Premier League Darts 2026 Is Here: Van Gerwen Wins Opening Night, Littler Goes Out Early, and 17 Weeks of Arrows Await
If you thought the World Darts Championship was the end of darts season, think again. The 2026 Premier League — the sport’s most entertaining weekly competition — kicked off on Thursday night in Newcastle, and it delivered exactly the kind of drama that has made this tournament must-watch television.
Michael van Gerwen, the seven-time Premier League champion who went the entire 2025 season without a single nightly win, made a statement from the very first week. He beat fellow Dutchman Gian van Veen 6-4 in an all-Dutch final to take top spot on the opening night. Meanwhile, world number one Luke Littler — the teenager who has taken darts by storm over the past two years — was knocked out in the quarter-finals by the same Van Veen who went on to contest the final.
“Without playing my A-game, I still won it,” Van Gerwen told Sky Sports afterwards. “I was steady and had some fantastic finishing at the right moments.” It was vintage MvG: not flashy, not perfect, but winning when it mattered.
What Is the Premier League and How Does It Work?
For the uninitiated, the Premier League Darts is a 17-week tournament that runs every Thursday night from February to May. Eight players compete in a mini knockout tournament each week — four quarter-finals, two semi-finals, and a final — with every match played as best-of-11 legs. Points are awarded based on how far you get: five for a nightly win, three for the runner-up, and two for the losing semi-finalists.
After 16 weeks, the top four in the table advance to the Play-Offs on Finals Night (this year on May 28), where the winner takes home £350,000 from a total prize pot of £1,250,000 — a record for the event.
It’s fast, it’s loud, the crowds are rowdy, the walk-on music is absurd, and it’s genuinely one of the best nights out in British sport. Think of it as the Champions League of darts, except everyone’s had a few pints and the atmosphere makes a football ground look polite.
2026 Premier League Darts: The Eight Players
| Player | Country | How They Qualified | Career PL Titles |
| Luke Littler | England | Auto (World No. 1) | 1 (2024) |
| Luke Humphries | England | Auto (World No. 2) | 1 (2025, defending) |
| Gian van Veen | Netherlands | Auto (World No. 3) | 0 (debut) |
| Michael van Gerwen | Netherlands | Auto (World No. 4) | 7 |
| Jonny Clayton | Wales | Wild card | 1 (2021) |
| Stephen Bunting | England | Wild card | 0 |
| Josh Rock | N. Ireland | Wild card (debut) | 0 |
| Gerwyn Price | Wales | Wild card | 0 |
The big storyline heading into the season was the arrival of Gian van Veen, the 22-year-old Dutchman who reached the World Championship final and has risen to world number three. He’s already taken the Dutch number one ranking from Van Gerwen — the first time MvG has lost that tag in over a decade. Their rivalry within Dutch darts is going to be one of the stories of the season, and Night One gave us a taste of what’s to come.
Night One Results: Newcastle
Here’s how the opening night played out at the Utilita Arena:
Night One Results — February 5, Newcastle
| Round | Match | Result |
| Quarter-final 1 | Josh Rock vs Jonny Clayton | Clayton won |
| Quarter-final 2 | Luke Littler vs Gian van Veen | Van Veen won |
| Quarter-final 3 | Luke Humphries vs Gerwyn Price | Humphries won |
| Quarter-final 4 | Stephen Bunting vs Michael van Gerwen | Van Gerwen won |
| Semi-final 1 | Jonny Clayton vs Gian van Veen | Van Veen won |
| Semi-final 2 | Luke Humphries vs Michael van Gerwen | Van Gerwen won |
| Final | Gian van Veen vs Michael van Gerwen | Van Gerwen won 6-4 |
Night One Standings
| Pos | Player | Points |
| 1 | Michael van Gerwen | 5 |
| 2 | Gian van Veen | 3 |
| 3= | Luke Humphries | 2 |
| 3= | Jonny Clayton | 2 |
| 5= | Luke Littler | 0 |
| 5= | Josh Rock | 0 |
| 5= | Gerwyn Price | 0 |
| 5= | Stephen Bunting | 0 |
The biggest surprise was Littler’s early exit. The 19-year-old has been in extraordinary form recently — retaining his World Championship title and winning 11 major titles already — but Van Veen showed no fear in dumping him out in the quarters. It’s a reminder that in the Premier League’s knockout format, anyone can beat anyone on any given night. One bad leg and you’re gone.
The Calendar: 17 Weeks of Arrows
The Premier League travels to a different city each week, with this year’s schedule including a first-ever visit to Belgium.
Key Dates in the 2026 Premier League Schedule
| Night | Date | Venue | City |
| 1 | Feb 5 | Utilita Arena | Newcastle |
| 2 | Feb 12 | AFAS Dome | Antwerp (debut!) |
| 3 | Feb 19 | OVO Hydro | Glasgow |
| 4 | Feb 26 | SSE Arena | Belfast |
| 5 | Mar 5 | Utilita Arena | Cardiff |
| 8 | Mar 27 | 3Arena | Dublin |
| 9 | Apr 3 | Über Arena | Berlin |
| 17 (Finals) | May 28 | O2 Arena | London |
The big talking point is the addition of Antwerp on Night 2 — the first time the Premier League has visited Belgium, replacing the long-standing Exeter date. Given the massive Dutch and Belgian darts fanbase, expect a wild atmosphere at the AFAS Dome next Thursday.
What to Watch For
Three storylines will define this season. First, the Littler vs Humphries rivalry. They’ve met in the last two Premier League finals (Littler won in 2024, Humphries won in 2025), and everyone expects a third meeting. But Night One showed that nothing is guaranteed — Littler will need to be sharper than he was in Newcastle.
Second, Van Gerwen’s resurgence. The Dutchman looked like a fading force through much of 2025, but he’s started 2026 with renewed energy. If the old MvG is really back, this tournament just got a lot more interesting.
Third, the debutants. Van Veen reached the Night One final and looked completely at home. Josh Rock didn’t have the same luck, but the Northern Irishman’s raw talent means he could produce fireworks at any point. The beauty of the Premier League is that one magic night can change everything.
Darts is back. Thursday nights just got a lot louder.
The 2026 Premier League Darts airs every Thursday on Sky Sports from 7:00 PM GMT.