Premier League of Darts

Premier League Darts is one of the biggest and most lucrative tournaments on the calendar boasting a £1.25 million prize fund. First staged in 2005 and originally touring leisure centres and town halls in the UK, the Premier League of Darts is now a cross-continental event and is held in some of the largest indoor arenas across the UK, Ireland, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. The darts Premier League is played over 17 consecutive Thursday nights from February through to May each year, with eight of the world’s best players competing against each other to determine who is the premier player in the world of darts. 

The 2026 edition of the Premier League marks the 22nd year of the competition and is set to be one of the best seasons yet, as the newly-crowned back-to-back PDC world champion Luke Littler bids to regain the title after losing out to Luke Humphries in last year's play-off final. This year's line up also includes two debutants as the world number three and recent PDC World Championship runner-up Gian van Veen and the 2025 PDC World Cup winner Josh Rock make their Premier League bows.

Along with a record prize pot, the 2026 Premier League will also see darts' biggest roadshow enter new territory with a first visit to Belgium, as the AFAS Dome in Antwerp hosts the second night of the season on February 12. The Premier League Darts play-off line up for 2026 will be confirmed following 16 weeks of action, with the tournament finale taking place at The O2 in London on May 28!

Gian van Veen (pictured above) will make his Premier League debut in 2026, having won the European Championship in 2025 and made the final of the 2025/26 PDC World Darts Championship 

▪ Luke Littler – 2025 and 2026 PDC world champion

▪ Luke Humphries - 2024 PDC world champion

▪ Gian van Veen – 2025 European Championship winner

▪ Michael van Gerwen – 7-time Premier League champion

▪ Jonny Clayton - 2021 Premier League champion

▪ Stephen Bunting - 2024 Masters champion

▪ Josh Rock - 2025 World Cup of Darts winner

▪ Gerwyn Price – 2021 PDC world champion

The Premier League Darts format has undergone many changes during its history, with seven and 10-player line ups, relegations, contenders and challengers all featuring at some point in the first 20 years of its existence. Ahead of the 2022 season, the Premier League Darts new format saw eight players selected and a nightly tournament held every week with points on offer in each game.

The top four players on the PDC (Professional Darts Corporation) Order of Merit automatically qualify, which in 2026 is Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, Gian van Veen and Michael van Gerwen. These four players are joined by four wildcards, and in 2026 the PDC's picks are Jonny Clayton, Stephen Bunting, Josh Rock and Gerwyn Price.

The first 16 weeks of the competition sees the eight selected players compete in a nightly tournament with all matches played over the best of 11 legs. The current darts Premier League format sees five points awarded to the winner of each night, three points to the runner-up and two points to each of the losing semi-finalists. The four losing quarter-finalists do not score any points.

The points go towards a league table with the top four players after the 16 weeks qualifying for the end of season play-offs, with first playing fourth and second facing third in the semi-finals, which are the best of 19 legs. The Premier League Darts final format is slightly longer with it being the best of 21 legs. The winner of the final is crowned the Premier League Darts champion.

The Premier League Darts prize money has risen over the years, starting off with a £150,000 total prize pot in 2005 and reaching a record-breaking £1.25 million in 2026. The £1.25 million prize fund is split between the eight players, with a £10,000 bonus on offer during each of the first 16 weeks of the tournament. The nightly winner will pocket the bonus each night, whilst the final league standings and the play-offs carries the majority of the prize fund...

Premier League play-offs
Winner - £350,000
Runner-up - £170,000
Semi-finalists - £110,000

Premier League final standings
5th place - £95,000
6th place - £90,000
7th place - £85,000
8th place - £80,000

The Premier League's £1.25 million prize pot sits only behind the PDC World Darts Championship (£5 million) in terms of the biggest tournament prize funds in the game. Have you ever wondered how much money the top professionals actually earn though? Find out more in our 'How Much Do Dart Players Make?' blog.

The Premier League Darts season sees the players compete every Thursday evening in a different city before the champion is crowned in the play-offs. Here’s a look at the schedule for the 2026 Premier League Darts season…

▪ February 5 - Night 1 - Newcastle (Utilita Arena Newcastle)

▪ February 12 - Night 2 - Antwerp (AFAS Dome)

▪ February 19 - Night 3 - Glasgow (OVO Hydro)

▪ February 26 - Night 4 - Belfast (SSE Arena Belfast)

▪ March 5 - Night 5 - Cardiff (Utilita Arena Cardiff)

▪ March 12 - Night 6 - Nottingham (Motorpoint Arena Nottingham) 

▪ March 19 - Night 7 - Dublin (3Arena)

▪ March 26 - Night 8 - Berlin (Uber Arena)

▪ April 2 - Night 9 - Manchester (AO Arena)

▪ April 9 - Night 10 - Brighton (Brighton Centre)

▪ April 16 - Night 11 - Rotterdam (Rotterdam Ahoy) 

▪ April 23 - Night 12 - Liverpool (M&S Bank Arena) 

▪ April 30 - Night 13 - Aberdeen (P&J Live)

▪ May 7 - Night 14 - Leeds (First Direct Arena) 

▪ May 14 - Night 15 - Birmingham (Utilita Arena)

▪ May 21 - Night 16 - Sheffield (Utilita Arena)

▪ May 28 - Play-Offs - London (The O2 Arena)

With crowds in their thousands flocking to see the world’s best darts players in action, the Premier League of Darts shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon. Every dart of the 2026 Premier League will be shown live on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland, whilst the PDC’s other worldwide broadcasters include DAZN and Viaplay, and their own PDCTV service means that darts fans all over the world can tune in and watch the action unfold.

To celebrate the new Premier League season, get your own darts setup ready with our full range of dartboards, darts shirts, dart flights and darts cases.

Pictures: PDC