Luke Humphries calls for Premier League format change: “Up it to a few more players. It is so hard to pick”

Defending champion believes eight-player field has become almost impossible to curate fairly as darts talent pool reaches unprecedented depth

Luke Humphries has called for the Premier League Darts field to be expanded, arguing that the current eight-player format no longer fully reflects the extraordinary depth of talent at the top of the sport.

The defending Premier League champion believes the standard of play has risen so dramatically in recent years that restricting the field to eight players is becoming increasingly difficult to justify—and he has the names to prove it.

The Strongest Field He Has Seen

Humphries wasted no time in singing the praises of the 2026 edition, declaring it the most competitive Premier League he has been part of. In his view, the addition of two heavy-scoring debutants has immediately raised the bar.

“I think it’s the best. The additions of Gian [van Veen] and Josh [Rock], two really heavy scorers, are going to make it exciting for me,” Humphries said. “It is going to be challenging for us all because when you have heavy scorers, they can take the game away from you very quickly.”

The established names on the roster only add to his excitement. “The additions of Michael van Gerwen, Gerwyn Price, Jonny Clayton, who is one of the best double hitters in the world, and Stephen Bunting make it a great lineup.”

“So Hard to Pick”

It is precisely because of that growing quality, however, that Humphries believes the Premier League’s eight-player format is beginning to creak under the pressure of the sport’s rapid expansion.

“It’s a great lineup of players. The way the standard is going, I would be adamant to up it to a few more players because it is so hard to pick,” the former world champion stated bluntly.

He had little difficulty identifying players who could have made a compelling case for inclusion. “Danny [Noppert], James [Wade] and Nathan [Aspinall] are all players who could have been in it,” Humphries acknowledged, referencing three of the PDC’s most consistent performers who ultimately missed out on selection.

The point lands with particular force given subsequent events. James Wade went on to win Players Championship 1 by defeating Michael van Gerwen in the semi-finals before overcoming Nathan Aspinall in the final—a performance that underlined just how much talent is being left on the outside looking in.

Spread the Wealth

With such a deep and talented field assembled, Humphries also expects the pattern of results to look very different from previous seasons. Rather than a small group of elite players monopolising nightly victories, he anticipates the wins being shared far more widely.

“It’s going to be tough and I don’t think you guys will see me or Luke winning nights all the time,” Humphries said. “I think you will see it shared out a lot more this year.”

The early signs suggest he may be right. After three nights of action, Gerwyn Price and Michael van Gerwen have claimed the nightly titles, with neither Luke Littler nor Humphries yet winning a night—an unusual pattern that reflects the competitive balance Humphries predicted.

The PDC’s Dilemma

The format debate has gathered significant momentum heading into the 2026 season, with Humphries’ comments adding fuel to a fire already stoked by Michael van Gerwen. Where Van Gerwen has called for a change to the knockout structure itself—arguing it creates too many repetitive fixtures—Humphries is focused on who gets invited through the door in the first place.

Together, their criticisms paint a picture of a format that, while commercially successful, is beginning to strain under the weight of darts’ remarkable growth. PDC chief executive Matt Porter has acknowledged that changes are inevitable in the long run, while maintaining that the current structure continues to deliver strong attendance and viewership figures.

Looking Ahead

Humphries currently sits sixth in the Premier League table having won one of his first three matches—a slow start that will only sharpen his hunger as the competition heads to Glasgow this week, where he faces debutant Josh Rock.

Whether the PDC chooses to act on his expansion call remains to be seen. But with players of Wade and Aspinall’s calibre being excluded while producing some of the best darts of their careers on the Pro Tour, the argument for a larger field grows harder to dismiss with each passing week.

As Humphries put it simply: the way the standard is going, more players in the Premier League isn’t just desirable—it’s inevitable.