Luke Humphries captured his third Players Championship crown of the season by edging out Brendan Dolan 8-6 in the final of PC28, held in Leicester on the second day of the tournament weekend. The win not only added another trophy to Humphries' cabinet but also propelled him back to the world No. 2 spot in the PDC Order of Merit, overtaking Gian van Veen during the day's action. In the championship match, Humphries displayed composure under pressure, taking the lead early and weathering several of Dolan's comeback attempts before sealing the victory.
This triumph marked Humphries' first Players Championship title since PC17 in May, also contested at the Mattioli Arena, and underscored his resurgence after a brief spell away from the floor. The semi‑finals saw Humphries defeat Mike De Decker 7-4, after a dramatic quarter‑final where he survived six match darts from Danny Noppert to win 6-5. De Decker had been in fine form, but Humphries' steady scoring and clinical finishing proved decisive.
Meanwhile, Dolan earned his place in the final by overcoming Luke Littler 7-4 in the other semi‑final, a result that denied the world No. 1 a much‑anticipated showdown with Humphries.
Littler's run in Leicester was only his second Players Championship appearance of the year. He had earlier fallen in the quarter‑finals of PC27 to Jermaine Wattimena, the eventual champion of that event.
Having missed the first 26 Players Championship tournaments, Littler is now scrambling to climb into the top 64 of the Order of Merit to secure a spot in the Minehead finals in November. At present, his quarter‑final and semi‑final finishes have lifted him to 125th place, still £16,750 shy of the 64th‑place cutoff. With six events remaining, Littler must not only compete but also deliver strong results if he hopes to bridge that gap.
Littler's broader ambition this season is nothing short of extraordinary: he is chasing a historic clean sweep of all PDC major titles. To achieve this, he still needs to win the World Series, World Grand Prix, European Championship, Grand Slam of Darts, and the Players Championship Finals.
No player has ever managed such a feat. The World Series leg of his quest is scheduled for Amsterdam from 17‑20 September, just two days before the next double‑header of Players Championships in Den Bosch.
By then, Littler will know whether his clean‑sweep dream remains viable. So far in 2026, Littler has already secured every major PDC title on offer: the World Championship, Masters, UK Open, Premier League, World Cup of Darts, and World Matchplay. His performance in Leicester began with a 6-4 win over Stephen Rosney, but he narrowly escaped elimination in the second round, surviving six match darts against world No. 107 Benjamin Pratnemer before clinching a deciding leg.
Subsequent victories over Martin Schindler, Andy Boulton and Krzysztof Ratajski propelled him into the last four, where he ultimately fell to Dolan. For Humphries, the Leicester event marked his return to competitive darts after a surprising first‑round loss to Cameron Menzies at the World Matchplay on 20 July.
He stumbled 6-3 to Cam Crabtree in the opening round on Tuesday but rebounded spectacularly on Wednesday, winning all seven of his matches and adding a third floor‑event title to his résumé (following wins at PC4 and PC17). His consistency has placed him 13th on the Order of Merit with £52,000 in earnings, effectively guaranteeing his participation in the Minehead finals.
Speaking after his victory, Humphries admitted that his preparation had been limited. "Honestly, it sounds crazy, but I was just looking for some practice and a chance to feel normal again," he said.
"I hadn't played a match‑play event in two months, so I needed to get back into rhythm. I didn't want to jump straight into the Euro Tour without any warm‑up." He added that he hadn't expected to win a title this week given his lack of practice, but credited the two solid days of play and the confidence they provided. "I'm going to get back to the practice board at home as much as possible and dedicate the rest of the year to being my best," Humphries explained.
"I want to keep pushing Luke and everyone else to stay at No. 2. Whether I succeed or not, I'm going to fight for it." Humphries' next stop is the Hungarian Darts Trophy in Budapest this weekend. He described his Leicester win as a confidence boost, even though he felt he hadn't been at his absolute best.
"A lot of players, including Luke, haven't played their best these past two days. It's been funny. I'm just trying to get some practice, and now it's about dedication for the rest of the year because I want to win a major," he said. The Englishman also expressed his desire to prevent Littler from achieving the clean sweep.
"I don't want him to have the clean sweep. As much as everyone would love to see it, I'd love to win one this year and go to the Worlds with confidence," Humphries said.
He concluded by reflecting on his return to the No. 2 ranking after briefly being overtaken by van Veen in August. "That's as good as it gets at the moment," he remarked.
"I'm probably two million points behind Luke. The only way to close that gap is to win back‑to‑back World Championships, which is a huge challenge. He's been the best player over the last 18 months and deserves his No. 1 spot." The tournament's later stages featured a series of notable results: In the last‑16, Humphries beat Danny Noppert 6-5, while Littler dispatched Andy Boulton 6-3.
The quarter‑finals saw Humphries overcome Owen Bates 6-4 and De Decker 6-5, with Dolan beating Luke Woodhouse 6-4. In the semi‑finals, Humphries dispatched De Decker 7-4 and Dolan beat Littler 7-4, setting up the final showdown that Humphries ultimately won 8-6. Sky Sports continues to be the primary broadcaster for darts in 2026, covering the World Grand Prix (28 September–4 October), the Grand Slam of Darts (14–22 November), and the World Darts Championship (10 December–3 January).
Fans can also stream darts and other top‑level sports through NOW, while podcasts such as "Love the Darts" provide additional commentary and analysis.