Premier League darts line-up revealed as four wildcards join Luke Littler in tournament

The PDC have confirmed that Jonny Clayton and Stephen Bunting are among the four wildcards who will join Luke Littler and Co in this year’s Premier League campaign

Jonny Clayton, the 2021 champion, Stephen Bunting, Josh Rock and Gerwyn Price have been named as the four wildcards for this year’s BetMGM Premier League season.

The quartet will join the top four automatic picks who are the top four in the order of merit – the new double world champion Luke Littler, who is world No 1, defending champion Luke Humphries, Gian van Veen and Michael van Gerwen. It means both van Veen, who put up a superb display but lost 7-1 to Littler in last Saturday’s world final, and Northern Ireland’s World Cup winner Rock will be both making their debuts in the competition.

European Champion Van Veen catapulted himself up to World No 3 following his superb run at Alexandra Palace, which saw him overhaul van Gerwen to become the new Dutch number one. Van Gerwen is a seven-times Premier League champion.

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The season lasts 17 weeks, with 16 weeks of league matches starting in Newcastle on Thursday February 5 before the final at The O2 in London on May 28.

Fresh from his world championship glory at the Ally Pally, Littler will be looking to regain this crown after Humphries and him battled out the last two finals. In 2024, Littler beat Humphries 11-7 in the final and then 12 months later the positions were reversed. Humphries triumphed this time 11-8.

Littler is determined to have another amazing year after his sensational win on Saturday night and while the Masters and the European Championships are the majors he has not win, he will be determined to go all the way again in the Premier League.

Clayton, the world No 5, was the Premier League champion in 2021 as he beat Jose de Sousa 11-5 in the final in Milton Keynes. The sport’s biggest names compete for a record £350,000 top prize.

Rock inspired Northern Ireland to a maiden World Cup victory in June, while also featuring in a hat-trick of televised semi-finals at the UK Open, World Matchplay and World Series of Darts Finals.

World number seven Bunting had a trophy-laden campaign that saw him claim six PDC titles, including World Series wins in Bahrain and Copenhagen, as well as European Tour successes in Riesa and Basel.

“There’s a fresh new look to this year’s line-up, which I’m sure will entertain our incredible crowds across the UK and Europe”, said PDC Chief Executive Matt Porter. “The selection for this year’s tournament was particularly difficult given the incredible standard of darts we’ve seen over the last 12 months.

“Following on from a historic World Championship, we’re determined to build on this momentum in 2026, and we’re particularly looking forward to taking the BetMGM Premier League to Belgium for the first time.

“All eight players boast considerable pedigree on the sport’s biggest stages, and following record-breaking ticket sales for the 2026 season, this year’s event promises to be a memorable one.”

The 16 nights of action will see each league night comprising quarter-finals, semi-finals and a final over the best of 11 legs.

Points will be awarded each night to form the league table, from which the top four players will progress to Finals Night.