After Luke Littler lifted the Premier League trophy for a second time last night, we went straight to the Supercomputer and asked it to predict next season’s line-up.
The Nuke managed to fend off Luke Humphries for the second time in three years to become a two-time winner of the tournament. His 11-10 victory culminated in an emotional interview in which the young man struggled to compose himself.
But talk now moves onto next season’s tournament, about who will keep their place, who should be looking over their shoulder, and who has a chance of powering their way into contention.
Premier League Darts 2027 Predicted Line-Up
The obvious selections for next year’s edition are the two Lukes. Littler is guaranteed a pick as the reigning Premier League champion, and Humphries is still one of the sport’s two defining players.
The next two players that the Supercomputer believes will hold their positions in the league are Jonny Clayton and Gerwyn Price.
Clayton had a hugely successful tournament this year, with four nightly wins and another finals night appearance, and is currently fifth in the PDC rankings thanks in part to a very consistent season.
Fellow Welsh thrower Gerwyn Price, meanwhile, has re-established himself as a consistent Premier League player throughout this season, and once again made the O2 Arena.
Gian van Veen looks likely to keep his position next year after a relatively strong debut season. The Dutchman was unlucky to miss out on the top four and a place at the O2, but the PDC see him as a big part of the next generation, and that’s why the Supercomputer is backing him to keep his spot next year.
Another who the PDC see as a vital cog in the future of the sport is Josh Rock, despite him finishing bottom of the pack this time around and without a nightly win. They see him as having an enormous ceiling and, unless something catastrophic happens, will allow him to bounce back from his underwhelming debut season.
It was another successful Premier League for Luke Littler, who took home big money after also securing six nightly wins.
So they are the six players that the Supercomputer sees as locks for next season, but who will take the final two places?
Now, the first person that the Supercomputer thinks should be wary of their place is that of Stephen Bunting. The Scouser has been underperforming this season. However, his saving grace may be that he is hugely popular with crowds and is seen as commercially valuable, which the Supercomputer thinks should save him.
The last place in the Premier League is going to, according to the Supercomputer, Nathan Aspinall! Which means, for the first time since 2012, there will be no Michael van Gerwen gracing our television screens on a weekly basis.
Michael van Gerwen Axed by Supercomputer For 2027 Season
Speaking about its prediction to axe Van Gerwen for Aspinall, the Supercomputer said: “The PDC likes proven entertainers who thrive in the roadshow atmosphere, and Aspinall’s absence in 2026 felt temporary more than terminal. If he has a decent back half of 2026, he’s probably back in.
“For Van Gerwen, if his 2026 struggles continue, the PDC may finally move on after 14 straight appearances.”
So there you have it, the Supercomputer thinks next season’s Premier League will look relatively similar to this season’s, but there will be no room for Van Gerwen, who will be replaced by fan-favourite Aspinall.
There were some honourable mentions thrown out by the Supercomputer as well, with the likes of James Wade, Danny Noppert, Ross Smith, and Chris Dobey all discussed.
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Plus, Benjamin Sesko speaks exclusively about his first season at Manchester United, and Porto manager Francesco Farioli reflects on a title-winning campaign and his growing reputation across Europe.
Marcus Rashford is facing an uncertain future as there are doubts over whether the England international will make a permanent switch to Barcelona this summer.
The Manchester United forward joined the Blaugrana last summer on a season-long loan, impressing with 14 goals and 14 assists in 49 appearances across all competitions.
The 28-year-old helped Barcelona on the way to becoming La Liga title winners, filling in on either wing in the absence of Lamine Yamal and Raphinha.
While a permanent move for Rashford appeared possible, that has since become complicated with other transfer activity, which is now creating doubt over his future at the Nou Camp.
With that in mind, Barcelona have seemingly made their final decision on signing the forward permanently.
That doesn’t stop the possibility of negotiating better terms, or perhaps even another loan deal, but it appears as though that ship may well have sailed.
According to local outlet RAC 1, Rashford isn’t in Barcelona’s plans and any possibility of a return will only happen if the club fail to land other targets in the transfer market.
With the strength of Raphinha and Yamal also in the frontline, it means there may not be room for Rashford, who may have to go back to the drawing board.
It’s a blow for the England international, who seemed to enjoy his time in Spain, as well as a conundrum for Manchester United to consider in the market.
Where Could Marcus Rashford Go Next?
There’s a new challenge for Rashford to consider this summer when it comes to his options, following an impressive showing in La Liga over the past campaign.
The winger will have to think once again about his next steps, which could include a return to Manchester United to impress under new permanent boss Michael Carrick.
Having shown plenty of quality before, and playing under a manager who will know how to get the best out of him, it’s an option that could be attractive.
The difficulty comes in the size of his deal, and whether both parties would be willing to re-open a chapter that appeared to be closed 18 months ago.
Fabrizio Romano has shared a big update on the future of Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes.
In terms of other clubs, there will no doubt be some interest in the Premier League if he wishes to stay in England, with a return to Aston Villa potentially on the cards, while any of the big clubs will at least take a cursory glance at a move.
Elsewhere in Europe there may be challenges, especially when it comes to financial power, as sides in Serie A, La Liga, Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga could find it tough to put together a competitive package.
That said, the allure of a move to somewhere new could help reduce the figures involved, but it will all be determined by what Rashford wants to do next.
For the third year on the bounce, Luke Littler and Luke Humphries locked horns in the Premier League Darts final, but this time it was The Nuke who seized the title from his rival with a nailbiting 11-10 victory.
The 19-year-old has finished top of the league standings in every tournament he has been involved in, but this year was perhaps his most turbulent yet, as the world number one suffered a slow start to the season and got himself on the wrong side of the crowd following a heated match with Gian van Veen in Manchester.
Humphries, likewise, struggled to get going this season, but a surge of strong performances late on coupled with his first and only night win on night 15 in Birmingham propped him up behind his rival once again.
The top four for finals night was rounded off by the Welsh duo of Jonny Clayton and Gerwyn Price, and the event certainly lived up to the hype with all three matches being decided by one-leg margins.
But after a climactic finale, who took home the most in earnings across the season? Below is a full breakdown of what each participant earned. Alongside the standard prize money available, any player who won a league phase night also collected an additional £10,000 bonus.
8 Josh Rock
£80,000
Selected as a wildcard for his maiden Premier League season, the Northern Irishman impressed in 2025, winning the World Cup of Darts alongside compatriot Daryl Gurney and reaching a semi-final in the World Matchplay.
His Premier League season has unfortunately been one to forget, though, as he finished bottom of the standings on eight points and no nightly wins. The 25-year-old seemed low on confidence early in the season and did not make it past the quarter-final stage until night 8 in Berlin following a 6-3 victory over Jonny Clayton.
Rock did produce one of the most memorable moments of the whole season, however, when he hit a nine-darter at his home event in Belfast and backed it up with rapturous celebrations.
7 Gian van Veen
£85,000
Coming off the back of his impressive runner-up finish at the World Championship, there were high hopes for Van Veen heading into his maiden Premier League season. However, he rounded off a poor season for the newcomers as he finished second to last in the standings, five points ahead of Rock.
Despite some strong performances, he could not get over the line to win a night, losing in Newcastle, Glasgow, Belfast, and Manchester at the final hurdle. The young Dutchman was by no means out of his depth, and pushed the top players on multiple occasions, with his most notable victory coming in Manchester, where he beat Littler in a last-leg decider.
6 Michael van Gerwen
£100,000
Van Gerwen has taken a tumble from the exemplary standards fans have held him to for so many years. The Dutchman started the season hot, winning on night one in Newcastle and reaching the final of night two in Antwerp.
The night one win would be his only one as his form then severely dropped off, with points in the next five nights only coming via a bye after Van Veen withdrew from Dublin with kidney stones.
Despite an upturn in form once more, it wasn’t enough for the seven-time Premier League champion, who finished fifth and failed to qualify for finals night for the second year in a row.
5 Stephen Bunting
£115,000
Fan-favourite Bunting was one of the more controversial wildcard picks for the Premier League, after the Englishman finished dead last in the 2025 standings and fell in a shocking third-round defeat to James Hurrell at the World Championship.
The 41-year-old struggled early on, before an impressive victory on night four in Belfast, which included a 6-0 semi-final against Jonny Clayton, who led the standings at the time.
His second win came on the final night in Sheffield, with the bonuses from his two nightly wins enough to pip Van Gerwen in the earnings charts despite finishing below the Dutchman in the league standings.
4 Gerwyn Price
£130,000
Price was having a solid 2025 season until a shocking World Championship campaign saw him fall in the second round at the hands of Wesley Plaisier.
After falling in the PDC Order of Merit, Price was one of four wildcard picks, and did that pick justice with a second Premier League finals appearance in a row.
Midway through his match with Luke Littler, Gerwyn Price was spoken to by the match referee.
The Iceman beat Van Gerwen on night two in Antwerp and Van Veen on night nine in Manchester on his way to finishing fourth, and despite a spirited comeback, he eventually lost 10-9 to Littler in the Premier League finals.
The 2021 world champion has enjoyed an illustrious career, but is still yet to add a Premier League title to his resume.
3 Jonny Clayton
£150,000
Clayton has been knocking on the door of the Premier League for a few years and was a standout performer on his first return since 2023.
The Welshman was a surprising pace setter, winning on night three in Glasgow and coupling it with multiple semi-final appearances. In fact, the 51-year-old only faced defeat six times in the quarter-final stage in a consistent campaign, with second and third nightly wins coming back-to-back in Brighton and Rotterdam.
The 2021 champion finished the season third, but was defeated in his finals semi-final in nail-biting fashion, with Humphries edging it 10-9.
2 Luke Humphries
£180,000
Reigning champion Humphries looked down and out halfway through the season and was at one point second from bottom in the standings.
Cool Hand rallied at the latter end, though, reaching the final in each of the final four nights, finishing runner-up in Aberdeen, Leeds, and Sheffield, and grabbing his sole win in Birmingham, where he defeated Gerwyn Price 6-4.
Humphries reached the final on finals night following a 10-9 victory over Clayton with the hope of becoming a Premier League champion for the second time. Instead, it was his rival and 2024 champion Littler who completed that feat with an 11-10 victory in a usually tense affair.
1 Luke Littler
£410,000
The teenage sensation has added yet another title to an illustrious resume reflecting a man with at least 30 years in the sport, not three.
Every season he has been involved in the Premier League he has finished top of the standings, including a record 45-point haul last season which ultimately ended in defeat to Humphries.
Littler met Humphries in the final for the third year in a row, but this time came out on top to regain the Premier League title, but he did not have it all his own way this season.
The conclusion of the Premier League was all too much for Luke Littler, who broke down during his post-match interview.
The 19-year-old started slowly by his standards and did not pick up his first win until night five in Cardiff. He then went on a tear until the end of the season, winning in Dublin, Berlin, Aberdeen, and Leeds, with his most notable victory coming in Liverpool, where he silenced a hostile crowd and dispatched Clayton 6-1 in the final.
A modern trailblazer in the sport, The Nuke continues to rewrite the history books and tops this year’s earnings table for another title seized from Humphries!
