Luke Littler will finally make his first Players Championship appearance of 2026 this week, with the world champion confirmed among the entries for Players Championships 27 and 28 at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester. The 19-year-old headlines the 128-player fields on Tuesday 25 and Wednesday 26 August, with play beginning at 13:00 BST on both days.
Littler has not played a single floor event this season and therefore begins his late qualification push on £0 on the dedicated Players Championship Order of Merit. Only the top 64 qualify for Minehead, leaving the world number one with significant ground to make up over the remaining events. His return had been expected after the World Matchplay, with Littler previously indicating that winning in Blackpool would prompt him to enter the closing ProTour blocks in an attempt to qualify for the Players Championship Finals, a tournament he won in 2025.
A number of other leading names return after missing Players Championships 25 and 26 in Hildesheim. Luke Humphries, Stephen Bunting, Nathan Aspinall, Rob Cross, Joe Cullen, Ryan Joyce, Cameron Menzies, Danny Noppert, Ian White and Luke Woodhouse are all included for both Leicester events. There are 13 Tour Card Holders absent, although several of the biggest names on that list have only just returned from a demanding two-week World Series trip Down Under. Gerwyn Price, Gian van Veen, James Wade, Jonny Clayton, Damon Heta and Josh Rock all competed at the Australian and New Zealand Darts Masters and will now sit out the Leicester double-header. Gary Anderson and Dimitri Van den Bergh are also absent, alongside Max Hopp, Pero Ljubic, Mensur Suljovic and Pascal Rupprecht.
Those vacancies open the door for 13 PDPA Associate Members. Players Championship 25 winner Henry Coates is among them after the non-Tour Card holder produced one of the stories of the season by defeating Damon Heta 8-4 in the Hildesheim final. Derek Coulson, Joe Hunt, Daniel Klose, Tommy Morris, Tommy Lishman, Daniel Ayres, Archie Self, Jack Tweddell, Nathan Potter, Christopher Wickenden, Harry Ward and Steve Lennon complete the group of non-Tour Card entrants.
While Littler's return provides the major headline, Wessel Nijman remains the outstanding performer of the 2026 Players Championship season. The Dutchman has already won six of the opening 26 events and will chase a seventh title in Leicester. No other player has won more than twice on the circuit this season. Sebastian Bialecki also returns after winning Players Championship 26 in Hildesheim, while Coates will attempt to back up his remarkable breakthrough from the previous day. Michael van Gerwen, Humphries, Bunting, Cross, Chris Dobey, Beau Greaves, Ryan Searle, Michael Smith, Martin Schindler, Raymond van Barneveld and Peter Wright are among the other notable names entered for both Players Championship 27 and 28.
