European Tour set for further expansion in 2026 with PDC calendar released

News

The PDC European Tour will visit Poland and Slovakia for the first time next year, with the PDC's 2026 calendar now released.

Classy Cullen pips Price to win Players Championship 27

ProTour

Joe Cullen took a huge step towards confirming his qualification for next month’s BOYLE Sports World Grand Prix with victory in Wednesday’s Players Championship 27.

Comeback king Price prevails at Players Championship 26

ProTour

Gerwyn Price underlined his battling qualities with a series of dramatic fightbacks to clinch his fourth Players Championship title of the year on Tuesday.

PDC Werner Rankings Ladder update following Czech Darts Open

News

Luke Humphries has extended his lead at the top of the PDC Werner Rankings Ladder after celebrating his eighth European Tour title in Prague on Sunday.

Player entries confirmed for 2025 Players Championships 26-27

ProTour

Player entries have been confirmed for this week's Players Championship double-header in Germany, as the PDC ProTour season continues in Hildesheim.

Bunting defies Clayton onslaught to win PC25 in Milton Keynes

ProTour

Stephen Bunting defied a late onslaught from Jonny Clayton to clinch his fifth title of the year in Tuesday’s Players Championship 25 in Milton Keynes.

De Graaf makes history with PC24 victory

ProTour

Jeffrey de Graaf secured his maiden PDC ranking title, defeating Stephen Bunting 8-7 in a thrilling final to claim Players Championship 24 on Monday.

Player entries confirmed for PC24-25 & World Series Finals Qualifier

ProTour

Player entries have been confirmed for next week's Players Championships 24-25 and the World Series of Darts Finals Tour Card Holder Qualifier.

Wattimena sees off Wenig to win first ranking title in Hildesheim

ProTour

Jermaine Wattimena was overcome with emotion after securing his maiden PDC ranking title with victory over Lukas Wenig in Wednesday’s Players Championship 23.

Bialecki breaks new ground with PC22 triumph

ProTour

Sebastian Bialecki claimed his maiden PDC ranking title with an 8-6 victory over Niels Zonneveld in Tuesday’s Players Championship 22 decider.

Joe Cullen took a huge step towards confirming his qualification for next month’s BOYLE Sports World Grand Prix with victory in Wednesday’s Players Championship 27.

Cullen edged out Gerwyn Price in a thrilling last-leg shoot-out to triumph in Hildesheim, as the Welshman fell just short in his bid for back-to-back titles on German soil.

However, Cullen has now put himself in a terrific position to secure a place in October’s World Grand Prix, having been outside of the provisional qualification places prior to this week’s ProTour double-header.

The Bradford-born star overcame Brendan Dolan in round one, before recording a quartet of 6-4 victories against Adam Hunt, Cameron Menzies, Robert Grundy and James Hurrell to advance to the semi-finals.

Cullen continued his charge with a comprehensive 7-1 victory over Scott Williams, which set up a winner-takes-all showdown against Price at Halle 39.

The former Masters champion seized the early initiative before Price hit back with legs of 12 and 11 darts to restore parity at two apiece, and the pendulum continued to shift throughout a compelling final.

Cullen regained his two-leg buffer with a brilliant double-double 94 finish to lead 5-3, but a resilient Price responded with another 11-darter followed by a clinical 104 kill to level at 6-6.

This was followed by successive holds of throw to set up a grandstand finish, and the advantage of throw proved pivotal for Cullen, who let out a huge roar after pinning double four to take the title.

“I’m so happy to win this title,” reflected the 36-year-old, who averaged 99.78 and landed nine 180s in Wednesday’s showpiece.

“Performances like that today just reassure me that I can play this game!

“I’m sort of an enigma to myself at the minute. I can produce darts like today, but then you’ll watch me in a few weeks and I’ll have an 81 average."

Cullen reached the final of the year’s opening Players Championship event in February, before edging out Gian van Veen to prevail at Players Championship Five in March.

Nevertheless, he had not progressed beyond the last 16 of a ranking event since then, which saw him slip to world number 29 prior to Wednesday’s action.

“I had not been working anywhere near as hard as I should have been," conceded Cullen.

“I got lazy. I wasn’t practising. This is a brutal sport and you get what you deserve in this game.

“I have been struggling for the last couple of months, but I’ve been putting the work in during the last few weeks and today I felt more comfortable.”

Cullen’s exploits denied Price a ProTour double in Hildesheim, although the Welshman extended his lead at the top of the Players Championship rankings after pocketing the £10,000 runner-up prize.

The 40-year-old conceded just six legs in wins over Tavis Dudeney, Stephen Burton, Jeffrey de Graaf and Sebastian Bialecki, which he backed up with a hard-fought win over Germany's Michael Unterbuchner in the quarter-finals.

Price then produced his performance of the day to account for Danny Noppert in the last four, averaging 104.98 and pinning all seven of his attempts at double to close out a 7-3 success.

Noppert landed a nine-dart finish on his way to the semi-finals, achieving perfection in the penultimate leg of his opening round win against Mario Vandenbogaerde.

The Dutchman was joined in the semi-finals by Scott Williams, who produced a brace of outrageous 120 checkouts (3x D20) to sweep aside Dom Taylor in round three.

Earlier in the day, Taylor averaged 103 to account for world number one Luke Humphries in round one, while Van Veen, Gary Anderson, Nathan Aspinall and Damon Heta also crashed out at the same stage of the tournament.

Drawboard