Top Players, Schedule, and Dates for the 2026 Players Championship
The Players Championship 2026 is set to kick off as the PDC tours lead up to the finals in Minehead this November. This series features 34 darts tournaments across the PDC Pro Tour. Although most events are not televised, they play a significant role in the darts calendar, impacting rankings and qualifications for prestigious tournaments.
Understanding the Players Championship
The Players Championship comprises a series of floor tournaments organized by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). The events prioritize performance due to their closed-door format, focusing solely on individual player consistency. The tournaments are exclusively available to PDC Tour Card holders, making it a competitive arena for the top 128 players.
Qualification and Participants
- 128 players eligible: Top 64 from the Order of Merit, Q-School qualifiers, Challenge Tour qualifiers.
- Results directly affect the Players Championship Order of Merit.
The season culminates in the Players Championship Finals, with the leading 64 players battling for the championship title. In 2025, Luke Littler secured the victory in these finals.
Players Championship 2026 Schedule
The Players Championship events are scheduled at five different venues across England, Germany, and the Netherlands. Each venue will host two consecutive one-day tournaments. Here’s the complete schedule:
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Players Championship 1-2 | Hildesheim, Germany | February 9-10 |
| Players Championship 3-4 | Wigan, England | February 16-17 |
| Players Championship 5-6 | Leicester, England | February 24-25 |
| Players Championship 7-8 | Leicester, England | March 30-31 |
| Players Championship 9-10 | Wigan, England | April 13-14 |
| Players Championship 11-12 | Milton Keynes, England | April 27-28 |
| Players Championship 13-14 | Hildesheim, Germany | May 4-5 |
| Players Championship 15-16 | Leicester, England | May 12-13 |
| Players Championship 17-18 | Leicester, England | May 18-19 |
| Players Championship 19-20 | Milton Keynes, England | June 2-3 |
| Players Championship 21-22 | Wigan, England | June 16-17 |
| Players Championship 23-24 | Leicester, England | July 6-7 |
| Players Championship 25-26 | Hildesheim, Germany | July 28-29 |
| Players Championship 27-28 | Leicester, England | August 25-26 |
| Players Championship 29-30 | Maaspoort, Netherlands | September 22-23 |
| Players Championship 31-32 | Maaspoort, Netherlands | October 28-29 |
| Players Championship 33-34 | Leicester, England | November 4-5 |
| Players Championship Finals | Minehead, England | November 27-29 |
Format and Prize Pool
The format for each Players Championship event is straightforward. It follows a knockout structure:
- Early rounds: Best of 11 legs
- Semifinals: Best of 13 legs
- Final: Best of 15 legs
The prize fund for each tournament stands at £150,000. The distribution is as follows:
| Position | Prize Money |
|---|---|
| Winner | £15,000 |
| Runner-up | £10,000 |
| Semifinalists | £6,500 |
| Quarterfinalists | £4,000 |
| Last 16 | £3,000 |
| Last 32 | £2,000 |
| Last 64 | £1,250 |
The Players Championship 2026 promises to be an exciting season for darts enthusiasts around the globe. Be sure to catch all the action at Filmogaz.com.
