of relief.”
Clayton, Bunting, Rock and Price selected
15:51 , Luke BakerFour very good players have been selected to join Littler, Humphries, Van Veen and Van Gerwen. Here’s a little bit about each man
Jonny Clayton
No 5 in the world, narrowly missed out on a top-four spot thanks to Gian van Veen’s run to the World Championship final. A former Premier League winner in 2021.
Stephen Bunting
Down to No 7 in the world after an abrupt end to his time at the World Championship, Bunting has endured a tough time and admitted to struggling with criticism, including online trolls targeting his 13-year-old son Toby. Loved for his walkout song, and wildly popular, despite some critics.
Josh Rock
No 9 in the world, will make his Premier League debut. A rising star of the game and the 24-year-old Northern Irishman has been rewarded for his breakthrough year
Gerwyn Price
The lowest ranked at No 12 in the world. The 40-year-old Welshman is a huge character within the game, often enduring a love-hate relationship with the fans, although that seems to have softened somewhat in recent times. Was a Premier League runner-up in 2023 and a semi-finalist last year.
Four wildcards revealed
15:46 , Luke BakerOk, here we go. Emma Paton and Wayne Mardle take to the Sky Sports News studio to reveal the four wildcards.
And these are the lucky four:
- Jonny Clayton
- Stephen Bunting
- Josh Rock
- Gerwyn Price
PDC Order of Merit
15:42 , Luke BakerHere’s the current PDC Order of Merit after the recent World Championship. Luke Littler miles clear at the top, of course.
The top four are automatically in the Premier League, with four wildcards coming from outside that quartet. Will a higher placing help the case of the likes of Jonny Clayton and Stephen Bunting?
1) Luke Littler
2) Luke Humphries
3) Gian van Veen
4) Michael van Gerwen
5) Jonny Clayton
6) Gary Anderson
7) Stephen Bunting
8) Ryan Searle
9) Josh Rock
10) Danny Noppert
11) James Wade
12) Gerwyn Price
13) Chris Dobey
14) Nathan Aspinall
15) Martin Schindler
16) Ross Smith
Announcement delayed
15:36 , Luke BakerA slight delay to the announcement due to a busy day of football news taking precedence on Sky Sports News – Celtic and Manchester United sacking their managers today.
The Premier League Darts announcement is now expected at 3.45pm, so around 10 minutes’ time.
Luke Littler aware of young talent coming through in darts
15:32 , Jack Rathborn"There's just so many opportunities for players to be on tour now. Us players, we're only going to get better. We're fighting for the extra prize money this year in all majors. That'll obviously spur the players on," Littler said.
"The Premier League is one of the biggest ones, week in, week out, playing against the best. Anything can happen in 2026 and everyone knows it's darts, anything can happen on the day.
"Just like Michael van Gerwen said, there's a star born every 17 years. There might have been a star born last year, which I don't know about, we'll have to see.
"There's a lot of youngsters that are going to fly through the ranks."
Predicted line-up for 2026 Premier League Darts
15:26 , Luke BakerSo what do we think the lineup will be? Here’s our prediction of the eight. It’s only a few minutes until we find out for real now
- Luke Littler
- Luke Humphries
- Gian van Veen
- Michael van Gerwen
- Jonny Clayton
- Gerwyn Price
- Josh Rock
- Nathan Aspinall
Wildcard contender: Justin Hood
15:21 , Luke BakerThe breakout star of the World Championships on debut, Hood won thousands of new fans at Ally Pally, with his unpredictable facial expressions on stage between sets and his stated desire to open a Chinese restaurant.
The then-world No 86 (he’s up to No 50 after the tournament) came unstuck in the last eight against Gary Anderson, which probably ends hopes of a Premier League place despite that being by far the biggest payday of his career.
Wildcard contender: Rob Cross
15:16 , Luke BakerThe 2018 world champion put up a decent fight against Luke Littler, and in fact was the only player to really challenge ‘The Nuke’ at all at Ally Pally this year but dropping out at the worlds in the last 16 has seen him fall to 20th in the world.
Seventh in last year’s edition, ‘Voltage’ seems poised for a year out of the Premier League.
Wildcard contender: Nathan Aspinall
15:11 , Luke BakerSnuck into the Premier League last year and performed admirably, finishing third in the regular standings, winning two nights.
He could edge out Bunting for that final spot if the PDC sees Rock as a player to throw their weight behind, given his high potential. Was stopped in the third round of the worlds by an inspired Kevin Doets.
Wildcard contender: Stephen Bunting
15:06 , Luke BakerDown to No 7 in the world after an abrupt end to his time at the World Championship, Bunting has endured a tough time and admitted to struggling with criticism, including online trolls targeting his 13-year-old son Toby.
Loved for his walkout song, and wildly popular, despite some critics, Bunting’s inclusion this year is uncertain.
Wildcard contender: Ryan Searle
14:57 , Luke Baker'Heavy Metal' is in fine form and made the last four at the World Championship, with just two sets dropped en route to the semi-finals, before being demolished by Littler. Even with that run, Searle has hinted that he doesn’t expect a place.
“I've kind of said privately that the Premier League is something that I would like to do once, just to say that I've done it,” he said. “Whether it’s this year or not… if you look at Chris Dobey last year, he kind of had a similar path to me, where in previous majors he didn't do a huge amount and then got to the worlds and made a semi and they put him in. Not sure whether my face fits for that, but we'll see what happens.”
However, the 38-year-old is up to a career-best No 8 in the world rankings and his candidness about his degenerative eye condition during the World Championship was one of the stories of the event
Wildcard contender: Jonny Clayton
14:48 , Luke BakerAfter Gian Van Veen’s run to the World Championship final, Clayton dropped out of the top four in the rankings but he remains under consideration for a wildcard spot as a former Premier League winner in 2021.
‘The Ferret’ is a popular player with both crowds and fellow pros, while the face he was only one place outside the automatic qualifying spots will count in his favour
Wildcard contender: Gerwyn Price
14:42 , Luke BakerThe 40-year-old Welshman is a huge character within the game, often enduring a love-hate relationship with the fans, although that seems to have softened somewhat in recent times, certainly compared to the days of him ludicrously walking out on to the Ally Pally stage in ear defenders to drown out the booing.
Was a Premier League runner-up in 2023 and although he’s down to No 12 in the world, his pedigree and name value should likely see him earn a spot.
Wildcard contender: Josh Rock
14:37 , Luke BakerThe 24-year-old has a high-powered scoring game to mix it with the very best and looks set for a Premier League debut.
A semi-finalist in the World Matchplay and UK Open, alongside his World Cup win for Northern Ireland with Daryl Gurney, Rock’s journey at the worlds was stopped by a majestic Justin Hood in the last 16.
The world No 9 has that “star quality” that the PDC are looking for, however
Gary Anderson set to turn down spot
14:31 , Luke BakerTwo-time world champion Gary Anderson would be a lock to feature, should he want to.
Scintillating form at the recent World Championship has shown the Scot is a real threat against anyone but the schedule does not suit Anderson.
The 55-year-old, who is back up to number six in the world, said: “No, no, I'm quite happy, I need to concentrate on my rankings. If I've done the Premier League, Europeans gone, Players Championship gone. I can't do it, it's been great the years I’ve done it. But I can’t do it for 16 weeks on the road then try to get back for them. I can't do it.”
The four automatic qualifiers
14:25 , Luke BakerFour men are already guaranteed a place in the Premier League, that being those who are the current top four in the world rankings.
Double reigning world champion Luke Littler, fresh off his latest Ally Pally triumph, is runaway world No 1, while last year’s Premier League winner Luke Humphries is also in as the world No 2.
Then it’s a pair of Dutch players who are the remaining two automatic qualifiers, with World Championship finalist Gian van Veen ranked third in the world and the iconic Michael van Gerwen in as world No 4.
What is the prize pot and where is the Premier League played?
14:20 , Luke BakerThere is big money up for grabs across the 16-week league phase of the Premier League, before the play-offs kick in with the finale settled at The O2 Arena, London.
A total purse of £1,250,000 will see the overall winner pick up £350,000, with a £10,000 bonus available at each weekly stop.
The tournament begins on 5 February and runs every Thursday for 16 weeks. Newcastle is the first stop, with Antwerp in Belgium a new venue this year – hosting the second week of action on 12 February.
Cities such as Glasgow, Belfast, Manchester, Dublin, Berlin and Rotterdam will also host one of the weeks
How are the wildcards decided?
14:14 , Luke BakerThe top four from the PDC’s order of merit will automatically qualify for the Premier League – that is Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, Gian van Veen and Michael van Gerwen.
Then the remaining four are chosen by the PDC, handing each player a lifeline with big prize money, exposure and high-level competition to build a successful 2026 on the circuit.
PDC chief executive Matt Porter has hinted at “star quality” and those who can “perform on the big stage” as deciding factors for the wildcard picks.
Everything you need to know about Premier League Darts 2026
14:06 , Luke BakerThe Premier League Darts is back, with the 16-week tour around Europe set to begin on 5 February.
Firstly, there is a lineup to confirm with a slew of players anxiously awaiting news of whether they’ve been selected for a wildcard slot.
Here’s everything you need to know:
Premier League Darts 2026 predicted line-up and wildcard candidates
Premier League Darts lineup announcement - live
13:50 , Luke BakerWelcome to The Independent’s live coverage of the lineup for the Premier League Darts 2026.
We’ll find out who is joining Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, Gian van Veen and Michael van Gerwen for the 16-week exhibition tour, so stick with us for updates
