2025 Players Championship Finals: Field, Draw and Key Matchups Confirmed for Minehead

World No.1 Luke Humphries will begin the defence of his Players Championship Finals title against Gian van Veen in Minehead. It’s a mouth-watering opening round clash with the field, and draw now confirmed for the event.

The Top 64 performers from the Players Championship circuit are set to descend on Butlin’s Minehead Resort from Friday, November 21st to Sunday, November 23rd.

Luke Humphries (left) and Gian van Veen (right) pictured ahead of the European Championship final

How the Tournament Works

The Players Championship Finals brings together the top 64 players from the Players Championship Order of Merit, ranked purely on their earnings from the season’s floor events.

Format:

First & Second Round: Best of 11 legs

Third Round & Quarter-Finals: Best of 19 legs

Semi-finals & Final: Best of 21 legs.

Prize Fund:

The total prize fund totals £600,000, with the winner receiving £120,000.

Position	Prize Money
Winner	£120,000
Runner-Up	£60,000
Semi-Finalists	£30,000
Quarter-Finalists	£20,000
Last 16	£10,000
Last 32	£6,500
Last 64	£3,000

As this is a televised ranking event, all money won counts towards the PDC World Rankings (Werner Rankings Ladder), making Minehead crucial towards seeding ahead of the upcoming PDC World Darts Championship.

Draw Highlights and Key Matchups 

2023 and 2024 champion Luke Humphries will aim to become only the second player to win the Players Championship Finals three years in a row. 

‘Cool Hand’ played just 14 of the 34 Players Championship events and reached just one final. He finished 58^th on the Order of Merit and was rewarded with a blockbuster first-round tie with 7^th seed Gian van Veen. The Dutchman has won their last three encounters, including the European Championship final in Dortmund last weekend. 

🏆 The Top Seeds and Contenders 

Gerwyn Price during his walk-on at the World Grand Prix in October

Gerwyn Price enters as the No.1 seed for the third time in his career and will take on the former German No.1 Max Hopp in his opener, who snuck in the final qualifying spot.

‘The Iceman’ was dominant on the floor in 2025, winning four titles, two runner-up finishes, as well as a semi-final and quarter-final. Overall, he finished £5,000 clear at the top despite playing just 21 of the 34 events. 

Wessel Nijman comes into Minehead as the No.2 seed following two Players Championship event wins in October, taking his overall tally to three in his 22 months as a PDC Tour Card holder. Nijman has firmly cemented his place as one of the premier floor players in world darts and will face off against compatriot Richard Veenstra in an all-Dutch clash. 

Damon Heta comes in as the No.3 seed and will come up against debutant Justin Hood, while No.4 seed Ross Smith meets exciting German prospect Niko Springer in another eye-catching first-round contest. 

🌍 Other Notable Ties 

Last year’s finalist, Luke Littler, played a managed floor schedule this campaign, entering just 12 events but still claimed the one Players Championship title in October to secure his

place in Minehead. Finishing in 36^th seed, he will meet Sweden’s No.1 Jeffrey de Graaf, who landed his maiden Pro Tour title earlier in 2025. 

Cameron Menzies will take on PDC newcomer and debutant Adam Lipscombe, while World No.4 Stephen Bunting meets former European Champion Ritchie Edhouse. 

2018 winner Daryl Gurney will take on former teammate Brendan Dolan in an all-Northern Ireland duel, and 2014 champion Gary Anderson meets the No.45 seed Mario Vandenbogaerde. 

Chris Dobey recorded three Players Championship event wins in 2025 and will open his account against Keane Barry, who sealed his qualification thanks to his only quarter-final run of the season. 

Two-time floor title winner this campaign, Joe Cullen, meets 2021 champion Peter Wright, while Jermaine Wattimena, who claimed his first PDC titles this year, faces compatriot Wesley Plaisier. 

Former World Matchplay champion Nathan Aspinall faces a tricky assignment against Czechia’s No.1 Karel Sedláček, while reigning World Cup winner Josh Rock takes on 2023 World Championship semi-finalist Gabriel Clemens. 

No.11 seed Ryan Searle and No.12 seed Jonny Clayton, both previous finalists in Minehead, have opening workouts against Darren Beveridge and James Hurrell, respectively. 

2016 finalist Dave Chisnall meets steady operator Ryan Joyce, and World No.5 James Wade will battle against 2024 Grand Slam of Darts semi-finalist Mickey Mansell in a clash of the left-handers. 

Dutch duo Danny Noppert and Dirk van Duijvenbode, both finished inside the Top 20 on the floor this season, setting up ties with Ricky Evans and Madars Razma, respectively. 

German No.1 Martin Schindler, who landed his first Players Championship title in March this year, opens against former World No.1 and World Champion Michael Smith, ‘The Bully Boy’, who continues his fightback from his injury woes. 

🚫 Notable Absentee 

The surprise omission is seven-time winner of the Players Championship Finals, Michael van Gerwen. The Dutchman has endured a tough time away from the oche with personal issues, making just one quarter-final from 15 events entered.  

A disastrous floor season for a man of his calibre and status in the game, finishing 102^nd on the Players Championship Order of Merit, £12,000 short of qualifying for the finals in Minehead! 

The 2025 Players Championship Finals draw in bracket order

Schedule and Coverage 

The tournament begins on Friday, November 21st, with all first-round matches played across two sessions.  

Saturday features the second and third rounds, while Sunday hosts the quarter-finals in the afternoon before the Winmau World Youth Championship Final between Gian van Veen and Beau Greaves takes place between the semi-finals and final in an action-packed evening session. 

The tournament will be broadcast live on ITV4 in the UK, also through the PDC’s broadcast partners worldwide, including DAZN and Viaplay. 

There will also be coverage broadcast on video.pdc.tv (excluding subscribers in the UK, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland), while action from Stage Two in Minehead will be broadcast worldwide on video.pdc.tv during Friday and Saturday’s double sessions. 

Closing Thoughts 

With £120,000 up for grabs for the winner, crucial ranking money to be won, and a prestigious PDC Premier Title on the line, all eyes will be on the final dress rehearsal for players to build momentum ahead of the showpiece event at Alexandra Palace across December and January, the PDC World Darts Championship. 

With just four former winners in this event, could we possibly see Luke Humphries make it three in a row, or can someone else come through the pack and emerge as a new champion in Minehead?