Ross Smith has won two major titles in 2026, added four more trophies across the European Tour and Pro Tour, and climbed to a career-high sixth in the world rankings. Michael van Gerwen, meanwhile, has fallen to 13th, suffered another early European Championship exit and faces the prospect of beginning 2027 outside the world's top 20. Yet when the PDC selects its next Premier League line-up, the Dutchman could still be the safer bet for an invitation.

With Smith's latest triumph in Dortmund adding another major title to an increasingly compelling case, the contrast between the two players sparked a particularly lively discussion on the latest DartsNews Podcast. Kieran Wood, Nicolas Gayer and Samuel Gill questioned whether the PDC could reasonably continue favouring Van Gerwen's reputation when so many of his rivals are producing stronger results.

"Van Gerwen could throw rocks all year and you'd still put him in, in my view, because he's such a big name," Gill argued.

There is a growing list of contenders making that decision uncomfortable. Luke Littler, Gian van Veen and Luke Humphries appear almost certain to feature, while Gerwyn Price, Jonny Clayton, James Wade and Smith have built formidable cases of their own. All seven currently occupy the top seven positions in the world rankings, leaving Van Gerwen, at least in the podcast's assessment, fighting for the final available place.

With the Grand Slam of Darts, Players Championship Finals and World Championship still to come, there is time for the picture to change. But Smith's European Championship victory has intensified a question the PDC may eventually be forced to confront: just how much is Van Gerwen's star power worth when others have the results to justify selection?

Ross Smith's remarkable 2026 makes Premier League omission increasingly difficult to justify

Smith's return to Dortmund ended with a familiar sight. Four years after winning his maiden major title at the Westfalenhalle, the Englishman reclaimed the European Championship with an 11-8 victory over Martin Schindler, denying the German a historic triumph in front of his home supporters.

It was Smith's third career major title and his second in little more than six weeks, following September's World Series of Darts Finals success. He had already claimed two European Tour titles and two Players Championship victories during 2026, arriving in Dortmund as the tournament's number one seed.

After victories over Karel Sedlacek, Damon Heta and Luke Woodhouse, Smith recovered from 4-1 down to defeat Gerwyn Price 11-7 in the semi-finals before holding off Schindler's comeback in the final. The £150,000 winner's prize lifted him eight places to sixth in the PDC Order of Merit, the highest ranking of his career.

DartsNews senior reporter Samuel Gill had backed Smith before the tournament and was quick to remind his colleagues of that prediction. "I told you so on that one," he laughed. "I felt like Chris Mason picking Ross Smith as the number one seed for this tournament. But I just had a feeling in the back of my mind.

"I think he will get into the Premier League next year, and he's doing as much as he can to stake his claim. He's just brilliant. He's very consistent. The only tournament where he hasn't really been consistent was the World Grand Prix, and he was unwell before the tournament anyway. He was very close to pulling out. He was in hospital."

There is now a realistic possibility that Smith could secure his Premier League debut without relying on a discretionary invitation. Under the established selection system, the top four players following the World Championship receive automatic places, with the remaining four selected by the PDC. Smith sits less than £12,000 behind fifth-placed Clayton and £115,000 behind Price in fourth, with relatively little prize money to defend at Alexandra Palace.

"He's not defending basically anything at the World Championship," Wood noted. "So if he has a deep run at Ally Pally, he could get into the top four and then force his way in, basically."

Smith still has opportunities to close that gap before the World Championship, and another substantial ranking run could significantly strengthen his position. Even if he remains outside the automatic qualification places, his record across 2026 leaves little room to question his credentials.

That consistency became a point of contention when Gayer raised the possibility of Schindler earning a Premier League invitation had he completed his Dortmund fairytale by winning the title.

The competition's German venue would make a home representative commercially attractive, but Gill argued that a single outstanding run should not outweigh a prolonged period of success.

"They need to do it over a prolonged period," he said. "You can't really put someone like Schindler in, who is less consistent and might just have had one good run. If Ross Smith is being considered, especially given that he's won multiple European Tours this season as well as winning majors, it's a non-starter for me."

Schindler's Premier League prospects may therefore remain a longer-term ambition, but the same question of sustained performance presents a far more uncomfortable problem when Van Gerwen enters the conversation.

"Would you even put Michael van Gerwen in?"

Van Gerwen's latest European Championship campaign ended in the opening round, Kevin Doets defeating his fellow Dutchman 6-3 in Dortmund. The result contributed to his fall to world number 13, his lowest position since 2012, and continued a difficult run that has left his once-automatic place among darts' leading players increasingly uncertain.

His Premier League performances offer little reassurance. The record seven-time champion finished seventh in the 2026 table, failing to qualify for Finals Night for the second consecutive season.

"Would you even put Michael van Gerwen in the Premier League at this point?" Gill asked. "He's now out of the top ten for the first time in 14 years. Would you even put him in, especially considering you're still deciding whether or not to put Ross Smith in it, in the view of some people? James Wade even, who's had a fantastic year. Does Van Gerwen get in? I don't know."

Van Gerwen's standing within darts, however, has always extended beyond ranking positions and recent results. The three-time world champion has been a Premier League fixture since 2013, winning the competition seven times and becoming one of its biggest commercial attractions. His presence has helped define the event for more than a decade, and Gill acknowledged how difficult it would be to overlook somebody with such an established connection to the tournament.

"It's a bit like putting Barney in the Premier League later on in his career," Gill explained, referencing Raymond van Barneveld. "I'm not saying Van Gerwen's at that point. I don't think he's anywhere near finishing. But you're clouded by the fact that he's such a megastar in this sport.

"It'd be like if Gary Anderson said he wanted to play the Premier League tomorrow. You'd have a decision to make whether or not to put Gary Anderson in because he's such a big name. It's the same with Van Gerwen."

Gill's attachment to the Dutchman was personal, having grown up watching him become one of the sport's defining figures alongside Phil Taylor. But a competition featuring Littler and Humphries no longer necessarily depends on the same established stars to draw enormous audiences.

Wood questioned whether Van Gerwen's recent Premier League record justified retaining him when others were delivering better results both in ranking tournaments and in the weekly competition itself. "Do you think the Premier League needs something like that at the moment when you have the likes of Littler and Humphries?" he asked.

"Van Gerwen hasn't been great in the Premier League either for quite some time. He hasn't reached the play-offs for the past few years. While you've had players like Clayton, who has shown he can produce in this format time and time again. He's won the title, and he's always a question mark every year," answered Gill.

Clayton finished second in the 2026 Premier League table and reached Finals Night, while Price also qualified for the play-offs. Both Welshmen have since strengthened their claims through their wider performances, with Price reaching three consecutive major finals. "Gerwyn Price is not a doubt, probably for the first time in quite a few years," he added.

Smith's two major victories and Wade's continued consistency leave the selectors with a crowded field of established candidates. Van Gerwen's past achievements remain unmatched by most of them, but the argument based on what he is producing now has become considerably harder to make.

Seven Premier League places already spoken for?

Gayer believes the first seven places could already be effectively accounted for. "I think seven Premier League spots are already taken by the players who are actually in the top seven of the world right now," he argued. "Ross Smith has moved up to number six and James Wade sits in seventh now. I think those seven players should definitely be in."

The seven names are Littler, Van Veen, Humphries, Price, Clayton, Smith and Wade. Their positions are not guaranteed, with only the final post-World Championship top four qualifying automatically, but their combined achievements make them difficult candidates to disregard.

Gayer was particularly sceptical about whether Van Gerwen still possesses the commercial importance that once made his inclusion almost automatic. "In my opinion, I wouldn't put Van Gerwen in right now," he said. "I also think the Premier League doesn't need Michael van Gerwen that much anymore. I don't think that effect on the PDC is that big anymore, because of course you have Van Veen for the Dutch audience."

Van Veen's emergence as world number two offers the competition another leading Dutch representative. Littler's popularity has also transformed the sport's commercial landscape, while Humphries remains one of its most successful and recognisable figures.

Rock, Bunting, Nijman and Aspinall: Who can deny Van Gerwen the final spot?

But Van Gerwen is not competing against the seven players alone. His more immediate concern is the possibility of somebody outside that group producing an irresistible case for the eighth position.

"What's missing right now to really heat up that discussion is another, an eighth player to really make that case for the Premier League," Gayer explained. "And I don't think you have that right now."

Josh Rock, Stephen Bunting, Nathan Aspinall and Wessel Nijman are among the most obvious challengers, with all four occupying positions above Van Gerwen in the world rankings following Dortmund.

Rock sits eighth in the Order of Merit but finished bottom of his debut Premier League campaign in 2026. Bunting, ninth in the world, finished fifth in this year's competition and remains a popular figure with darts audiences, although his major results have not established an overwhelming argument for another invitation.

Aspinall is tenth, bringing the experience of previous Premier League appearances and major success, while Nijman sits 12th after a remarkable season that has yielded eight titles. The latter's difficulty has been translating his prolific results away from the biggest stages into comparable achievements in televised majors.

Gayer was unconvinced by their claims. "I don't think Josh Rock should be in again. I don't think Stephen Bunting should be near the Premier League. I don't think Nathan Aspinall has done enough. Danny Noppert couldn't back it up this year, so shouldn't be near the Premier League either.

"Wessel Nijman has won eight titles and just cannot do anything on the TV stage. So he's not a Premier League player yet. That's the big thing. That eighth player is missing right now."

That absence could prove crucial. While Van Gerwen's recent results are increasingly difficult to defend, Rock, Bunting, Aspinall and Nijman all have questions of their own to answer before January. "Right now, I would say seven players, and Michael van Gerwen will get in because there's no real argument for any eighth player," Gayer predicted.

It is a considerably weaker endorsement than Van Gerwen has been accustomed to receiving throughout his career, based more on the uncertainty surrounding the alternatives than confidence in his own performances.

Yet Gayer also warned against treating the current picture as final. "Right now, we are at the end of October. If you talk about this again on the third of January, the end of October will feel like ages ago. There's so much to go and so much to happen."

A breakthrough at the Grand Slam or Players Championship Finals, followed by a strong World Championship, could transform the prospects of any of the contenders. Van Gerwen himself has the opportunity to re-establish his case through results, rather than relying on the absence of a more convincing alternative.

Would another Premier League campaign even help Van Gerwen?

Van Gerwen's potential selection also raises questions about the direction of his career beyond January. With significant ranking money to defend at the World Championship, the Dutchman could begin 2027 outside the world's top 20, potentially losing the automatic European Tour entry privileges he enjoyed during his years of dominance.

That would leave him facing a demanding combination of qualifying events, Players Championship tournaments and European Tour appearances, alongside the weekly Premier League and any World Series invitations he receives.

Gill questioned whether another Premier League campaign might make the task of rebuilding his ranking more difficult. "He will have to qualify for European Tours, which is a bonkers thing to think in itself, as someone who was the imperious European Tour winner," he said. "He won them for fun for years and is a record holder on the European Tour."

"Then he would have to fly to the Premier League, wherever that is, do media before the Premier League, play the Premier League, then likely play on the Friday at the European Tour because he will be a qualifier," he continued. "Sure, he might be playing a bit more, which might be good for his rankings, but him falling out of the top 20 is kind of a disaster because he would have that Premier League workload as well."

A year away from the competition would remove much of that additional travel and media work, leaving Van Gerwen freer to concentrate on rebuilding his position through ranking events.

Wood suggested that the disappointment of being overlooked could also provide motivation. "I think mentally for Van Gerwen, being left out could be a good thing as well," he said. "It could give him a reason to really have that fire and get back to his best, to prove people wrong.

"Almost to say to the PDC, 'What, you're going to leave me out? Me, Michael van Gerwen? You're going to leave me out of the Premier League?' Then he'll have that extra fire in his belly to prove why he is one of the greatest players of all time, and that he's not done yet."

Gayer offered a different possibility. Playing more regularly, rather than less, could help Van Gerwen rediscover the rhythm and consistency that once made him so formidable.

"I think it all comes down to Michael van Gerwen's hunger," he explained. "If he's up for it, and if he really decides to knuckle down from the beginning of 2027, I think this could be good for his career again because he will play so much darts. He'll really get into that rhythm again and eventually that could be good for his game. But that's the only way to do it."

"If he decides to play the Premier League, gets invited of course, and then decides to play the EuroTour qualifiers, the EuroTour on Fridays and the Pro Tours, he has to do it with 100% dedication," he added. "If there's only one per cent missing in that dedication, I think it could all go even more downhill from there."

Gill noted that changes to qualification for the European Championship and Players Championship Finals could ease some of those demands, potentially reducing the number of Pro Tour tournaments Van Gerwen would need to contest once his places were secure.

The Dutchman's former dominance also makes it difficult for those who have followed his career to contemplate a Premier League without him. "I hope he's in the Premier League next year," Gill admitted. "As someone who's grown up with him and watched him, it would be sad. It's hard to keep him out of the Premier League as a darts fan in general because he is such a huge name. But do you just give him the year off and say, 'Here's to next year'? Who knows?"

The PDC has previously identified achievements, form, experience and player profile among its considerations when awarding Premier League invitations. Van Gerwen's record and reputation still give him considerable strength in some of those areas, even as his rivals build increasingly persuasive cases through their results.

For Smith, there is an opportunity to settle the matter on the board. A sufficiently successful finish to the ranking season could lift him into the world's top four, removing any need for the PDC to award him a wildcard.

For Van Gerwen, the challenge is more precarious. If one of Rock, Bunting, Aspinall or Nijman produces a major breakthrough before January, the final available position could become much harder to defend. His own results over the remaining tournaments will determine whether the PDC is weighing the claims of a resurgent champion or deciding how far his extraordinary reputation should still carry him.