Best darts players in the world 2026

The popularity of darts continues to soar, and the stakes have never been higher for the sport's top stars with the Professional Darts Corporation boasting a boosted prize fund of £25 million for 2026, including a seven-figure jackpot for the winner of the World Championship.

This truly is a golden darting era with the circuit expanding to new territories and receiving more mainstream media coverage than ever before, all while tournaments are played in sold-out arenas with millions of fans at home tuning in to watch the tungsten drama.

The jam-packed professional calendar takes these oche heroes to events across the globe. With Pro Tour, Euro Tour, World Series and major TV events all part of the hectic PDC roadshow, it can be tricky to figure out who the best, or most in-form players are - that's why we're here to decipher all the stats and facts, and compile our top 10 list of dartists in 2026.

RadioTimes.com brings you our expert round-up of the best darts players in the world right now.

10. James Wade

One of the most prolific winners of major titles in PDC history, James Wade is approaching two decades at the top of the sport.

The former World Matchplay, Premier League and World Grand Prix champion is arguably the greatest player never to have won a World Darts Championship.

Wade continues to feature at the business end of tournaments, enjoying a rejuvenating 2025 campaign that saw him reach televised finals in Minehead and Blackpool.

Famous for his proficient finishing, ‘The Machine’ has evolved his game to keep up with the power-scorers in this modern era.

9. Josh Rock

All clues point towards young Northern Irishman Rock having a very bright darting future ahead of him.

‘Rocky’ enjoyed a breakthrough 2025, winning the World Cup title for his nation alongside compatriot Daryl Gurney. He broke new personal ground in making the semi-finals of three major singles events – the UK Open, World Matchplay and the World Series Finals.

The former World Youth Champion also won a Players Championship event and reached two European Tour finals.

Rock will likely feature higher up this list very soon, but he needs to take the next step to do so.

8. Johnny Clayton

Despite having several major titles to his name - all of which arrived earlier this decade - Wales' Johnny Clayton often goes under the radar at tournaments.

A maiden World Cup triumph for his nation in 2020 alongside playing partner Gerwyn Price sparked a trophy-laden spell for 'The Ferret' who won four singles events, including the Premier League and the World Grand Prix.

After securing a second World Cup winners' medal and reaching the World Matchplay final in 2023, Clayton had a brief dip in results but has since returned to form and is threatening to win the sport's biggest accolades once again.

7. Stephen Bunting

Former Lakeside World Champion Bunting has worked very hard in recent years to get himself back into the sport's elite band of players and was rewarded with a coveted spot in the Premier League, returning to the big time after a decade away from it.

A fan favourite thanks to his social media frivolities and accompanying strapline ‘Let’s go Bunting mental’, the Liverpool FC fan won his maiden PDC major title at the start of 2024 at the Masters.

In 2025 he won World Series events in Bahrain and Copenhagen - finishing that circuit as the number one ranked player – and claimed multiple titles on both the European Tour and Players Championship series.

6. Nathan Aspinall

Nathan Aspinall is a success story of the PDC ecosystem having come through the development circuits before establishing himself in the professional ranks and going on to become one of the sport's biggest names.

'The Asp' won his maiden major at the 2019 UK Open and a World Series title in America soon followed, but his greatest achievement to date was lifting the World Matchplay trophy in 2023.

Aspinall has overcome injury and dartitis in recent times, returning to somewhere near his best form in 2025 by winning his first three European Tour titles and ending the season as the number one player on that continental series.

5. Gian van Veen

Dutch youngster van Veen is one of the hottest properties in the world of darts right now following a breakthrough 2025, and he could have a very big say in the sport for many years to come.

Van Veen burst on to the scene in 2023 as a surprise semi-finalist at the European Championship; two years later at the same event he went all the way to claim his maiden major accolade on the top flight.

Earlier in the year he scooped his first ranking title on the Players Championship circuit, and towards the end of it he successfully defended the World Youth Championship.

4. Michael van Gerwen

The second-most decorated player in PDC history - only behind Phil Taylor - van Gerwen does not enjoy the dominance or consistency he once had, but he still stars at the end of major events on a regular basis and is capable of those signature moments of magic.

The three-time world champion managed to string it all together as he returned to the top step of the podium in 2025 with an emotional title victory at the World Series of Darts Finals on home soil in the Netherlands. Earlier in the year he produced a nine-dart finish on his way to winning a European Tour event in Germany.

MVG - who for seven consecutive years was the world number one - still has time on his side to add to his bulging trophy collection, but with a new wave of young talent coming through it may boil down to how badly he wants it.

3. Gerwyn Price

Former World Champion and world number one Gerwyn Price appears to have his mojo back on the big stage after recovering from a run of poor form, and the Welshman is once again one of the hot favourites for all the sport's major titles.

‘The Iceman’ finished top of the 2025 Pro Tour order of merit having won four Players Championship events on the floor, and a stop on the European Tour in Germany.

The three-time Grand Slam champion also claimed a World Series event in Poland and was only a leg away from completing a hat-trick of World Cup glories for his nation.

2. Luke Humphries

Luke Humphries’ career accelerated at a rapid pace after landing his first major trophy at the 2023 World Grand Prix as he quickly racked up several more TV title wins in a short space of time.

During this remarkable golden spell, Humphries reached the top of the world rankings and held darts' two biggest titles concurrently - the World Championship and the World Matchplay.

'Cool Hand' relinquished his world title at the end of 2024 but bounced back immediately by winning the subsequent 2025 World Masters. A few months later, Humphries completed darts' 'Triple Crown' when he secured his maiden Premier League title.

1. Luke Littler

Since bursting into the limelight as a 16-year-old when he reached the 2023/24 World Championship final on his debut, Luke Littler has won a conveyor belt of trophies on tour - wowing crowds with his generational talent and helping take darts to new levels of stardom.

Within just two years of turning professional, the wonderkid from Warrington has won almost every major title available to him and scaled the mountain to become the world number one.

A BBC Sports Personality of the Year runner-up, Littler is already a member of the career Triple Crown club, ticking the final box at the World Matchplay over the summer just months after becoming the sport’s youngest-ever world champion at the start of 2025.

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