Premier League

From 5 February to 28 May, the 22nd edition of the Premier League Darts was held.

The eight players selected for the 2026 Premier League were announced following the World Championship final in January. The line-up consisted of Luke Humphries, Luke Littler, Michael van Gerwen, Gian van Veen, Stephen Bunting, Josh Rock, Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton. There were two debutants this year: Josh Rock and Gian van Veen.

Right from the start of the Premier League, it was Jonny Clayton and Luke Littler who made the strongest impressions. Clayton won his opening match in each of the first six weeks and claimed victory on two of those nights. Littler did not produce his best form during the first four weeks, but between weeks five and eight he found top gear, winning three of the four nights and moving to the top of the table at the halfway stage. Dutch debutant Gian van Veen also made an excellent start to the 2026 Premier League. During the first four nights, he reached the final three times, although he was unable to convert any of those appearances into a nightly victory. After week six, however, Van Veen was admitted to hospital with kidney stones and was unable to compete in week seven. From that point onwards, he struggled to regain his best form and eventually finished seventh in his debut season. The other debutant, Josh Rock, endured a difficult campaign. The Northern Irishman lost his first seven matches of the season, effectively ending his hopes of qualifying for the Play-Offs at an early stage. Although Rock managed to win four matches during the remainder of the campaign, he never consistently reached his usual level. His main highlight came in front of his home crowd in Belfast, where he threw the only nine-darter of the 2026 Premier League season.

Stephen Bunting returned to the Premier League after a difficult season the year before. Once again, results were hard to come by. He did win Night Four, but otherwise struggled to make a significant impact. It was not until Night Sixteen that Bunting reached another final, which he went on to win. That victory lifted him two places in the standings and secured fifth place overall. Another player who found the opening stages difficult was Luke Humphries. Despite posting strong averages, the Englishman failed to win enough matches, often missing crucial doubles at key moments. As a result, he was outside the Play-Off places after twelve weeks. The former World Champion then produced a remarkable finish to the regular season. Humphries reached the final on each of the last four nights and won Night Fifteen, securing third place and a Play-Off berth. By then, Luke Littler, Jonny Clayton and Luke Humphries had all guaranteed their places in the Play-Offs.

The final Play-Off spot was contested by Gerwyn Price and Michael van Gerwen. Van Gerwen started the season strongly by winning Night One and reaching the final on Night Two. However, illness forced him to miss Night Three, and from that point onwards he struggled to build momentum. Over the final thirteen weeks, Van Gerwen won his opening match on only four occasions, which ultimately proved insufficient to reach the Play-Offs. Price, meanwhile, enjoyed a strong first half of the season. After nine weeks, he had won two nights and reached another final, leaving him in a comfortable position. However, his form dipped significantly between weeks ten and fourteen, during which he won just one match. A run to the final on Night Fifteen proved enough to secure the final Play-Off place.

In the first Play-Off semi-final, Luke Littler faced Gerwyn Price in a match that turned into a classic. The contest remained level at 4–4 before Littler produced one of his trademark bursts, winning five consecutive legs to move into a commanding 9–4 lead. The match appeared over, but Littler missed six match darts, allowing Price to complete a remarkable comeback and level the score at 9–9. A deciding nineteenth leg was required, and once again Littler found a way to win, reaching the Premier League final for the third consecutive year. The second semi-final between Jonny Clayton and Luke Humphries proved just as dramatic. Both players produced a high-quality performance throughout. Clayton led 8–7 and appeared to be closing in on victory, but Humphries showed tremendous resilience. The Englishman recovered from 9–7 down to level the match at 9–9, including a brilliant 121 finish. A deciding leg followed, with Clayton missing the first match dart. Humphries then stepped in and landed the winning double to book his place in the final.

For the third year in a row, the Premier League final featured Luke Littler and Luke Humphries. Once again, the match delivered. Humphries seized the early initiative and moved from 3–3 to 6–3 ahead thanks to ton-plus finishes of 134, 112 and 121. Littler responded by finding another gear and after fourteen legs the score was level once more at 7–7. Littler broke Humphries in the nineteenth leg to move 10–9 ahead, but missed a match dart in the following leg, allowing Humphries to level at 10–10 and earn the throw in the deciding leg. That advantage ultimately counted for little, however, as Littler won the final leg to secure victory and become Premier League champion for the second time in his career.