Luke Humphries lands fourth Players Championship title of 2026
Luke Humphries continued his Leicester love-affair to claim a fourth Players Championship title of the season with victory over Niels Zonneveld on Wednesday.
Humphries made it four titles in just ten Players Championship appearances in 2026 as he marked his return to competitive action in dream fashion at the Mattioli Arena.
The world number three was forced to pull out of last month’s European Championship through illness, but bounced back at the first time of asking to scoop the £15,000 top prize.
“The way I’ve been the last few weeks, it’s an unexpected win for myself,” admitted Humphries.
“It was more about coming back and seeing what my energy levels were like, because I’ve been very ill the past few weeks.
“I’ve had food poisoning and I’ve not really moved about a lot. I’ve lost a stone.
“I’d never miss a major if I could play. I was devastated. I was on a good run after winning the World Grand Prix.
“Four Players Championship wins, a Euro Tour, the World Grand Prix, a win on the World Series; I’ve done some good things this year. I think my yearly average is better than it’s ever been.
“I still want to win another major. If it’s not the Grand Slam or Players Championship Finals, then I want it to be the World Championship.
“That’s the thing I really search for now, is to try and put my name in the legacy of some of the greatest there has ever been. I am far away from that yet, so I need to try and win a lot more.”
Humphries followed up a 6-2 success over emerging star Archie Self with consecutive whitewash wins over Darius Labanauskas and Tom Bissell, averaging 106 and 110 in the process.
The World Grand Prix champion maintained his charge with back-to-back 6-2 wins over Steve Lennon and Gerwyn Price, before defying a 106.7 average from Gary Anderson to triumph in an epic semi-final.
Humphries produced a brace of 12-dart breaks to seize the initiative against Zonneveld in Wednesday’s showpiece, before capping off a classy display with an 11-dart hold to triumph with a 103.7 average.
Zonneveld – featuring in his second ranking final of 2026 – opened his challenge with a trio of 6-4 wins, which included a 107 average in a terrific encounter against Jack Aldridge.
The newly crowned Dutch Darts Champion then overcame his fellow countrymen Jeffrey de Zwaan, Dirk van Duijvenbode and Michael van Gerwen, defeating the latter 7-5 in a compelling semi-final showdown.
Van Gerwen reaffirmed his credentials with a sublime 114 average in his quarter-final whitewash of Danny Noppert, advancing to the semi-finals alongside two-time World Champion Anderson.
The Scottish icon dumped out Rob Cross, Wessel Nijman and Raymond van Barneveld in reaching the Last Four; moving him into the provisional Players Championship Finals field as a result.
Van Barneveld took a huge step towards World Championship qualification with a run to his second ProTour quarter-final of 2026.
The five-time World Champion was joined in the Last Eight by his compatriots Van Duijvenbode and Noppert, with Price completing the line-up to confirm his spot at the Players Championship Finals.
Henry Coates currently occupies the final provisional place at Minehead, having produced ton-plus averages in wins over James Wade and Mervyn King, only to succumb to Price in the Last 32.
The 20-year-old has subsequently moved into the provisional World Championship places at the expense of David Sharp, who was on the receiving end of a nine-darter in his defeat to Tommy Lishman.
The 2026 PDC ProTour season reaches its climax with Players Championship 34 on Thursday, as the Players Championship Finals race draws to a close, as well as the last chance for players to secure a place in the World Championship via the ProTour Order of Merit.
Players Championship 33 Results
Wednesday November 4
First Round
Wessel Nijman 6-2 Madars Razma
Michael Smith 6-2 Martin Schindler
Beau Greaves 6-4 Peter Wright
Alexander Merkx 6-2 Viktor Tingstrom
Rob Cross 6-4 Christian Kist
Gary Anderson 6-1 Leon Weber
Ryan Searle 6-1 Jim Long
Callan Rydz 6-3 Darryl Pilgrim
Ricky Evans 6-5 Jermaine Wattimena
Raymond van Barneveld 6-2 Adam Lipscombe
Stephen Bunting 6-4 Thomas Lovely
Daryl Gurney 6-5 Adam Warner
Greg Ritchie 6-2 Jonny Clayton
Tommy Lishman 6-4 David Sharp – *Lishman hits a nine-darter*
Cameron Menzies 6-1 Samuel Price
Tyler Thorpe 6-2 Scott Williams
Luke Woodhouse 6-1 Adam Paxton
Jeffrey De Graaf 6-1 Tavis Dudeney
Niko Springer 6-2 Filip Bereza
Shane McGuirk 6-5 Adam Gawlas
Henry Coates 6-4 James Wade
Mervyn King 6-0 Mario Vandenbogaerde
Gerwyn Price 6-2 Ryan Meikle
Thibault Tricole 6-4 Marvin Kraft
Ian White 6-4 Chris Dobey
Steve Lennon 6-1 Stefaan Henderyck
Ryan Joyce 6-5 Richard Veenstra
Wesley Plaisier 6-2 Andy Boulton
Luke Humphries 6-2 Archie Self
Darius Labanauskas 6-1 Tytus Kanik
Tom Bissell 6-1 Josh Rock
Ricardo Pietreczko 6-3 Lukas Wenig
Ross Smith 6-2 Keane Barry
Stephen Rosney 6-5 Cam Crabtree
Joe Cullen 6-2 Mike De Decker
Joe Hunt 6-0 Dimitri Van den Bergh
Patrik Williams 6-4 Damon Heta
Mickey Mansell 6-1 Sietse Lap
Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-1 Chris Landman
Jimmy van Schie 6-1 Benjamin Pratnemer
Jeffrey De Zwaan 6-3 Krzysztof Ratajski
Oskar Lukasiak 6-2 Cor Dekker
Jurjen van der Velde 6-3 Dave Chisnall
Maik Kuivenhoven 6-3 Rhys Griffin
Niels Zonneveld 6-4 Ritchie Edhouse
Jack Aldridge 6-1 Marvin van Velzen
Gabriel Clemens 6-4 Karel Sedlacek
Justin Hood 6-1 Jeffrey Sparidaans
Mensur Suljovic 6-4 Kevin Doets
Bradley Brooks 6-2 Alan Soutar
Kim Huybrechts 6-5 Carl Sneyd
Tommy Morris 6-4 Nick Kenny
William O’Connor 6-1 Tom Sykes
Derek Coulson 6-5 Stefan Bellmont
Michael van Gerwen 6-3 Martin Lukeman
Connor Scutt 6-5 Harry Ward
Danny Noppert 6-4 Stephen Burton
Max Hopp 6-2 Arno Merk
Sebastian Bialecki 6-2 Dominik Gruellich
Owen Bates 6-4 James Hurrell
Andrew Gilding 6-4 Niall Culleton
Charlie Manby 6-1 Adam Leek
Rob Owen 6-4 Cristo Reyes
Brendan Dolan 6-4 Rusty-Jake Rodriguez
Second Round
Wessel Nijman 6-2 Michael Smith
Beau Greaves 6-2 Alexander Merkx
Gary Anderson 6-3 Rob Cross
Callan Rydz 6-4 Ryan Searle
Raymond van Barneveld 6-3 Ricky Evans
Daryl Gurney 6-4 Stephen Bunting
Tommy Lishman 6-5 Greg Ritchie
Tyler Thorpe 6-5 Cameron Menzies
Luke Woodhouse 6-2 Jeffrey De Graaf
Niko Springer 6-1 Shane McGuirk
Henry Coates 6-3 Mervyn King
Gerwyn Price 6-5 Thibault Tricole
Steve Lennon 6-1 Ian White
Ryan Joyce 6-5 Wesley Plaisier
Luke Humphries 6-0 Darius Labanauskas
Tom Bissell 6-0 Ricardo Pietreczko
Ross Smith 6-2 Stephen Rosney
Joe Hunt 6-3 Joe Cullen
Mickey Mansell 6-4 Patrik Williams
Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-4 Jimmy van Schie
Jeffrey De Zwaan 6-5 Oskar Lukasiak
Jurjen van der Velde 6-4 Maik Kuivenhoven
Niels Zonneveld 6-4 Jack Aldridge
Justin Hood 6-4 Gabriel Clemens
Bradley Brooks 6-5 Mensur Suljovic
Tommy Morris 6-5 Kim Huybrechts
Derek Coulson 6-4 William O’Connor
Michael van Gerwen 6-1 Connor Scutt
Danny Noppert 6-1 Max Hopp
Sebastian Bialecki 6-2 Owen Bates
Charlie Manby 6-3 Andrew Gilding
Brendan Dolan 6-5 Rob Owen
Last 32
Wessel Nijman 6-4 Beau Greaves
Gary Anderson 6-2 Callan Rydz
Raymond van Barneveld 6-3 Daryl Gurney
Tyler Thorpe 6-2 Tommy Lishman
Luke Woodhouse 6-5 Niko Springer
Gerwyn Price 6-5 Henry Coates
Steve Lennon 6-2 Ryan Joyce
Luke Humphries 6-0 Tom Bissell
Ross Smith 6-2 Joe Hunt
Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-5 Mickey Mansell
Jeffrey De Zwaan 6-1 Jurjen van der Velde
Niels Zonneveld 6-4 Justin Hood
Tommy Morris 6-3 Bradley Brooks
Michael van Gerwen 6-2 Derek Coulson
Danny Noppert 6-4 Sebastian Bialecki
Brendan Dolan 6-3 Charlie Manby
Last 16
Gary Anderson 6-4 Wessel Nijman
Raymond van Barneveld 6-4 Tyler Thorpe
Gerwyn Price 6-2 Luke Woodhouse
Luke Humphries 6-2 Steve Lennon
Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-5 Ross Smith
Niels Zonneveld 6-1 Jeffrey De Zwaan
Michael van Gerwen 6-3 Tommy Morris
Danny Noppert 6-3 Brendan Dolan
Quarter-Finals
Gary Anderson 6-3 Raymond van Barneveld
Luke Humphries 6-2 Gerwyn Price
Niels Zonneveld 6-4 Dirk van Duijvenbode
Michael van Gerwen 6-0 Danny Noppert
Semi-Finals
Luke Humphries 7-4 Gary Anderson
Niels Zonneveld 7-5 Michael van Gerwen
Final
Luke Humphries 8-4 Niels Zonneveld
