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 the Leicester tournament. The win not only added another trophy to Humphries' cabinet but also propelled him back to the No. 2 spot in the PDC world rankings, overtaking Gian van Veen during the day's action.
In a tightly contested final, Humphries edged out Ireland’s Brendan Dolan 8‑6 to claim the PC28 title, his first Players Championship win since PC17 in May, which was also staged at the Mattioli Arena. The victory was especially significant for Humphries, who had been looking to regain form after a surprising early exit at the World Matchplay earlier in July. Dolan’s path to the final had included a notable semi‑final triumph over Luke Littler, beating the world No.
1 7‑4 and thereby denying a much‑anticipated showdown between the two top‑ranked players. Littler, who had been on a remarkable run this season, was forced to settle for a semi‑final finish after a strong showing in the earlier rounds. Humphries’ own semi‑final was a solid 7‑4 victory over Mike De Decker.
Earlier in the tournament, Humphries had survived a nerve‑wracking encounter with Danny Noppert, escaping six match darts and prevailing 6‑5 in a match that tested his composure under pressure. For Luke Littler, PC28 represented only his second Players Championship appearance of the year. He had previously bowed out in the quarter‑finals of PC27 to eventual champion Jermaine Wattimena.
Having missed the first 26 Players Championship events, Littler is now scrambling to climb into the top 64 of the Order of Merit to secure a place at the Minehead finals in November. After his quarter‑final and semi‑final runs in Leicester, he sits 125th on the Order of Merit, a full £16,750 behind the 64th spot. With six events remaining, Littler faces a steep climb if he hopes to stay on track for a historic clean sweep of all major PDC titles this season. Littler’s ambition is unprecedented: he still needs to capture the World Series, World Grand Prix, European Championship, Grand Slam of Darts and the Players Championship Finals to become the first player ever to win every major PDC title in a single season.
The World Series event is scheduled for Amsterdam from September 17‑20, just two days before the next Players Championship double‑header in Den Bosch, where he will learn whether his clean‑sweep bid remains viable. To date in 2026, Littler has already secured every major PDC trophy on offer: the World Championship, Masters, UK Open, Premier League, World Cup of Darts and World Matchplay. His Leicester campaign began with a 6‑4 win over Stephen Rosney, but he nearly saw his run end in the next round when he survived six match darts from world‑ranked‑107 Benjamin Pratnemer, eventually prevailing in a deciding leg. Quick victories over Martin Schindler, Andy Boulton and Krzysztof Ratajski propelled him into the last four, where he was finally out‑performed by Dolan.
Humphries, meanwhile, returned to competitive action this week after his shock round‑one loss to Cameron Menzies at the World Matchplay on July 20. He suffered a 6‑3 defeat to Cam Crabtree in the opening round in Leicester but bounced back on Wednesday to win all seven of his matches, marking his ninth floor event of the year. His earlier successes at PC4 and PC17 mean he has now claimed three Players Championship titles this season. With £52,000 in earnings and a 13th‑place ranking, his qualification for the Minehead finals is essentially guaranteed.
Speaking after his victory, Humphries admitted that his recent schedule had been more about practice than competition. “Honestly, it sounds crazy to be one of the best players in the world and still feel like I’m just here for a bit of practice,” he said. “I’ve only played a couple of matchplay events in the last two months, so I needed to get back into form. I didn’t want to jump straight into the Euro Tour without any warm‑up.” He added that his confidence was growing despite not playing his absolute best.
“I didn’t think I’d win a title this week because I’ve had limited practice, but I’ve had two good days and a lot of work on the board. I’ll keep practicing at home and dedicate the rest of the year to staying at No.
2 and pushing Luke and everyone else.” Humphries will head to Budapest for the Hungarian Darts Trophy this weekend, viewing his Leicester win as a confidence boost. “It’s good to know I can win even when I’m not at my peak. Luke hasn’t been at his best either, but we both had some good runs,” he noted. “I’m focused on getting more practice and building toward a major win later in the year.
I don’t want Littler to complete the clean sweep; I’d love to win a major myself and go into the World Championship with confidence.” Reflecting on his recent return to the No. 2 ranking after briefly being overtaken by van Veen in August, the 2024 World Champion expressed satisfaction. “That’s as good as it gets for now,” he said. “I’m still a long way off Luke in terms of points—about two million.
The only way to close that gap would be to win back‑to‑back World Championships, which is a massive challenge. Luke has been the best player over the last 18 months and deserves the top spot.” The tournament’s later stages featured a series of decisive matches.
In the last‑16, Humphries edged Danny Noppert 6‑5, while Littler dispatched Andy Boulton 6‑3. The quarter‑finals saw Humphries defeat Owen Bates 6‑4 and De Decker 6‑5, with Dolan beating Luke Woodhouse 6‑4.
In the semi‑finals, Humphries again overcame De Decker 7‑4, and Dolan repeated his victory over Littler by the same scoreline. The final concluded with Humphries prevailing 8‑6 over Dolan, securing his third title of the season. 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).
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