Porter hints at new European major, Nijman knocks on the Top 10 door & Humphries blesses Littler's record chas

Darts news from 18 September 2026: Matt Porter hints at a new European major, Wessel Nijman reaches for the Top 10, van de Pas wins MODUS Group C.

Today's key stories

This Friday said less about tables than about the future of the sport. In Amsterdam, PDC chief executive Matt Porter hinted that the 2027 tournament calendar could gain a new event on European soil. Wessel Nijman spoke at greater length than he has in ages about his journey to the edge of the Top 10. Luke Humphries explained on what condition he would be happy to see Luke Littler complete the historic major sweep. And while the second first-round session was running at the AFAS Live, the MODUS Super Series settled the key questions ahead of finals night – meanwhile, in Bridlington, England, one of the sport's oldest ranking tournaments got under way.

Story of the day: Porter lifts a corner of the 2027 calendar

It was a short interview on the fringes of the World Series of Darts Finals, but it had plenty in it. Speaking to Viaplay, PDC boss Matt Porter talked about the 2027 schedule – and about the fact that it is not finished yet: “So we're making some last-minute changes. Next week you will see it, and I think hopefully you will like what you see.” The calendar is therefore set to be published in the coming week.

More intriguing than the timing was the hint Porter added. Asked about a possible new tournament, he answered with a question of his own: “Do you like the UK Open? Maybe we'll do something like that.” An event in the style of the UK Open – open access, seeding pots, a draw reshuffled round by round – on the European mainland would be one of the biggest structural changes to the PDC calendar in years. Exactly where, Porter would not say: “Oh, it's a big place, Europe. I'll have to make a decision.”

For German-speaking fans, that is a story with real stakes. Germany provides the biggest arenas and the loudest crowds on the European Tour circuit, and a tournament with UK Open character would need precisely that: space, plenty of boards, crowds across several sessions. At the same time, Porter's wording is deliberately vague – “something like that” is not a promise, it is a trial balloon. Anyone hoping for a “UK Open Europe” will have to wait until the calendar is published.

Humphries on Littler's perfect year

The day's second big storyline revolves around a number: five. That is how many of the ten TV majors Luke Littler has already won this calendar year. Five are still to come: the World Series of Darts Finals, World Grand Prix, European Championship, Grand Slam of Darts and Players Championship Finals. No player has ever won every major in a single year – which makes the record chase the theme hanging over the rest of the season.

Humphries, world number two and beaten by Littler several times this year, was asked in Amsterdam whether he wanted to see that sweep – and gave a remarkably honest answer. It would be “the most incredible thing I've ever seen in my lifetime”, he said, though with one clear condition: he would have to be out of the tournament already. He does not want to be the one who stops Littler if that means giving up a major title of his own. If he goes out early, he will be rooting for the 19-year-old. That is not surrender, it is a precise description of the dilemma the entire world elite is currently facing.

The biggest obstacle in Littler's path is not even an opponent, but a ranking. On the Players Championship Order of Merit, Littler currently sits only 125th with around £10,500, because he has barely played the day-to-day Pro Tour. The Players Championship Finals require a top 64 place – as things stand, that means around £17,500 more from the remaining Pro Tour events. The irony: the tournament the most dominant player in the world still has to qualify for could end up being the chapter where the record chase falls apart.

Nijman: “If you'd said that two years ago …”

Wessel Nijman is one of the most striking figures of this season, and today he assessed his year himself. Six Players Championship titles and two Euro Tour wins stand on his 2026 record, around £297,000 in prize money and eleven titles in his career overall. Twelfth in the world rankings is a starting point for the 26-year-old from Uitgeest, not a destination: he is only about £28,500 behind tenth-placed Danny Noppert.

“If you'd said that two years ago, I wouldn't have believed you”, Nijman said of his status. The words carry weight, because his career was effectively over after a ban for manipulating an online tournament. The climb back took two and a half years and began with a sober decision: he quit his job to turn full-time pro, and by his own account has stood at the board “three hours a day” ever since. Statistical records leave him cold – he read somewhere that the gap between his first and tenth titles is among the shortest ever, but something like that does not occupy him much. The topics on his agenda now are called Top 10, Premier League and a place in the Dutch team at the World Cup.

Voices from Amsterdam: van Veen on coming back too soon

Gian van Veen delivered the most instructive piece of self-criticism of the day. Physically he recovered from his operation long ago; his head took considerably longer – and he says that is his own fault: “I had that operation and I think I just started back too soon. I went to Berlin too early for that Premier League night. That dented my confidence. It took me months to recover from that.” It took four to five months for his confidence and his form to return. The fact that his Average is now back at 96 to 97 instead of 88 to 89 he sees as proof that he is on the right track. A reminder that in darts, rehabilitating your confidence takes longer than rehabilitating your wrist.

World Series of Darts Finals: the second first-round evening

The second half of the first round got under way at Amsterdam's AFAS Live in the evening, played as best of 11. Adam Leek and Jim Long opened proceedings; their match was still in progress at the time of writing. Also on the programme:

Motomu Sakai – Callan Rydz
Wessel Nijman – Simon Whitlock
Nathan Aspinall – Raymond Smith
James Wade – Damon Heta
Gerwyn Price – Brody Klinge
Luke Littler – Danny Noppert
Jonny Clayton – Maik Kuivenhoven

The tie with the biggest upset potential is Price against Klinge: the former world champion brings a twelve-month Average of 98.37, while the Australian qualifier arrives with nothing to lose. There is more on how the tournament is unfolding in our dedicated tournament article.

MODUS Super Series: a perfect day for van de Pas

Benito van de Pas turned his group around and was the only player to win five out of five matches:

van de Pas 4:1 Leung, 4:3 Spivey, 4:0 Chrysospathis, 4:1 Hughes, 4:3 McClelland
Benjamin McClelland won 4:0 against Hughes, 4:3 against Chrysospathis, 4:0 against Spivey and 4:3 against Leung – but came up short in the head-to-head
Sam Spivey closed out with 4:1 against Chrysospathis and 4:2 against Leung; Panagiotis Chrysospathis beat Leung (4:3) and Hughes (4:1)

The day's second group stayed tight: Richie Howson beat Chas Barstow 4:1 and Henry Cooper 4:3, but lost 3:4 to Steve Green. Barstow beat Keegan Brown 4:2 and Green 4:2, while Cooper won 4:3 against Green and 4:1 against Brown.

WDF British Open: the start in Bridlington

The WDF weekend with the British Open and British Classic began today at Bridlington's Royal Spa. The British Open is one of the most tradition-steeped ranking tournaments of all – the roll of honour includes names like Alan Evans, Eric Bristow and John Lowe. There are men's, women's, boys' and girls' competitions; the main British Open event offers a total of £5,040, with £1,500 of that for the champion. Today's opening programme featured the doubles competitions and qualifying matches, with the singles draws to follow at the weekend.

Coming up tomorrow

In Amsterdam, the complete second round will be played on Saturday – afternoon and evening, for the first time in the longer best of 19 format. The MODUS Super Series holds its finals night of the week, and in Bridlington the British Classic singles follow along with the boys' and girls' competitions.