What is the hardest darts tournament to play in?
It's a question that sounds straightforward, but the answer depends on what we mean by hardest.
Is it the tournament with the best players? The strongest average across the field? Or the one where even winning your opening match is a major achievement?
I've been looking through the Q4QS Database tournament-strength figures for 2026, comparing everything from the PDC Players Championships to the Challenge Tour, Development Tour, Asian Tour and grassroots competitions.
And there are some interesting findings.
The Strongest Players Championship
The highest top-20 average in the export belongs to PDC Players Championship 11, played on 27 April 2026.
Its leading 20 players averaged an extraordinary 100.61.
Players Championship 15 was close behind at 100.48, followed by Players Championship 29 at 99.87.
| Tournament | Top-20 average |
|---|---|
| Players Championship 11 | 100.61 |
| Players Championship 15 | 100.48 |
| Players Championship 29 | 99.87 |
| Players Championship 33 | 99.33 |
| Players Championship 17 | 99.25 |
Across the 34 Players Championships identified in this export, the mean tournament top-20 average was approximately 98.28.
That is an exceptionally high standard, particularly when you consider the depth of opposition at these events.
Just How Strong Is the Challenge Tour?
The Challenge Tour often receives less attention than the main professional circuit, but the numbers demonstrate the quality involved.
The strongest Challenge Tour event in this dataset was Challenge Tour 11, with a top-20 average of 93.71.
Challenge Tour 17 followed at 93.03, with Challenge Tour 21 at 92.75.
Across the 16 Challenge Tour events identified in the export, the mean top-20 average was approximately 91.74.
That means the leading players at these events were producing a very strong standard of darts.
But could a Challenge Tour event actually be stronger than a Players Championship?
In the available data, the answer is not when measured by the top-20 average.
The strongest recorded Challenge Tour event reached 93.71, while the lowest Players Championship top-20 average was 96.66.
That doesn't mean a Challenge Tour player couldn't beat a Tour Card holder. It simply means that the leading-20 scoring standard was higher at every Players Championship represented in this dataset.
The Development Tour Is No Easy Route
The Development Tour is another competition whose standard deserves attention.
The strongest event in the export was Development Tour 12, with a top-20 average of 91.19.
Development Tour 11 was close behind at 90.97, followed by Development Tour 6 at 90.23.
The mean across the 23 recorded Development Tour events was approximately 88.01.
For a circuit designed for younger players, that is a remarkable standard.
It also helps illustrate how difficult the transition towards professional darts can be. Producing an 80 average might be a considerable achievement in a local tournament, but against the leading Development Tour players, it may not be enough.
Don't Overlook the Asian Tour
The Asian Tour is another competition where the standard can be underestimated.
The strongest recorded Asian Tour event was Asian Tour 23, with a top-20 average of 88.33.
Asian Tour 26 reached 88.21, while Asian Tour 21 recorded 88.08.
Across 23 events, the mean was approximately 85.82.
These figures show that the strongest Asian Tour fields are producing a substantial level of competitive darts.
The Asian Championship itself recorded a top-20 average of 87.36.
The Women's Series
The PDC Women's Series also produced some impressive figures.
Women's Series Event 9 was the strongest in the available export, with a top-20 average of 77.25.
Event 23 reached 76.32, while Event 5 recorded 75.87.
Across 20 identified events, the mean top-20 average was approximately 74.26.
These figures provide another useful benchmark when considering the standard of different tours.
They are not a ranking of the value or importance of each competition. They simply describe the scoring strength of the leading players in the recorded events.
What About the Televised Tournaments?
This is where the comparison becomes particularly interesting.
Some of the major PDC events in the export recorded the following top-20 averages:
| Tournament | Top-20 average |
|---|---|
| PDC World Masters | 98.92 |
| PDC World Matchplay | 98.86 |
| PDC UK Open | 98.85 |
| European Championship | 97.01 |
The strongest Players Championship in the dataset actually recorded a higher top-20 average than any of those four majors.
Does that make Players Championship 11 harder than the World Matchplay?
Not necessarily.
The tournament format, number of entrants, qualification criteria and pressure of the occasion all matter. And the top-20 average is a measure of the strongest performers, not a complete assessment of the difficulty of winning a tournament.
Nevertheless, it does demonstrate just how high the standard of the floor events can be.
Of these four major televised tournaments, the European Championship recorded the lowest top-20 average, at 97.01.
That is not necessarily the easiest televised tournament overall, because the export does not provide a complete, consistently classified set of televised events.
And What About Grassroots Darts?
The ADC Vault competitions provide a very different picture.
Across 1,615 records classified as Vault 19 events in this export, the mean top-20 average was approximately 59.63.
That figure covers a much wider range of playing abilities, which is precisely part of the appeal of grassroots darts.
It would be misleading to compare that number directly with a Players Championship and conclude that one competition is simply better than another.
They serve different purposes.
For some Vault competitors, reaching a 60 average represents excellent progress. Others are capable of considerably higher performances.
Indeed, the Vault 19 regional finals in the export produced top-20 averages approaching 80, demonstrating the stronger standard that can emerge when successful players progress through the competition.
So What Have We Learned?
There are several things that stand out.
First, the PDC Players Championships are extraordinarily strong. Their leading players regularly produce averages approaching or exceeding 100.
Second, the Challenge Tour and Development Tour are far from easy alternatives. Their strongest events are played at a standard that would be extremely demanding for most grassroots competitors.
Third, the Asian Tour deserves recognition for the quality being produced across its leading events.
And finally, the comparison demonstrates just how broad the darts landscape has become.
The same sport can accommodate a grassroots competition where players are delighted to average 50, a Development Tour event where the leading players average over 90, and a Players Championship where even a 100 average might not be enough.
That's one of the reasons I enjoy working with the Q4QS Database.
The numbers don't tell us everything, but they can help us understand just how competitive darts has become at every level.
Methodology: Figures are taken from the 2026 tournament-strength export in the Q4QS Database. The top-20 average is used as a common scoring benchmark. Event coverage differs by tour, and the figures should not be interpreted as an official ranking of tournament difficulty.
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