On Monday 26 October, the PDC confirmed the list of entrants for Players Championships 31 and 32, which will be held on 28 and 29 October at Maassport Den Bosch. Two 128-player tournaments, open to both Tour Card holders and PDPA Associate Members, as the race for the Players Championship Finals and the World Championship gathers pace.
Den Bosch hosts the second double-header of the season
The ProTour returns to the Dutch venue five weeks after Players Championships 29 and 30, which took place on 22 and 23 September at the same venue. Cameron Menzies secured his second title of the year there, before Karel Sedlacek made history the following day by winning his first PDC-ranked title. That double-header in September was also marked by the withdrawals of Luke Littler, Gerwyn Price and James Wade.
Van Gerwen and Van Veen on home soil
Michael van Gerwen and Gian van Veen will be the two main attractions of the weekend for the Dutch public. The rest of the home contingent is strong: Danny Noppert, Kevin Doets, Jeffrey de Graaf, Jeffrey de Zwaan, Cor Dekker and Martijn Dragt are all on the list released by the PDC.
For Van Gerwen, these two days count double. The Dutchman has slipped to seventh in the world rankings this season, and every round won on the ProTour counts towards his climb back up the seeding order for the major end-of-year events.
Notable absentees
The published list does not include Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, Gerwyn Price, Jonny Clayton, Ryan Searle or Luke Woodhouse. With six players from the top 20 missing from a double-header ProTour event three weeks ahead of the Players Championship Finals, the line-up in Den Bosch therefore leaves the door wide open.
Each tournament awards points towards the ProTour Order of Merit, the ranking that determines qualification for Minehead and influences the seeding for the World Championship. Across two draws of 128 players, there is a real opportunity for players ranked between 20th and 50th.
What the line-up reveals about the race to Minehead
Among this year’s winners competing in Den Bosch are Wessel Nijman, Henry Coates, Sebastian Bialecki and Gabriel Clemens. Nijman already has six titles on the circuit in 2026; Coates caused an upset at the Players Championship aged 25 and without a Tour Card; Bialecki doubled his tally in Hildesheim; and Clemens finally opened his PDC account.
Conversely, several regulars in the semi-finals will have to contend with a tighter draw. The Players Championship Finals bring together the top players from the ProTour rankings in Minehead, and the two events in the Netherlands represent one of the last opportunities to pick up the points that make the difference between direct qualification and a reserve spot.
Tricole, Aspinall and others to watch
Thibault Tricole is in the line-up, as is Nathan Aspinall, who is back on the entry list after a difficult summer. Beau Greaves, Martin Schindler, Dave Chisnall, Chris Dobey, Joe Cullen, Ritchie Edhouse and Mike De Decker round off a field where the outsiders will have their say.
The format remains that of the ProTour: two draws, each played over a single day, in a knockout format, with the early rounds played as best-of-eleven legs before longer matches in the later rounds. The strength of the draw, rather than current form, will often decide the winner.
Timetable and broadcast
Both days begin at 1.00 pm in France (12.00 pm GMT). Four draws per tournament will be broadcast on PDCTV, with German commentary on Streaming Board One, and coverage will also be available via partner operators.
The draw for both draws will be revealed before the start of the first tournament.
