Players Championship: FAQ

FAQ

What is the PDC Players Championship in darts?

The Players Championships are ranking tournaments on the PDC Pro Tour and have been held since 2004. They are floor events without spectators, with each tournament played out in full on a single day.

How many Players Championship tournaments are there in 2026 and where are they played?

In 2026 there are 34 Players Championships on the calendar, from the opener on 9 February in Hildesheim to the finale on 5 November in Leicester. The venues are the Halle 39 in Hildesheim, the Robin Park Leisure Centre in Wigan, the Leicester Arena, the Arena MK in Milton Keynes and, for the first time, the Maaspoort in Den Bosch.

How much prize money is there at the Players Championship 2026?

Each Players Championship event has £150,000 in prize money in 2026 – £25,000 more than last year. The winner gets £15,000, the runner-up £10,000 and the semi-finalists £6,500 each; prize money is paid all the way down to £1,250 for going out in the last 64.

What format are the PDC Floor tournaments played in?

The format is a straight knockout with 128 players: Best of 11 Legs up to and including the quarter-finals, 7 winning Legs in the semi-finals and 8 in the final. The top 32 of the Players Championship Order of Merit, a rolling one-year ranking, are seeded.

Who is eligible to play at the Players Championship darts?

Only the PDC's 128 Tour Card holders are eligible to enter. The Tour Cards go to the top 64 of the PDC Order of Merit after the World Championship, to two players each from the Challenge Tour and the Development Tour, and to the winners of Qualifying School; any places that come free are filled via the Challenge Tour Order of Merit.

Where are the PDC Players Championships shown on TV or stream?

The tournaments are not shown on TV in either the UK or Germany. Four boards can be watched live on the PDC streaming service PDC.TV, one of them with German commentary; all matches can also be followed on the DartConnect livescore.

What do the Players Championship results count towards?

The prize money won counts towards the PDC Order of Merit and the PDC Pro Tour Rankings and additionally makes up the Players Championship Rankings. Via this separate ranking, the top 64 players qualify for the Players Championship Finals, which take place from 27 to 29 November 2026 in Minehead.

Who leads the Players Championship Order of Merit 2026?

After Players Championship 32, Wessel Nijman leads the Players Championship Order of Merit with £154,500, ahead of Chris Dobey (£118,750) and Kevin Doets (£113,250). The Dutchman has won six Players Championships in 2026 so far – more than any other player this season.