Luke Humphries secured his third Players Championship title of the season on Wednesday, defeating Brendan Dolan 8-6 in the final at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester, according to Sky Sports. The victory propelled Humphries back to the world No 2 position in the PDC rankings, overtaking Gian van Veen during the day’s events.
The Road to the Final in Leicester
Humphries navigated a demanding path to the trophy, which included a narrow 6-5 escape against Danny Noppert where he survived six match darts. According to Sky Sports, he subsequently defeated Mike De Decker 7-4 in the semi-finals before overcoming Dolan in a hard-fought title match. Humphries was competing in just his ninth floor event of the year, finishing the day with a prize total that virtually guarantees his qualification for the finals in Minehead in November.
“To be honest, I know it sounds crazy being one of the best players in the world, I just came here for a bit of practice. Just to get myself in and feel normal again,” Humphries said, as reported by Sky Sports. He noted that he had only played in one matchplay event over the preceding two months.
Brendan Dolan Denies Luke Littler a Blockbuster Clash
The tournament final nearly featured a matchup between Humphries and Luke Littler, but Brendan Dolan intervened in the semi-finals. According to Sky Sports, Dolan defeated Littler 7-4 to deny the world No 1 a spot in the title match. Dolan’s progression included key checkouts, overcoming a 3-1 deficit with finishes including a 72 and an 85 to seal the victory.
Littler was making only his second Players Championship appearance of the season, following a quarter-final exit to Jermaine Wattimena on Tuesday at Players Championship 27. Having sat out the first 26 floor events of the year, Littler faces an uphill battle to secure a top 64 spot on the Order of Merit to qualify for the November finals in Minehead, where he aims to complete a clean sweep of PDC major titles.
Order of Merit Stakes and the Clean Sweep Bid
According to Sky Sports, Littler sits 125th in the Order of Merit, trailing the 64th-place cutoff by £16,750 with six events remaining before the Minehead finals. His campaign in Leicester included early-round wins over Stephen Rosney, a tense deciding-leg victory where he survived six match darts against Benjamin Pratnemer, and victories over Martin Schindler, Andy Boulton, and Krzysztof Ratajski.
Littler has already captured every major title on the PDC circuit so far in 2026, including the World Championship, Masters, UK Open, Premier League, World Cup of Darts, and World Matchplay. His next opportunity to accumulate ranking points and maintain his historic bid arrives ahead of the World Series event in Amsterdam and the subsequent Players Championship double-header in Den Bosch.
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