“If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it” – PDC President sees little reason to change the Premier League format
Sixteen weeks with the same eight top players on the sport’s biggest stage. On paper it sounds like a dream for every darts fan, but after the conclusion of the 2026 Premier League Darts the debate over the current format has flared up again. While some fans relish the constant showdowns between the circuit’s biggest names, calls for more variety and fresh faces are growing louder from elsewhere.
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The Premier League Darts ranks alongside the World Championship as one of the PDC’s most prestigious tournaments. Receiving an invitation is, for many players, a reward for their performances. This year’s line-up featured Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen, Gerwyn Price, Jonny Clayton, Stephen Bunting, Josh Rock, and Gian van Veen. Over sixteen nights they faced each other in a nightly mini-tournament, with the evening’s winner earning the most points.
Format change in 2022
Since the introduction of the current format in 2022, the number of participants was reduced from ten to eight players. The traditional system in which each player contested one match per night was also abandoned. The change produced more clashes between the absolute elite, but it has its downside.
For instance, Luke Littler and Luke Humphries met no fewer than nine times this season. Their rivalry again delivered spectacular matches, capped by the final in which Littler edged it 11-10 to claim his second Premier League title. Yet many supporters wonder whether such fixtures are not returning too often.
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On social media and darts forums, criticism that the format has become predictable is increasingly common. Fans are craving more variety and point to earlier editions of the Premier League, in which local guest players regularly had the chance to test themselves against the world’s best on home soil. That not only produced new storylines, but also gave emerging talents a stage to showcase themselves.
