Luke Humphries clinched 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' 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, with both players exchanging legs before Humphries edged ahead in the closing stages. Dolan, who had earlier eliminated Luke Littler 7-4 in the semi‑finals, was hoping to force a headline‑making clash with the world No. 1, but Humphries proved too steady to allow that scenario. Humphries' path to the title was anything but straightforward.
In the semi‑finals he dispatched Mike De Decker 7-4, but just two rounds earlier he had been on the brink of elimination, surviving six match darts from Danny Noppert to scrape a 6-5 win. That narrow escape seemed to galvanise him, as he then proceeded to win all of his remaining matches without dropping another leg. For Luke Littler, PC28 represented only his second Players Championship appearance of the season. He had been knocked out in the quarter‑finals of PC27 by eventual champion Jermaine Wattimena and had missed the first 26 events of the year.
Littler is currently racing to break into the top 64 of the Order of Merit – a prerequisite for qualifying for the Players Championship Finals in Minehead in November. At present he sits 125th, some £16,750 short of the cutoff, with six tournaments still to play. To keep his dream of a historic clean sweep alive, he will need a string of deep runs and likely a title or two in the remaining events.
Littler's ambition this season is unprecedented: he has already captured every major PDC title on offer in 2026 – the World Championship, Masters, UK Open, Premier League, World Cup of Darts and World Matchplay. The only trophies left on his agenda are the World Series, World Grand Prix, European Championship, Grand Slam of Darts and the Players Championship Finals. Achieving a clean sweep of all major titles in a single season would be a feat no player has ever accomplished. The upcoming World Series event in Amsterdam (September 17‑20) will be the next test for Littler.
It takes place just two days before the next double‑header of Players Championships in Den Bosch, giving him a clear indicator of whether his clean‑sweep campaign remains viable. In Leicester, Littler began his campaign with a 6-4 win over Stephen Rosney but soon found himself under severe pressure against world No. 107 Benjamin Pratnemer. After surviving six match darts, Littler clinched a deciding leg to move on.
He then recorded swift victories over Martin Schindler, Andy Boulton and Krzysztof Ratajski, propelling him into the last four, where he eventually fell to Dolan. Humphries, meanwhile, returned to competitive play this week after a shocking first‑round loss 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 seven straight matches to claim the title.
This marks his ninth floor event of the year, and his third win after earlier triumphs at PC4 and PC17. Currently 13th on the Order of Merit with £52,000 in earnings, Humphries has effectively secured his place at the Minehead finals. He commented on his recent form, saying, "Honestly, it sounds crazy to be one of the best players in the world, but I came here just to get some practice and feel normal again. I hadn't played a match‑play in two months, so I needed to get back into the rhythm before the Euro Tour this weekend." He admitted that he hadn't expected to win a title given his limited preparation, but praised the two good days of practice he managed to fit in.
"I'm going to get back on the practice board at home as much as possible and dedicate the rest of the year to being my best," he added, emphasizing his desire to stay at No. 2 and push the world No. 1, Luke Littler, off the top spot.
Humphries' next stop is the Hungarian Darts Trophy in Budapest this weekend. He described his Leicester victory as a confidence boost, noting that neither he nor Littler had been playing at their absolute best over the past two days.
"It's funny – we both had good runs, but we weren't at our peak. I'm just trying to get some practice in and build on it for the rest of the year," he said.
He also expressed a personal motivation 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 go into the Worlds with confidence," Humphries explained. "So this win helps, and I'm going to enjoy the moment." Reflecting on his return to the No. 2 ranking after briefly losing it to van Veen in early August, the 2024 World Champion added, "I think that's as good as it gets at the moment, to be honest.
I'm about two million behind Luke. The only way anyone can close that gap is by winning back‑to‑back World Championships, which will be extremely tough. He's been the best player over the last 18 months and deserves his No.
1 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: 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 major events such as 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 without a contract.