Luke Humphries at the World Championship

Luke Humphries admits a Premier League line-up of eight is a 'headache' but means the tournament stays 'elite'

By Chris Hammer

Darts

Wed December 31, 2025 · 13h ago

Luke Humphries understands why a Premier League format change gets debated but feels keeping it at eight players ensures that the tournament remains "elite".

Cool Hand admitted it's going to be a real headache for the PDC to make their selection for the prestigious 2026 event, which offers £350,000 to the champion, due to the growing number of stars in the game with genuine claims for inclusion.

The top four in the world rankings are guaranteed to be picked but currently that only means Luke Littler and Humphries are locked in, leaving the likes of Michael van Gerwen, Jonny Clayton, Stephen Bunting, Gian van Veen, Josh Rock, Danny Noppert, Gerwyn Price, Nathan Aspinall and possibly even Gary Anderson in the mix for the other places.

It seems highly improbable that current world number three MVG is left out even if he slips out of the top four by the time the World Championship ends, but nobody else appears safe.

Ally Pally quarter-finalists Justin Hood and Ryan Searle would also have to be included if their dream runs resulted in them lifting the Sid Waddell Trophy, just to add another potential subplot into the debate.

When asked if the format should be expanded to 10 like the old days to allow more star names to be involved, Humphries said: "There are a lot of good players playing well - Josh (Rock), Gian (van Veen), Gary (Anderson) are playing well.

"I think 12 would be too many as it's not elite then. If there's eight players, it's going to be a headache, if there's 10 it'll pick itself."

Interesting thoughts from Luke Humphries about the competition for Premier League selection and if it should be expanded... pic.twitter.com/dVLfwOroCL
— Chris Hammer (@ChrisHammer180) December 31, 2025

"There are a lot of good players and I think there is going to be a headache for the Premier League this year. It is going to be a tough ask to pick that. It is hard to know what the perfect scenario is for the Premier League.

"Eight always feels really elite. I have missed out - it is good to upset people, it gives you a little bit of hunger and you don't want to please everyone. What makes good viewing is good arguments of 'I should be in, I shouldn't be in' - all that type of stuff.

"I think 12 is probably too many, it wouldn't feel elite then, 10 is the maximum. It all depends - if it is eight it is a headache, if it is 10 then it picks itself."

Humphries did also add that he had some interesting ideas if the Premier League was ever expanded to 12 players but refused to talk about them on camera.

Meanwhile, PDC chief executive Matt Porter insists that the Premier League format won't change for 2026.

He told Sky Sports: "We always say that we do evaluate it and we will change it at some point, but we just feel at the moment the data shows us that this is the right format.

"The crowds in the arenas love it, they love seeing a winner on the night, it keeps them entertained until the last dart, and the TV audience figures are great.

"So, we will make a decision as and when we feel that the format is tired."

As for the line-up, he said: "We never make a decision until the end when we've got all the facts in front of us. There is no point talking about it now. You don't make decisions until you've got everything in front of you.

"We always look for the players that we feel have delivered consistently. It is important. A lot of players deliver once but you have to show you can compete at the top level on a regular basis.

"You have to show you've got real star quality. Most importantly, we don't want to rush it. We don't want to put somebody in before they're ready because that could be a real negative step for their career.

"The Premier League's a tough school. If you go up there for 16 weeks and you're losing first round week in, week out, that's difficult. You've got to take that into Euro Tours and Pro Tours. So, we will make a considered decision.

"As ever, it won't be 100 per cent popular, but it will be an honest decision."