The defending champion will not be at Minehead. Luke Littler, winner of the 2025 Players Championship Finals, is not among the 64 players who have qualified for the 2026 edition, scheduled for 27–29 November at Butlin’s Resort in Minehead, Somerset. A year after his first victory in the event, he will therefore miss the final event of the Pro Tour.
A withdrawal that costs him his place
The rules leave no room for prestige: the top 64 in the Players Championship Order of Merit secure their places, and this ranking is based solely on prize money earned across the 34 rounds of the Pro Tour. Luke Littler has withdrawn from the final events of the season, and his total earnings no longer place him within the top 64. Major titles, appearances in finals and reputation carry no weight in this calculation.
The contrast with November 2025 is stark. In Minehead, he had beaten Nathan Aspinall 11–8 in the final to claim his first title in the event. This year, his title defence has come to an end before the first match, purely on the basis of points.
Prize money increased to £750,000
The tournament has moved up a gear. The prize fund has risen to £750,000, up from £600,000 in 2025, with the winner taking home £130,000. The runner-up receives £70,000, the semi-finalists £40,000, the quarter-finalists £27,500, the round of 16 £15,000, the second round £7,000 and the first round £4,000. Every qualified player is therefore guaranteed to walk away with a cheque, which is not the case for all events on the circuit.
The format: from best-of-11 to best-of-21
The format remains the same as in previous years, with the number of legs increasing with each round. The first and second rounds are best-of-11, the third round and quarter-finals are best-of-19, and the semi-finals and final are best-of-21. Over three days, players must get through six rounds to lift the trophy, with a 64-player draw based on the order of merit: the big names face off early on, and a bad day in the first round is enough to cost a player everything.
This lengthy format rewards consistent scoring more than spectacular runs. It also explains why Minehead’s winners almost always emerge from a gruelling season on the Pro Tour, where the succession of rounds builds up a real endurance.
The final places are up for grabs in Leicester
The field isn’t quite set in stone yet. The final two rounds of the Pro Tour, Players Championships 33 and 34, take place on 4 and 5 November at the Leicester Arena. They will award the points that will decide the fate of players hovering around 64th place. A single good day can turn an entire season on its head, and it is often here that the most hard-fought battles of the year are decided.
Each round of the Players Championship carried a prize fund of £150,000 this season, with £15,000 going to the winner. The series has also produced 21 nine-darters up to Players Championship 32, a rate that speaks volumes about the calibre of the field.
Minehead, the final stop before the World Championship
Butlin’s Resort, on the Somerset coast, is hosting the 19th edition of the event. The tournament brings the PDC season to a close ahead of the 2027 World Championship and remains the final opportunity to prove one’s form over a longer format before Alexandra Palace. For the 64 qualifiers, there is a twofold incentive: a five-figure cheque and the chance to fine-tune their game ahead of December’s big event.
For Littler, the situation is different. Without a trip to Minehead, his end-of-year form will be decided at the major events, with a title to defend elsewhere and a place at the top of the season’s rankings to hold onto. The missed opportunity in Somerset, meanwhile, will be seen as the direct consequence of a lighter schedule at the worst possible time.
The final 64 names will be announced on the evening of 5 November, following the conclusion of the 34th Players Championship. The draw for the draw will take place in the days leading up to the tournament’s start on 27 November.
