The four best-placed players according to the PDC Order of Merit were already assured of participation in the Premier League Darts. World champion Luke Humphries, the new number 1 in the world, missed out on an invitation last year, but will make his debut at the invitational tournament on February 1. Van Gerwen, outgoing world champion Michael Smith and Nathan Aspinall were already assured of participation based on the ranking.
The other four participants were chosen by the PDC. Not only on the basis of qualities, entertainment value was also taken into account. Gerwyn Price, Rob Cross, Peter Wright and Luke Littler were the lucky ones in the end. The latter is ‘only’ number 31 in the world, but his selection for the Premier League should not be called a surprise. The fairy tale of the 16-year-old crowd favorite was the story at the last World Cup, where he only lost to an unleashed Humphries in the final.
Van Gerwen became the record holder last year with seven victories. He shared the record with six-time winner Phil Taylor, who was present at all editions until his darts retirement in 2018. At the time, the format looked different and five matches took place in one evening, with the winner earning 2 points and a draw earning 1 point. Since 2022, there has been a play-off every evening and therefore also a winner of the day. After sixteen rounds of play, the best four players qualify for the final evening in London. Van Gerwen was too strong for Aspinall in the final last year.
The Premier League Darts 2024 starts on Thursday, February 1 in Cardiff. The darts tournament will take place in Rotterdam on Thursday, April 18.
• Matchday 1: Cardiff, February 1
• Matchday 2: Berlin, February 8
• Matchday 3: Glasgow, February 15
• Matchday 4: Newcastle, February 22
• Matchday 5: Exeter, February 29
• Matchday 6: Brighton, March 7
• Matchday 7: Nottingham, March 14
• Matchday 8: Dublin, March 21
• Matchday 9: Belfast, March 28
• Matchday 10: Manchester, April 4
• Matchday 11: Birmingham, April 11
• Matchday 12: Rotterdam, April 18
• Matchday 13: Liverpool, April 25
• Matchday 14: Aberdeen, May 2
• Matchday 15: Leeds, May 9
• Matchday 16: Sheffield, May 16
• Final night: London, May 23