Players Championships 33 & 34 | 4–5 November 2026 | Mattioli Arena, Leicester
The 2026 Players Championship season has come to an end, and what a finish it produced.
Two tournaments in Leicester decided the final qualifying positions for the Players Championship Finals at Minehead, with Luke Humphries winning the penultimate event before Tommy Morris delivered a remarkable victory in the season finale.
There was drama at both ends of the rankings. Wessel Nijman completed a dominant campaign at the top, Henry Coates survived by just £250 to claim the final qualifying position, and several of darts' biggest names will be missing when the 64 players arrive at Minehead later this month.
Humphries Takes PC33
Luke Humphries secured the Players Championship 33 title with an 8–4 victory over Niels Zonneveld, averaging 103.77 in the final.
Humphries had already produced a 109.98 average in his 6–0 victory over Tom Bissell, before overcoming Gerwyn Price, Gary Anderson and Zonneveld in the later rounds.
His semi-final against Anderson was particularly impressive. Humphries averaged 104.76, but Anderson actually averaged higher at 106.75 despite losing 7–4.
Zonneveld also enjoyed an excellent tournament, defeating Dirk van Duijvenbode and Michael van Gerwen on his way to the final.
Van Gerwen produced arguably the most spectacular individual performance of the tournament, averaging 114.15 in a 6–0 quarter-final victory over Danny Noppert.
Raymond van Barneveld reached the quarter-finals, while Henry Coates recorded an outstanding 109.70 average in defeating James Wade 6–4 in the opening round.
PC33 final: Luke Humphries 8–4 Niels Zonneveld
Final averages: Humphries 103.77, Zonneveld 92.50
Tommy Morris Produces a Remarkable Finale
If Humphries was the expected star of PC33, the following tournament belonged to Tommy Morris.
The 34-year-old, competing without a PDC Tour Card, defeated Humphries 8–5 to claim his first PDC ranking title.
Morris had already reached the final of Players Championship 32, losing to Chris Dobey, but went one better in Leicester.
His route to the title was anything but straightforward. He defeated Rob Cross, Ricky Evans, Rob Owen, Wessel Nijman, Jermaine Wattimena and Cristo Reyes before overcoming Humphries.
The last-16 victory against Nijman was particularly noteworthy. Morris averaged 102.32 in beating the season's leading Players Championship performer 6–3.
In the final, Morris recovered from losing the opening two legs and eventually secured victory with a spectacular 161 checkout.
Becoming just the sixth player without a Tour Card to win a PDC ranking title is some achievement, and his form has earned him places at the Grand Slam of Darts, Players Championship Finals and World Championship.
PC34 final: Tommy Morris 8–5 Luke Humphries
Final averages: Morris 95.76, Humphries 92.43
Humphries Comes Within One Match of a Double
Although Morris deservedly took the headlines, Humphries' performances across the two tournaments should not be overlooked.
He won 13 consecutive matches before losing the PC34 final, defeating the likes of Price, Anderson, Zonneveld, Van Gerwen and Jack Aldridge along the way.
Across the two events, Humphries recorded seven match averages of at least 100.
He also won four Players Championship titles during 2026 despite entering only 11 events. That is an impressive return, even if his limited appearances left him seventh in the final Players Championship Order of Merit.
Other Performances Worth Mentioning
Jack Aldridge enjoyed an excellent PC34, reaching the semi-finals after victories over William O'Connor and Danny Noppert. He narrowly missed out on a place in the final, losing 7–5 to Humphries despite averaging 101.82.
Cristo Reyes also reached the semi-finals, overcoming Chris Dobey and Kim Huybrechts before losing to Morris.
Chris Dobey produced the highest winning average of the final event, 112.61, against Tom Bissell, a match in which he also hit a nine-darter.
Kim Huybrechts averaged 102.19 in beating James Wade, while Michael van Gerwen averaged 109.98 in a 6–0 victory over Dirk van Duijvenbode, who himself averaged 105.31.
Those performances demonstrate that even a three-figure average offers no guarantee of winning on the Players Championship circuit.
Top Five Match Averages Across PC33 and PC34
| Player | Average | Event | Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael van Gerwen | 114.15 | PC33 | Danny Noppert |
| Chris Dobey | 112.61 | PC34 | Tom Bissell |
| Luke Humphries | 109.98 | PC33 | Tom Bissell |
| Michael van Gerwen | 109.98 | PC34 | Dirk van Duijvenbode |
| Henry Coates | 109.70 | PC33 | James Wade |
These are individual match averages, rather than tournament averages.
Nijman Finishes Number One
The conclusion of PC34 also confirmed the final Players Championship Order of Merit.
Wessel Nijman finished comfortably clear, collecting £160,500 across the campaign and winning six Players Championship titles.
Chris Dobey took second place with £121,750, followed by Kevin Doets on £113,250.
Final top ten:
| Rank | Player | Prize money |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wessel Nijman | £160,500 |
| 2 | Chris Dobey | £121,750 |
| 3 | Kevin Doets | £113,250 |
| 4 | Luke Woodhouse | £91,000 |
| 5 | Jermaine Wattimena | £84,500 |
| 6 | Andrew Gilding | £83,250 |
| 7 | Luke Humphries | £77,000 |
| 8 | Beau Greaves | £72,000 |
| 9 | Ross Smith | £68,500 |
| 10 | Danny Noppert | £66,500 |
One of the particularly pleasing stories is Beau Greaves finishing eighth, ahead of numerous established PDC names. Charlie Manby also enjoyed an excellent campaign to finish 16th, while Morris climbed to 21st.
These standings are based on Players Championship prize money, rather than the main PDC Order of Merit.
The Minehead Cut-Off: Just £250 in It
Perhaps the tensest battle was at the bottom of the qualifying positions.
Only the top 64 qualify for Minehead, and Henry Coates claimed the final position with £33,250.
Wesley Plaisier finished 65th on £33,000, missing out by just £250.
Coates had lost his opening match at PC34 to Jeffrey de Zwaan, leaving his fate in the hands of other results. Plaisier also suffered a first-round defeat, losing to Cameron Menzies.
Gary Anderson's semi-final appearance at PC33 helped him qualify in 54th, while Michael Smith, Mike De Decker and Ritchie Edhouse also made the field.
It is a reminder of just how important individual results can become towards the end of a long season.
Big Names Missing Minehead
Some very familiar players will not be appearing at the Players Championship Finals.
The most notable is defending champion Luke Littler, who played only two Players Championship events in 2026 and will therefore be unable to defend his title.
Nathan Aspinall, last year's runner-up, is another major absentee, having finished 85th.
Other significant omissions include:
| Player | Final ranking |
|---|---|
| Raymond van Barneveld | 71 |
| Josh Rock | 81 |
| Nathan Aspinall | 85 |
| Ryan Joyce | 89 |
| Peter Wright | 92 |
| Dimitri Van den Bergh | 121 |
| Ricky Evans | 123 |
There is an important distinction here. Missing Minehead does not necessarily mean a player has had a poor overall season. The Players Championship rankings reward earnings in these particular events, so appearances and tournament schedules play a major part.
Nevertheless, seeing names such as Littler, Aspinall, Rock, Wright and Van Barneveld absent from a major televised tournament is certainly notable.
Next Stop: Minehead
The Players Championship Finals take place at Butlin's Minehead Resort from 27–29 November 2026, with 64 qualifiers competing for a share of £750,000.
Nijman enters as the top seed and will face Henry Coates, the final qualifier, in the opening round.
Other intriguing first-round matches include Chris Dobey against Mike De Decker, Beau Greaves against Christian Kist, Tommy Morris against Callan Rydz, and Karel Sedlacek against Gary Anderson.
For me, the final two Players Championships have illustrated two sides of the modern darts circuit.
Humphries demonstrated just how consistently the very best players can perform, reaching successive finals and winning 13 matches in a row.
Morris, meanwhile, showed that a player without a Tour Card can still compete with and defeat the world's leading professionals.
And with Coates qualifying by just £250, it is fair to say that every leg and every pound can matter.
Minehead should be fascinating.
Sources: PDC official Players Championship 33 and 34 reports; DartConnect match results and averages (4–5 November 2026); final 2026 Players Championship Order of Merit; PDC Players Championship Finals draw.
Q4QS analysis is based on published tournament results and ranking information.
