The draw for the 2026 Players Championship Finals is now finalised. The PDC has conducted the draw for the tournament in Minehead, scheduled for Friday 27 to Sunday 29 November, and the top 64 in the Players Championship rankings feature several high-profile fixtures right from the first round. The draw also confirms a shaken pecking order this season, with the defending champion absent and several regulars in the top 10 having to battle right up until the final week to secure their places.
Nijman top seed, Coates the main threat
Wessel Nijman has been awarded the No. 1 seed, a reward for a dominant regular season on the ProTour with eight titles. The Dutchman, ranked eighth in the world, opens against Henry Coates, one of the most surprising qualifiers in the field. Coates claimed a ProTour title in July before securing his place for just £250, which sums up just how competitive the circuit has been this year. The winner of this match could face Gabriel Clemens or Dave Chisnall in the second round, a draw that is far from straightforward for the top seed.
Dobey, Humphries and van Gerwen in the draw
Second seed Chris Dobey faces former World Grand Prix winner Mike De Decker. Luke Humphries, the seventh seed, comes up against Darryl Pilgrim: the Englishman has played in just eleven tournaments on the circuit this season but has won four of them, a record that explains his seeding despite a lighter schedule. Michael van Gerwen, the 18th seed, begins his quest for a record-breaking eighth title against Connor Scutt, in a match where he will start as the clear favourite.
Further up the draw, Luke Woodhouse (4), Jermaine Wattimena (5), Andrew Gilding (6) and Kevin Doets (3) are confirming the breakthrough of players who are usually found in the outer sections of the draw. Danny Noppert (10) takes on Scott Williams, whilst James Wade (30) and Jonny Clayton (23) will need to see off Justin Hood and Tom Sykes respectively to make their mark in the second half of the draw.
Price and van Veen in the same bracket
The most intriguing section of the draw features Gerwyn Price (52) and Gian van Veen (45). The Welshman opens against Sebastian Bialecki (13), whilst the Dutchman faces Jeffrey de Graaf (20): the two winners would meet in the second round, a clash many have been anticipating for several weeks. For Price, this low seeding reflects an inconsistent season on the circuit, but his form on television remains a factor that nobody in Minehead is unaware of.
Greaves makes her debut, Anderson a regular
Beau Greaves, the eighth seed, is making his debut at the Players Championship Finals. The Englishman, one of the revelations of the year, faces Christian Kist in what looks, on paper, like a manageable opening fixture. In the same quarter, Ross Smith (9) and Michael Smith (56) are set for a first-round clash: Ross Smith, already a winner of two major tournaments this season, goes in as favourite against a former world champion who had to come through the qualifiers.
Gary Anderson, who secured his place during the final week of qualifying, has been drawn against Karel Sedlacek (11), an awkward draw for a player of his calibre. Krzysztof Ratajski (26) v Damon Heta (39), Rob Cross (22) v Mickey Mansell (43) and Dirk van Duijvenbode (14) v Alan Soutar (51) round off the matches to watch.
Absentees from the draw
The biggest name missing remains Luke Littler, the defending champion, who has dropped out of the top 100 in the rankings after a season with almost no action on the circuit. Nathan Aspinall and Josh Rock are also missing from the line-up, leaving the draw wide open for a generation of players who have never had so many opportunities to make their mark on television.
Tournament schedule and highlights at Minehead
The first round takes place on Friday 27 November. The second and third rounds are spread across the two sessions on Saturday 28, before the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final on Sunday 29, with the World Youth Championship also on the programme. The total prize fund remains set at £750,000, with direct implications for the world rankings race and for invitations to the major winter events. The knockout format, which becomes tougher with each round, promises tense opening matches where throw management will be crucial.
To put everything into context, our 2026 Players Championship Finals guide (format, prize money, coverage) sets out the format, prize money and broadcast details. For background on Littler’s absence, see our article on Minehead without the defending champion, and for the story of the final week of qualifying, see our piece on Anderson and Price fighting for their Minehead spots.
