Luke Humphries clinched his third Players Championship crown of the season by defeating Brendan Dolan in the final of PC28, held on the second day of competition in Leicester. The 2024 world champion not only added another title to his résumé but also reclaimed the world No. 2 spot in the PDC Order of Merit, overtaking Gian van Veen during the day's action. Humphries edged out Ireland’s Dolan 8‑6 to claim his first PC win since PC17 in May, which was also staged at the Mattioli Arena.
Dolan had earlier eliminated Luke Littler 7‑4 in the semi‑finals, thwarting the chance of a blockbuster showdown between the world No. 1 and Humphries.
In his own semi‑final, Humphries dispatched Mike De Decker 7‑4, having survived a dramatic six‑dart match point against Danny Noppert in the preceding round, where he eked out a 6‑5 victory. Littler’s appearance in PC28 marked only his second Players Championship event of the year. He had suffered a quarter‑final loss to eventual PC27 champion Jermaine Wattimena the previous day.
After missing the first 26 Players Championship tournaments, Littler is now scrambling to break into the top‑64 of the Order of Merit, a prerequisite for qualifying for the Minehead finals in November. At present he sits 125th, roughly £16,750 adrift of the 64th place, with six events remaining. To keep his dream of a historic clean sweep alive, he will need to compete in, and perform strongly at, each of those remaining tournaments.
Littler’s ambition this season is unprecedented: he still needs to capture the World Series, World Grand Prix, European Championship, Grand Slam of Darts and the Players Championship Finals. No player in PDC history has ever secured all of those titles in a single year. The World Series event is scheduled for Amsterdam from September 17‑20, concluding just two days before the next double‑header of Players Championships in Den Bosch.
By then, Littler will know whether his clean‑sweep campaign remains viable. To date in 2026, Littler has already amassed an impressive collection of major titles, including the World Championship, Masters, UK Open, Premier League, World Cup of Darts and World Matchplay. In Leicester, he opened his run with a 6‑4 win over Stephen Rosney, then survived six match darts from world No. 107 Benjamin Pratnemer, ultimately prevailing in a final‑leg decider.
Subsequent quick‑fire victories over Martin Schindler, Andy Boulton and Krzysztof Ratajski propelled him into the last four, where he was finally out‑classed by Dolan. Humphries, meanwhile, returned to competitive play this week after a surprising first‑round defeat to Cameron Menzies at the World Matchplay on July 20. He fell 6‑3 to Cam Crabtree in his opening match in Leicester on Tuesday, but rebounded spectacularly on Wednesday, winning all seven of his matches en route to the title. This was only his ninth floor event of the year, yet he has now secured three victories, having previously won PC4 and PC17.
With £52,000 in prize money and a 13th‑place ranking, his qualification for the Minehead finals is virtually guaranteed. Speaking after his triumph, Humphries admitted that his recent schedule had been light. “Honestly, it sounds crazy, but I’m one of the best players in the world and I came here just for a bit of practice, to get back to normal,” he said. “I’ve only played a couple of match‑play events in the last two months, so I needed to get back into rhythm.
I didn’t want to jump straight into the Euro Tour without any practice.” He added that he had not expected to win given his limited preparation, but two solid days of practice and competition gave him confidence. “I’m going to hit the practice board at home as much as possible now and dedicate the rest of the year to being the best I can be, to push Luke and everyone else because I want to stay at No. 2,” Humphries explained. “Whether I keep that spot or not, I’ll fight for it.” Humphries’ next challenge 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 haven’t been at their peak these past two days, including Luke. It’s been a funny week.
I’m just trying to get some practice in, and now it’s about staying dedicated for the rest of the year and winning a major.” He also expressed a desire to prevent Littler from completing the clean sweep. “As much as everyone would love to see it, I’d love to win a major this year and head into the Worlds with confidence,” Humphries said. “So this victory helps, and I’ll enjoy the moment tonight.” When asked about regaining the world No. 2 ranking after briefly losing it to van Veen in August, the 2024 world champion was pragmatic.
“That’s as good as it gets for now,” he remarked. “I think I’m about two million behind Luke.
The only way to close that gap would be winning back‑to‑back World Championships, which is extremely tough. He’s been the best player over the last 18 months and deserves the top spot.” The tournament’s results were as follows: **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** - Luke 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** - Luke Humphries 7‑4 Mike De Decker - Brendan Dolan 7‑4 Luke Littler **Final** - Luke 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 (September 28‑October 4), the Grand Slam of Darts (November 14‑22) and the World Darts Championship (December 10‑January 3). Fans can also stream darts and other top sports via NOW, catch the latest highlights, and tune into the "Love the Darts" podcast for deeper analysis.