2026 BetMGM Premier League of Darts Predictions
- Sam Hill
- Feb 5
- 7 min read
The 2026 BetMGM Premier League of Darts gets underway tonight in Newcastle, kicking off the 17-week travelling roadshow once again.
Despite questions over player selection and the format, the tournament promises elite quality and plenty of drama.
As always, the top four in the Premier League table after the sixteen-week league phase, concluding in Sheffield on 21 May, will book their places at Finals Night at London’s O2 Arena.
This year also brings something new. The AFAS Dome in Antwerp joins the venue list for the first time, adding another country to the Premier League calendar and extending the tournament across eight nations.
It underlines the global appeal of the Premier League and reinforces its status as one of the sport’s largest events.
To learn more about the format, points system, and prize money, check out my explainer piece from last month.
I’ll now turn to my predicted finishing positions from 1st to 8th, based on Premier League pedigree, recent form, and suitability to the weekly grind against the elite of the game.
1st: Luke Littler
Premier League Record
3rd appearance
3rd consecutive season
2024 Champion
Simply, who else…
Luke Littler is my pick to finish top of the Premier League table in 2026. The 19-year-old has already amassed 11 major titles in his short career, putting him joint-third on the all-time list of players to pick up PDC Premier Titles.
He recently claimed a second consecutive World Championship, added the inaugural Saudi Masters title, and sealed a maiden World Masters crown over the weekend in Milton Keynes.
Incredibly, he has won 50% of the major televised competitions he has entered, and there are no signs of him letting up as the World No.1.
In 2024 and 2025, Littler topped the Premier League table, lifting the title on debut at just 17 in his first-ever major triumph and it’s unthinkable that he won’t top the table yet again.
“The Nuke” has even spoken about breaking the record TV average this Premier League, aiming for a 125 average this season.
He’ll also be looking to reclaim the crown after defeat to Luke Humphries in last year’s final.
2nd: Gerwyn Price
Premier League Record
8th appearance
5th consecutive season
2023 Runner-Up
Gerwyn Price remains one of the sport’s biggest entertainers. The Welshman thrives on big crowds, big atmospheres, and is built for this competition.
“The Iceman” notched six PDC titles last season, and despite an early exit from the World Championship, he returns for his eighth Premier League campaign.
Since the start of the year, the 40-year-old has reached the semi-finals of both the Bahrain and Saudi Darts Masters, as well as the World Masters, where he narrowly missed a match dart against eventual champion Luke Littler.
Despite a rocky relationship with the competition in previous years, the former World Champion has reached Finals Night in two of his last three appearances, including topping the table in 2023. He has also grown in popularity among UK audiences, no longer the pantomime villain of past seasons.
Renowned as the “king of nine darters,” Price has landed five in his Premier League career, including two last year. At his best, he can challenge Littler and Humphries, and I expect a strong campaign that sees him reach Finals Night for a third time in four seasons.
3rd: Luke Humphries
Premier League Record
3rd appearance
3rd consecutive season
2025 Champion
Luke Humphries enters the 2026 Premier League as the reigning champion, and expectations are high.
“Cool Hand” is the current World No.2 and has finished second in the league phase in both campaigns he has contested, with Littler in 1st on both occasions.
However, he defeated his closest rival in last year’s final 11-7 and will be aiming to become just the third player to retain the Premier League title after Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen.
In the World Championship, Humphries exited in the quarter-finals to World No.3 Gian van Veen and fell at the last-8 stage in both World Series events last month.
Despite this, the 30-year-old has dismissed talk of van Veen forming an “elite three” at the top of world darts, insisting he and Littler remain the two to beat.
Over the weekend, Humphries reached his sixth major final in 11 televised events at the World Masters, only to be narrowly dethroned by "The Nuke” 6-5 in a thrilling finale in Milton Keynes.
He will be determined to carry that form into the Premier League, and I expect another comfortable Top 4 finish to secure his place at the O2, with his consistency strong enough to get him there.
4th: Jonny Clayton
Premier League Record
4th appearance
First appearance since 2023
2021 Champion
Jonny Clayton’s return to the eight-man field is a welcome boost for a proven winner.
“The Ferret” is currently World No.5 and reached three semi-finals and two finals in televised majors in 2025, including a World Cup Final run with Gerwyn Price.
Clayton has shown he can handle the demands of this competition, lifting the trophy in 2021 (albeit in a different format).
Impressively, he has never failed to make Finals Night in his three Premier League appearances, boasting a 100% Top 4 strike rate, no mean feat in an eight-player field of elite talent.
He had 4th-place finishes in 2021 and 2023, won the competition in 2021, and topped the league phase in 2022 with a then-record 40 points and four nightly wins, underlining his remarkable consistency.
That combination of big-match temperament, experience, and consistency points to another strong campaign, and I expect Clayton to secure a fourth-placed finish and maintain his impressive Finals Night record.
5th: Gian van Veen
Premier League Record
1st appearance
Debut season
Gian van Veen is one of two exciting debutants in the 2026 Premier League.
The World No.3 and new Dutch No.1 enjoyed an outstanding 2025, lifting his maiden major at the European Championships and reaching the World Championship final. His relentless scoring, calm temperament, and ruthless finishing have made him one of the most feared players on tour.
The Premier League, however, is a different challenge. The 23-year-old will face tests with travel and the need to perform week in, week out.
No doubt the two-time World Youth Champion has the ability to overcome these challenges, but I see him just missing out on Finals Night. That said, I think “The Giant” will push the race right to the wire, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he sneaks a place on debut come May.
6th: Josh Rock
Premier League Record
1st appearance
Debut season
Josh Rock is the second of two debutants in the 2026 Premier League, following a strong 2025 on tour.
The reigning World Cup champion is a ball of energy on the big stage, capable of eye-watering averages and plenty of 180s, perfect for the Premier League format.
Alongside winning Northern Ireland’s first World Cup with Daryl Gurney last June, “Rocky” also reached two quarter-finals and three semi-finals in major televised competitions.
The current World No.8 will no doubt light up the stage at times, but like Gian van Veen, he faces the challenge of adapting to the weekly grind on debut.
While I expect him to potentially secure a night win or two, consistency will be key, and a sixth-place finish seems fair with a strong showing with plenty of promise for what will undoubtedly be future campaigns for the 24-year-old.
7th: Michael van Gerwen
Premier League Record
14th appearance
14 consecutive seasons
7-time champion (last won in 2023)
Many will be surprised to see Michael van Gerwen predicted 7th, but it reflects the reality of where the legendary Dutchman is right now.
“Mighty Mike” is arguably the second-best player of all time, with 159 PDC titles, but the week-to-week consistency that once defined him is no longer there.
While he won the Bahrain Darts Masters and was runner-up in Saudi Arabia, he lost in Round 1 of the World Masters to Damon Heta with an 88 average, showing the inconsistency still evident in his game.
False dawns of a resurgence have become too common. A difficult 2025, partly due to personal issues, saw him make just one semi-final in ranked majors, far below the level expected of a top-four player.
Van Gerwen has even admitted he may never reach the peak levels that saw him dominate the mid-2010s.
If another poor year comes, it’s a realistic possibility that he could fall out of the Top 16 by the end of 2026, as has happened to fellow former World Champions Michael Smith and Peter Wright.
The now Dutch No.2 will want to arrest that slide quickly, but the non-ranked Premier League may not be a top priority for him this season.
I predict he will finish 7th, the lowest of his Premier League career, and miss the O2 Play-Offs for just the third time in fourteen consecutive appearances.
8th: Stephen Bunting
Premier League Record
3rd appearance
Second consecutive season
Finished 8th in 2025
Unfortunately, I struggle to see Stephen Bunting competing consistently in this Premier League.
He endured a difficult 2025 campaign, going eight nights without a single victory. To his credit, he battled in the second half but still finished bottom in eighth.
Despite this, “The Bullet” picked up six PDC titles in 2025, a remarkable increase given he had only four in his previous eleven years on the tour. Although most came early in the season, including two European Tours, two World Series events, and two Players Championship events.
His TV form never really took off, making just the quarter-finals of the World Masters and World Matchplay, with little success since July in major televised competitions.
Bunting clearly has the ability to win games, as he did claim a night victory in Berlin in 2025, but he lacks the confidence he held last year and has had some recent issues with fans following comments in interviews.
In a format demanding consistent results against the very elite, I can only see “The Bullet” finishing last again.
Doubts over his inclusion were widespread, with fears he might not cope week to week, and it remains to be seen whether another tough campaign affects his long-term career prospects.
Final Thoughts
With Luke Littler, Gerwyn Price, Luke Humphries, and Jonny Clayton making up my top four for Finals Night at the O2 in May, I’d love to hear your thoughts too.
Debutants Gian van Veen and Josh Rock should bring fresh energy and excitement to the line-up, while Michael van Gerwen and Stephen Bunting, in particular, look likely to struggle at the wrong end of the table.
Eight players, 17 weeks, the 2026 Premier League is set to deliver thrilling action across all eight countries and seventeen venues.
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