Luke Humphries captured his third Players Championship crown of the year by defeating Brendan Dolan 8-6 in the final of PC28, held at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester. The win not only added another trophy to Humphries' growing season tally but also saw him reclaim the world No.2 spot in the PDC rankings, overtaking Gian van Veen during the day's action. The final was a tightly contested affair. Humphries, who had already shown his resilience earlier in the tournament by surviving six match darts against Danny Noppert in a 6-5 semi‑final win, maintained his composure against Dolan.
After a back‑and‑forth exchange of legs, Humphries edged ahead and held his nerve to close out the match 8-6, securing his first PC title since his victory at PC17 in May. Dolan's road to the final was equally impressive. He had dispatched Luke Littler 7-4 in the semi‑final, thwarting the world No.1's hopes of a high‑profile showdown with Humphries.
Littler, who had only made his second Players Championship appearance of the season, was still on a remarkable run. Earlier in the week, he had knocked out Stephen Rosney 6-4 in the opening round and survived a nail‑biting finish against world number 107 Benjamin Pratnemer, surviving six match darts before clinching a deciding leg.
Quick victories over Martin Schindler, Andy Boulton and Krzysztof Ratajski propelled him into the last four, where he ultimately fell to Dolan. Littler's season narrative is extraordinary.
After missing the first 26 Players Championship events, he entered the circuit with a clear objective: to break into the top 64 of the Order of Merit and secure a place at the finals in Minehead in November. A quarter‑final and semi‑final appearance in Leicester lifted him to 125th place, still £16,750 shy of the 64th spot. With six tournaments remaining, Littler must not only compete but also deliver strong performances to bridge that gap. His ambition goes beyond qualification; he is chasing a historic clean sweep of all major PDC titles this season—a feat never achieved before.
To complete the clean sweep, Littler still needs to win the World Series, World Grand Prix, European Championship, Grand Slam of Darts, and the Players Championship Finals. The World Series event is scheduled for Amsterdam from September 17‑20, just two days before the next double‑header of Players Championships in Den Bosch.
Those results will determine whether his clean‑sweep dream remains viable. Thus far in 2026, Littler has already collected every major PDC title on offer: the World Championship, Masters, UK Open, Premier League, World Cup of Darts and World Matchplay. His dominance has been the storyline of the season, and his pursuit of the remaining titles has added a layer of intrigue to every tournament he enters.
Humphries, meanwhile, returned to competitive play this week after a surprising first‑round exit to Cameron Menzies at the World Matchplay on July 20. He suffered a 6-3 defeat to Cam Crabtree in his opening match in Leicester but rebounded spectacularly, winning all seven of his subsequent matches, including his third floor‑event title of the year (having previously won 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 was candid about his preparation: "Honestly, it sounds crazy to be one of the best players in the world, but I came here mainly for practice and to get back to a normal routine. I hadn't played a Matchplay for two months, so I needed to find my rhythm again. I didn't want to jump straight into the Euro Tour without any warm‑up." He added, "I didn't expect to win a title this week because of the limited practice, but after two solid days and a lot of work on the board, I feel confident. I'm going back to my practice board at home as much as possible and I plan to dedicate the rest of the year to staying at No.2 and pushing Luke.
Whether I stay at No.2 or not, I'm going to fight for it and give my best." Humphries' next stop is the Hungarian Darts Trophy in Budapest this weekend. He described his Leicester triumph as a confidence boost: "Even though I didn't play my best, I managed to win, which is encouraging. Many players haven't been at their peak these past two days, including Luke. It's been a funny week, but I'm focused on getting more practice and building momentum for the rest of the season." He also expressed his desire to prevent Littler from completing the clean sweep: "I would love to win a major this year and go into the Worlds with confidence.
I don't want him to achieve the clean sweep; as much as fans would love it, I want to be the one who stops it." Reflecting on his return to the No.2 ranking after briefly losing it to van Veen in early August, the 2024 World Champion said, "Being No.2 right now feels great. I'm still a long way off Luke—maybe two million points away. The only way to close that gap is to win back‑to‑back World Championships, which will be incredibly tough.
Luke has been the best player over the last 18 months and he deserves the top spot." The tournament results in brief: - Last 16: Owen Bates 6-1 Justin Hood; Luke Humphries 6-5 Danny Noppert; Mike De Decker 6-3 Martijn Dragt; Kim Huybrechts 6-2 Jeffrey de Graaf; Luke Woodhouse 6-3 Daniel Ayres; Brendan Dolan 6-2 Karel Sedlacek; Luke Littler 6-3 Andy Boulton; Krzysztof Ratajski 6-2 Greg Ritchie. - Quarter‑Finals: Humphries 6-4 Owen Bates; Mike De Decker 6-5 Kim Huybrechts; Brendan Dolan 6-4 Luke Woodhouse; Luke Littler 6-4 Krzysztof Ratajski. - Semi‑Finals: Humphries 7-4 Mike De Decker; Brendan Dolan 7-4 Luke Littler. - Final: Humphries 8-6 Brendan Dolan.
Looking ahead, Sky Sports will continue 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 live darts and other top sports through NOW, while the Love the Darts podcast offers additional insights and commentary.