PDC Order of Merit 2026 — Live Rankings, How It Works & Full Guide
The Order of Merit is how darts decides who's the best. It's not based on opinions or fan votes — it's based on cold, hard prize money. Win more, rank higher. Here's the current top 32, how the system works, and why it matters.
What Is the PDC Order of Merit?
The PDC Order of Merit is the official ranking system in professional darts. It's beautifully simple — players are ranked by how much prize money they've won in PDC ranking events over the last two years. Win more money, rank higher. No complicated formulas, no subjective opinions.
It's basically a leaderboard that tracks every pound every professional darts player has earned. And it matters a lot because it determines:
- Tournament seedings — higher rank = better draw. You don't want to face Luke Littler in the first round
- World Championship qualification — top 32 get an automatic ticket to Ally Pally
- Premier League selection — only the elite get invited
- World Matchplay qualification — top 16 are in automatically
- Grand Slam of Darts — ranking determines who gets the nod
- European Tour seedings — affects draws in every European event
Unlike most sports rankings, the PDC Order of Merit is based entirely on prize money — not points. That makes it one of the most transparent ranking systems in sport. You can see exactly how much every player has earned and exactly why they're ranked where they are. No mystery, no debate.
Current PDC Order of Merit — Top 32 Rankings
These are the 32 best-paid darts players on the planet right now. Being in this list means you're automatically in at the World Championship at Alexandra Palace. Drop below 32nd and you're fighting through qualifiers.
| Rank | Player | Country | Prize Money (2yr) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luke Littler |  England | £2,929,500 |
| 2 | Luke Humphries | England | £1,183,000 |
| 3 | Gian van Veen |  Netherlands | £923,750 |
| 4 | Michael van Gerwen | Netherlands | £702,250 |
| 5 | Jonny Clayton |  Wales | £665,750 |
| 6 | James Wade | England | £652,500 |
| 7 | Josh Rock |  N. Ireland | £640,250 |
| 8 | Gerwyn Price | Wales | £625,750 |
| 9 | Danny Noppert | Netherlands | £591,500 |
| 10 | Stephen Bunting | England | £584,250 |
| 11 | Gary Anderson |  Scotland | £573,750 |
| 12 | Chris Dobey | England | £557,500 |
| 13 | Ryan Searle | England | £556,750 |
| 14 | Nathan Aspinall | England | £513,250 |
| 15 | Ross Smith | England | £478,000 |
| 16 | Wessel Nijman | Netherlands | £472,250 |
| 17 | Jermaine Wattimena | Netherlands | £455,000 |
| 18 | Martin Schindler |  Germany | £447,250 |
| 19 | Mike De Decker |  Belgium | £418,250 |
| 20 | Luke Woodhouse | England | £417,750 |
| 21 | Damon Heta |  Australia | £405,000 |
| 22 | Krzysztof Ratajski |  Poland | £375,250 |
| 23 | Rob Cross | England | £372,750 |
| 24 | Daryl Gurney | N. Ireland | £366,500 |
| 25 | Dave Chisnall | England | £361,500 |
| 26 | Ryan Joyce | England | £353,750 |
| 27 | Dirk van Duijvenbode | Netherlands | £337,250 |
| 28 | Andrew Gilding | England | £336,750 |
| 29 | Cameron Menzies | Scotland | £331,250 |
| 30 | Ritchie Edhouse | England | £311,000 |
| 31 | Michael Smith | England | £310,500 |
| 32 | Peter Wright | England | £296,500 |
The prize money column shows the total earned in PDC ranking events over the last two years. Not career earnings — just the rolling two-year window. Money from events older than two years has already dropped off. Look at that gap between 1st and 2nd — Littler is nearly £1.8 million clear. That's how dominant he's been.
How the PDC Order of Merit Works
The system is refreshingly simple compared to most sports rankings. No algorithms, no weighting formulas, no panel decisions. Here's how it works:
Win money, climb the ranking
Every pound you win in a PDC ranking event goes straight onto your Order of Merit total. No conversion, no multipliers. Win £500,000? That's exactly what appears on your ranking. What you see is what they earned.
It covers a rolling two-year window
Only prize money from the last two years counts. Anything older than that drops off. This means you can't win a World Championship, put your feet up for two years and stay at the top. You need to keep performing or your ranking slides.
Money drops off event by event
Prize money doesn't all disappear at once. It drops off when the same event happens two years later. Won £200,000 at the 2025 World Matchplay? That money falls off your ranking after the 2027 World Matchplay finishes. Event by event, not calendar date by calendar date.
Only ranking events count
Not everything a player does earns ranking money. Exhibition matches, charity events and some invitational tournaments don't count. Only official PDC ranking events contribute to the Order of Merit.
It updates after every event
The ranking refreshes after every single ranking event. During busy stretches — European Tour weekends, Players Championship double-headers — the rankings can shift multiple times in a single week. It's always moving.
Quick Example
Fast forward to the 2027 World Championship — that £500,000 drops off. Suddenly they're down to £200,000 plus whatever they've won in the meantime.
If they haven't been winning much? Their ranking plummets. If they've been consistently picking up prize money? They stay near the top. That's why consistency matters more than one-off wins.
Prize Money — How Much Each Event Is Worth
Not all events are created equal. The big televised majors pay massively more than floor events, which is why one good run at the World Championship can change your ranking overnight. Here's what each level of event is worth:
Major Televised Events
| Event | Winner | Runner-Up | Total Prize Fund |
|---|---|---|---|
| World Championship | £500,000 | £200,000 | £2,500,000 |
| Premier League | £275,000 | £125,000 | £1,000,000 |
| World Matchplay | £200,000 | £100,000 | £800,000 |
| World Grand Prix | £120,000 | £60,000 | £600,000 |
| Grand Slam of Darts | £150,000 | £70,000 | £650,000 |
| Players Championship Finals | £100,000 | £50,000 | £500,000 |
European Tour & ProTour Events
| Event Type | Winner | Runner-Up | Total Prize Fund |
|---|---|---|---|
| European Tour | £30,000 | £12,000 | £175,000 |
| Players Championship | £15,000 | £6,500 | £75,000 |
The World Championship winner takes home £500,000. To earn that same amount on the Players Championship circuit, you'd need to win over 30 events. One deep run at Ally Pally over Christmas is worth more than an entire year of floor event grinding. That's why the Worlds has the single biggest impact on the Order of Merit — and why every player treats it as the most important fortnight of their career.
How Players Qualify for Major Events
Your Order of Merit ranking directly determines which events you get into. Here's the breakdown for each major tournament:
| Event | Auto-Qualify | Other Routes In |
|---|---|---|
| World Championship | Top 32 OoM | ProTour OoM, International Qualifiers, Prelim Rounds |
| Premier League | Invitation only | Based on ranking + profile + TV appeal |
| World Matchplay | Top 16 OoM | ProTour OoM fills remaining spots |
| World Grand Prix | Top 16 OoM | ProTour OoM + Qualifiers |
| Grand Slam | Invited based on ranking | Major winners + Qualifiers |
| European Tour | Top 16 seeded | Tour card holders + Host nation qualifiers |
The Two-Year Rolling Period — Why It Matters
This is the bit that confuses people and the bit that makes the Order of Merit genuinely interesting. The two-year window means nobody is safe. Here's how it plays out:
When Does Money Drop Off?
Prize money drops off when the same event takes place two years later. Not on an exact date — it's tied to the event itself.
| Money Won At | Drops Off After |
|---|---|
| 2025 World Championship (Jan 2025) | 2027 World Championship (Jan 2027) |
| 2025 World Matchplay (Jul 2025) | 2027 World Matchplay (Jul 2027) |
| 2025 Players Champ 1 (Feb 2025) | 2027 Players Champ 1 (Feb 2027) |
| 2026 Premier League (Feb-May 2026) | 2028 Premier League (Feb-May 2028) |
Why This Creates Drama
Rankings can collapse overnight
If you won the World Championship two years ago but haven't done much since, you're about to lose £500,000 from your ranking in one go. That can drop you 10, 15, even 20 places. Players know exactly when it's coming and the pressure to replace that money is immense.
Young players rocket up the rankings
Someone like Luke Littler has no old money dropping off — everything he earns is new. Meanwhile, established players are constantly losing old prize money and trying to replace it. It's why young players can climb from nowhere to the top 10 in under a year.
Consistency beats one-off glory
A player who regularly makes quarter-finals and semis across dozens of events can actually outrank a one-time major winner. The system rewards players who turn up and perform week in, week out — not just those who have one brilliant tournament and disappear.
Every event becomes a deadline
Players know exactly when money is about to fall off. If you won £200,000 at last year's World Matchplay, you know the upcoming Matchplay is effectively a £200,000 defence. Perform badly and your ranking takes a massive hit. The pressure is real and it creates brilliant drama.
Order of Merit vs World Rankings — What's the Difference?
People get confused by this. Here's the simple version:
| Feature | PDC Order of Merit | Other Ranking Systems |
|---|---|---|
| Based on | Prize money (actual £) | Points |
| Period | Rolling 2 years | Varies |
| Used by | PDC (the big one) | WDF, other organisations |
| Transparency | 100% — exact amounts shown | Varies |
| Updates | After every ranking event | Varies |
| Determines | All PDC tournament seedings | Non-PDC events |
The PDC also has a separate ProTour Order of Merit which only counts money from Players Championship and European Tour events — not televised majors. This is used as a backup qualification route for some tournaments and gives floor event specialists a path to the big stage.
When someone says "world number 1 in darts" they mean the PDC Order of Merit. The PDC is the dominant organisation in professional darts by a country mile. Their ranking is the one that matters.
Order of Merit History & Records
The PDC Order of Merit has been running since 1994. In that time, only a handful of players have held the world number 1 spot. Here's the history:
All-Time World Number 1s
| Player | Period at #1 | Notable |
|---|---|---|
| Phil Taylor | 1994-2014 (dominant) | Owned the top spot for the better part of 20 years. Untouchable |
| Michael van Gerwen | 2014-2023 (dominant) | Took over from Taylor and held it for nearly a decade |
| Gerwyn Price | 2021-2022 | First Welsh world number 1 in history |
| Luke Humphries | 2024 | Became world number 1 after winning the 2024 World Championship |
| Luke Littler | 2025-present | Youngest ever world number 1. Reached the top at just 18 |
Key Records
Longest at #1
Phil Taylor. Roughly 20 years at the top. Nobody is getting near that record. The man won 16 World Championships. It's almost unfair to even compare anyone else.
Fastest Rise
Luke Littler. Went from unranked to the top 32 in record time after his stunning 2024 World Championship run — aged just 16. Now world number 1 at 18. Unprecedented.
Highest Two-Year Total
Luke Littler currently holds the highest two-year Order of Merit total at nearly £3 million. The gap between him and second place is staggering.
Countries at #1
Only England, Netherlands and Wales have produced a PDC world number 1. That's it. Three countries in 30+ years of professional darts.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the PDC Order of Merit?
The official ranking system in professional darts. Players are ranked by prize money earned over a rolling two-year period. More money = higher rank. It determines tournament seedings, World Championship qualification and a player's world ranking.
How does the PDC Order of Merit work?
Every pound won in a PDC ranking event goes onto your total. The system covers a rolling two-year window — money drops off when the same event happens two years later. You need to keep earning to stay at the top. Stop winning and your ranking falls.
Who is number 1 in the PDC Order of Merit?
As of April 2026, Luke Littler is world number 1 with roughly £2,962,000 in ranking prize money. He's nearly £1.8 million clear of second-placed Luke Humphries. It's the most dominant lead the Order of Merit has seen in years.
What's the difference between the Order of Merit and the World Rankings?
The PDC Order of Merit is based on actual prize money — completely transparent, you can see every penny. Other organisations sometimes use points-based systems. The PDC version is the most recognised ranking in darts and the one everyone refers to.
How often does it update?
After every PDC ranking event. During busy periods with European Tour and Players Championship weekends, that can be multiple times a week. The rankings are always shifting.
How do players qualify for the World Championship?
Top 32 on the Order of Merit qualify automatically for Ally Pally. That's the target every player is aiming for. The remaining spots go to ProTour Order of Merit qualifiers, international qualifiers and preliminary round winners. 96 players compete in total.
What events count towards the Order of Merit?
All PDC ranking events — World Championship, Premier League, World Matchplay, World Grand Prix, Grand Slam, Players Championship events, European Tour and World Series Finals. Exhibition matches and invitational events don't count.
How long does prize money stay on the ranking?
Exactly two years. It drops off when the same event happens again two years later. Win £100,000 at the 2025 World Matchplay? That falls off after the 2027 World Matchplay. Two years to enjoy it, then you've got to replace it.
Can a player lose their ranking?
They can't lose it entirely — everyone who has a tour card has some kind of ranking. But it can drop dramatically if old prize money falls off and they haven't replaced it. A World Championship winner can drop 20+ places two years later if they haven't been performing. The system is ruthless like that.
What is the ProTour Order of Merit?
A separate ranking that only counts Players Championship and European Tour prize money — not televised majors. It's used as a backup qualification route for some events. It rewards the grinders who turn up to every floor event and consistently perform, even if they haven't won a major.
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