The 2026 PDC Darts World Championship concluded on Saturday night, but luckily for darts fans, there is a major announcement to look forward to coming up.
On Monday afternoon, the eight-player lineup for the 2026 Premier League of Darts will be announced, which starts in a little over a month from now.
A few months ago, I wrote an article predicting who I thought would make the Premier League in 2026, but a lot has transpired since.
MORE: Way too early predictions for the PDC 2026 Premier League of Darts lineup
With the World Championship just ending, I thought now would be a good time to make a new lineup prediction with the real announcement coming in just a couple of days.
2026 Premier League of Darts lineup prediction
Here are the eight players I believe will make the 2026 lineup.
Automatic qualifiers
These four players, pending whether or not they accept the invitation, will be in the 2026 Premier League of Darts via being top-four on the Main OoM rankings (automatic qualifying spots).
Luke Littler
To no one's surprise, Luke Littler will be back in the 2026 Premier League.
This will be his third year in the league once it is made official, and he's looking to make a third straight final, after winning in 2024 and finishing as the runner-up in 2025.
Littler has set many records during his time in the Premier League already, and he'll look to become just the fourth player to win two career Premier League titles.
Luke Humphries
Humphries is the reigning champion of the Premier League.
He had one ranked title in 2025 and was a runner-up in three other ranked majors.
He's coming off a quarterfinal finish in the PDC WC, so the Premier League will be a chance for him to get some revenge against players who have beaten him at majors in recent months.
MORE: The moment Luke Humphries defeats Luke Littler in 2025 Premier League Darts play-off final
Gian van Veen
2025 (and the 2026 PDC WC) was the best year of Gian van Veen's career.
He won his first major title, beating Luke Humphries at the European Championship, and was the runner-up at the 2026 PDC WC.
He's set to make his debut in the Premier League as long as he accepts his invitation.
Michael van Gerwen
2025 wasn't the strongest year for van Gerwen, but he did finish the 2026 PDC WC as the 4th highest-ranked player on the Main OoM.
There have been real discussions around whether or not he would have gotten the PL nod if he weren't in an automatic qualifying spot, but as long as he chooses to accept the invitation, he'll be in.
Van Gerwen missed the PL play-off night for just the second time in his career in 2025 and will once again face a difficult field of players set to compete in this year's league.
Players invited
Four more spots will be available after the automatic qualifier spots, so here are the four players I believe will get the nod.
Jonny Clayton
Clayton is a three-time participant in the Premier League and was a 'contender' for one additional year.
He most notably won the Premier League in 2021, but hasn't made the cut in the last two years.
However, that should change this year, as he has an impressive resume from 2025 to support his case.
It was a strong start to the year for Clayton, as he made the final at the World Masters and made semifinal appearances at the UK Open, World Matchplay and World Grand Prix.
He most recently made the quarterfinals of the 2026 PDC WC, which, in my opinion, solidifies his spot in the 2026 PL.
MORE: PDC announces darts schedule for 2026: World Championship, Premier League and more
Gerwyn Price
Price had a disappointing performance at the 2026 PDC WC, losing in the second round to Wesley Plaisier.
Luckily, he had a strong 2025 that outweighs his early exit at the WC.
He's made two semifinals (Grand Slam of Darts and Players Championship Finals) and two quarterfinals (World Matchplay and World Grand Prix) in 2025 (not including his QF at the 2025 PDC WC).
He was also a semifinalist at the World Series of Darts Finals and put up a quality fight in his semifinal match on the play-off night of the 2025 Premier League of Darts.
He finished first on the Pro Tour OoM in 2025 and made several deep runs at World Series events.
He didn't get the major title he was looking for in 2025, but I think he did more than enough to earn himself a spot in the 2026 PL.
Josh Rock
Rock has quickly become a fan favorite in the last 12 months and has finally had some deep runs at major events.
He started the year strong, with a semifinal run at the UK Open and at the World Matchplay.
He's had some explosive averages at events this year and has battled in close matches against the world's top players.
It was an unranked event, but he did win the 2025 World Cup of Darts with Daryl Gurney, which has to play some sort of role when he's considered for the PL lineup. He was a semifinalist at the World Series of Darts Finals as well.
At the end of 2025, he was a quarterfinalist at the Grand Slam of Darts and Players Championship Finals.
MORE: Ranking the best PDC Darts moments from 2025: 9-darters to shocking upsets
Nathan Aspinall
I'm pretty confident with my first seven players, but the eighth spot can really go to anyone, with about 4-5 players who are in the mix.
Aspinall stands out first, since he was a semifinalist on play-off night for the 2025 PL.
Being a play-off night participant in the previous PL doesn't guarantee anything, as Joe Cullen didn't return to the PL after being a double away from winning it, and Michael Smith didn't return in 2025 after making the play-off night the year before. It does strengthen his case, though, as some of the players battling for the final spot have little to no PL experience
Aspinall's performances at majors in 2025 aren't as impressive as some of the other PL candidates, but he did boost his odds slightly after making the final of the Players Championship Finals.
On the Euro Tour, he excelled in 2025, winning three events and making a final in another. He also made two finals at PC events.
He finished 14th on the OoM after the WC, but was third on the Pro Tour OoM in 2025.
It's definitely a toss-up for whether he gets in or not, but he is a fan favorite with a lot of past success, which could drive his odds in the end.
Honorable mentions
Here are a few of the players who will just miss out on the 2026 PL lineup or could get in over one of the players on my prediction list.
Danny Noppert
Noppert had a fantastic year, making five major semifinals (four ranked and one unranked).
Unfortunately for him, he had an early WC exit, which may have hurt his odds.
He's also not the most popular/known player by the average fan, so the PDC might not see the value in putting him in over an established player like Aspinall.
Stephen Bunting
Bunting was on his way to being an automatic qualifier, but lost in the third round of the 2026 WC, allowing players who advanced further to pass him on the OoM.
He moved down three spots on the OoM, now sitting as the world #7.
He had a pretty disappointing year at majors, losing early in tournaments and only having a couple of quarterfinal runs to headline his season after his big 2025 WC run.
He is a massive fan favorite, which could help him get in, but it's unlikely due to how poorly he's performed compared to other players on the big stage in 2025.
James Wade
Wade has had a bumpy 2025, with a final at the World Matchplay and UK Open as the main highlights.
Outside of that, he's had some rough campaigns at majors, losing early at the 2026 WC, Grand Slam of Darts and World Grand Prix, to name a few.
Wade doesn't have as strong a personality or the flair in his game that other PL candidates have, which could once again be another reason why a player doesn't make the PL lineup.
The criteria are higher than ever to get in, so quality players like Wade will find themselves watching from home despite being PL material.
Gary Anderson
Anderson's 2026 WC run created some chatter around his 2026 PL odds, but Anderson himself has said on several occasions that he would likely decline the invite.
Even if Anderson was open to playing in the PL, 8+ players would probably be ahead of him first.
Outside of his semifinal run at the WC, he had just one quarterfinal run at a major in 2025.
He's quite the entertainer, though, so I'm sure fans would be happy to see him return to the PL.
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