Luke Humphries and Luke Littler

Premier League line-up predictions for 2026: Which players are guaranteed to be picked and who are battling for the other spots?

By Paul Nicholson

Darts

Mon November 03, 2025 · 1M ago

The Premier League Darts line-up for 2026 is already being talked about despite there being three majors of the season remaining, including the World Championship, but who is most likely to be involved?

It is only the start of November but you'll already have seen that social media is awash with opinions about what the Premier League line-up should be.

It's a debate that starts this early - sometimes even earlier - every single year, but so much can happen between now and when the PDC and Sky Sports make their final decision in January.

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GUARANTEED: LUKE LITTLER

Only a devastating injury could stop Luke Littler being in the Premier League but it will be interesting to see if he can usurp Luke Humphries as world number one before the new season begins.

GUARANTEED: LUKE HUMPHRIES

The defending champion is obviously in and the only focus he has right now is adding to his major haul and holding onto the world number one spot. He's defending a lot of money at the Grand Slam, Players Championship Finals and World Championship having won them all two seasons ago but even if he suffered first-round exits in all three, he'd still be ranked in the top four.

VIRTUALLY GUARANTEED: MICHAEL VAN GERWEN

We know about Michael van Gerwen's troubles in 2025 and some have suggested a year off from the Premier League would do him some good. As things stand he's still world number three so would have to be included but what if that was to change at the start of January? I'm still pretty sure the PDC would still want him given his huge appeal, plus he is so important to this sport. He's a great commercial entity but also still a great player as we saw at the World Series Finals, while he also came close at the recent European Championship. I'd certainly have him in, even if they changed the rules to only have the top two in the world and six wildcards.

VIRTUALLY GUARANTEED: STEPHEN BUNTING

I know some people are saying Stephen Bunting still has some work to do due to not winning any major titles since the 2024 PDC World Masters and also had a disappointing Premier League campaign in 2025, but I really do think he'll be in the line up and deserves another crack. Not only do the fans love him but he's still been a highly consistent performer in the majors, while he's won so many ranked events in front of TV cameras to underline why he's world number four and one of the most dangerous players in the world. I'm confident that he'll do well enough in the three remaining majors to be ranked inside the top four which would guarantee his spot anyway, but even if he were to slip down to fifth, I just can't see the PDC leaving him out.

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ALMOST SAFE: GIAN VAN VEEN

Gian van Veen has climbed into the world's top 10 after winning his maiden Premier title at the European Championship and you'd have to say he'd light up the Premier League. He's one of the brightest young stars in the sport and has the talent to rubber stamp his place in the line-up in the forthcoming majors, including the World Championship which he's third favourite to win! Van Veen has been excellent all season but if he struggles in the next three events then there might be a question mark raised by some fans about whether he's ready for all the attention of the Premier League. After all, he's only had a tour card for about two to three years. But he's exciting to watch, a fantastic role model and a talks so wonderfully well when on camera. I can't see him being overlooked, especially with the rivalry he could have with Luke Littler.

ALMOST SAFE: JOSH ROCK

A lot of people think that Josh Rock is going to get the call and I'm one of them because I believe he's ready for the challenge and would really make the most of the limelight. He's a great showman, the fans will relish watching him take on the likes of Luke Littler and he'd fly the flag really well for Northern Ireland like Daryl Gurney has done before. I want young players, I want vibrant stars, and people who like to go for it. That's what the Premier League needs more than anything. I don't want someone going up there, playing their darts and just shaking hands. I want people who are willing to go for it every week, and Rock is one of those people.

NOT SAFE: JONNY CLAYTON

I think he's more likely to be in than not, but his place isn't assured. He's been knocking on the door all year in the majors and also playing some sterling stuff away from the mainstream TV cameras on the European Tour so if he can have a solid end to the season, I think he'll be there. Obviously it would help if he picked up one of the remaining big titles but I don't think it's as essential for him as it is for some other players vying for a Premier League spot.

NOT SAFE: NATHAN ASPINALL

Nathan Aspinall deserves a lot of credit for how he silenced a lot of doubters during this season's Premier League. The year started with people saying he was only picked because of his walk-on but he battled so hard throughout the campaign to get himself into the play-offs and the confidence he drew from that - plus the motivation to get back in for 2026 - saw him enjoy a highly prolific season with three European Tour titles. Sure, he's outside the world's top 16 at the moment but he didn't enjoy a good spell two years ago and he can take advantage of that from a ranking perspective in the next three majors and nail down his Premier League spot once again. He's probably playing better now than he ever has so expect some huge runs in the coming weeks. However, if he struggles, his place will go to someone else.

Three other leading contenders who could still get in

JAMES WADE

He's number five in the world and has done brilliantly to get back in the top six, but Luke Humphries missed out once when ranked that highly so it's no guarantee he gets picked. He did say at the World Matchplay that he doesn't think Sky view him as a Premier League player but let's not underestimate that he does have a big fanbase and his results would be deserving of consideration. However, I do think he needs to win one of the majors or have an extremely strong World Championship.

CHRIS DOBEY

If I was being selfish, I'd want Chris Dobey in my line-up now but I had to put Aspinall in for the reasons I've mentioned. However if Dobey can take the form he's displayed on the Pro Tour into the remaining majors of the season then he too stands a good chance of getting himself picked again.

GERWYN PRICE

It's amazing to think there could be a Premier League without Gerwyn Price but right now I genuinely feel he's still got a lot of work to do if he's to earn his selection. He's projected to be world number 12 but unlike Nathan Aspinall, his form doesn't suggest he'll make as big a climb in the remaining majors. He won four Players Championship titles and once on the European Tour this season but the brutal ranking system means he's dropped to 12th and nowhere near being Welsh number one at the moment. He's got to put his foot down and possibly win a fourth Grand Slam, or win his first Players Championship Finals. That would do it for him - or obviously something special at the Ally Pally.

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