Michael van Gerwen has dropped to tenth in the latest PDC Order of Merit following another disappointing European Tour campaign, with Gary Anderson moving above the three-time world champion in the rankings. The Dutchman is now just £3,000 ahead of Nathan Aspinall, leaving his place among the world's top ten increasingly vulnerable heading into the final months of 2026.

The conclusion of the European Tour season in Maastricht has brought several changes to the world rankings, with Danny Noppert climbing above Josh Rock, Ross Smith moving into 14th and Dutch Darts Championship winner Niels Zonneveld reaching a career-high position.

Meanwhile, Luke Littler retains his commanding advantage at world number one, although the gap between Luke Humphries and Gian van Veen in second and third remains extremely narrow ahead of the European Championship in Dortmund.

Niels Zonneveld claimed a surprise victory at the Dutch Darts Championship

Van Gerwen drops to tenth as Anderson moves ahead

Van Gerwen's struggles on the European Tour continued at the Dutch Darts Championship, where he suffered a 6-5 defeat to William O'Connor in his opening match.

The three-time world champion was eliminated by a spectacular 121 checkout on the bullseye, leaving him without a victory in his final three European Tour appearances of 2026.

That early exit has seen Van Gerwen fall one place to tenth on the PDC Order of Merit, with Anderson moving above him into ninth.

The Scot now sits on £591,750 in ranking prize money, compared to Van Gerwen's £587,500. With Aspinall immediately behind on £584,500, the former world number one has just £3,000 separating him from a drop outside the top ten.

It represents another setback for a player who spent years dominating the world rankings, with Van Gerwen now facing the prospect of slipping outside the elite group as the season approaches its conclusion.

Littler dominates as Humphries and Van Veen remain closely matched

At the top of the rankings, Littler continues to hold an enormous advantage over his nearest challengers. The reigning world champion sits comfortably at number one with £3,113,500 in ranking prize money, more than £2 million ahead of second-placed Humphries.

The battle immediately behind Littler remains considerably tighter. Humphries holds second place with £1,062,500, while Van Veen is third on £1,045,750. Just £16,750 separates the pair, who have exchanged positions in the rankings throughout 2026.

Gerwyn Price remains fourth with £787,000, followed by Jonny Clayton in fifth and James Wade in sixth. Noppert has moved up to seventh after reaching the Dutch Darts Championship final, overtaking Rock, who did not compete in Maastricht.

The former UK Open champion defeated Dave Chisnall, Jermaine Wattimena, Luke Woodhouse and Van Veen on his way to the final, producing a particularly impressive 113.42 average against Woodhouse in the quarter-finals.

However, his wait for a maiden European Tour title continues after an 8-5 defeat to Zonneveld, marking his fifth loss in as many European Tour finals. Noppert nevertheless climbs to £623,500 in ranking prize money, moving £17,000 ahead of Rock and within £57,750 of sixth-placed Wade.

Ross Smith climbs as Zonneveld reaches career high

Ross Smith has also gained ground after completing an outstanding European Tour season. The Englishman finished top of the 2026 European Tour Order of Merit, collecting £158,000 across a campaign featuring two titles and two runner-up finishes.

Smith rises one position to 14th on the main PDC Order of Merit, overtaking Ryan Searle. With £572,250 in ranking prize money, he sits just £4,000 behind Stephen Bunting in 13th and £5,000 behind Wessel Nijman in 12th.

Meanwhile, Zonneveld has been rewarded for his sensational triumph in Maastricht with a career-high world ranking. The 28-year-old claimed his maiden PDC ranking title after defeating Mike De Decker, Krzysztof Ratajski, Gerwyn Price, Wessel Nijman and Bunting before beating Noppert 8-5 in the final.

His breakthrough European Tour success earned him £35,000 in prize money and lifted him one place to 28th in the world rankings, with £316,750 in ranking earnings. Zonneveld moves above Daryl Gurney and further strengthens his position inside the world's top 32.

O'Connor breaks into world's top 32 as European Championship places are decided

William O'Connor is another player celebrating a significant rankings milestone following his performances in Maastricht. The Irishman has entered the world's top 32 for the first time in his career, climbing one position to 32nd after his run at the Dutch Darts Championship.

His standout performance came against Van Gerwen, when he produced checkouts of 136, 131 and 121 to defeat the former world number one in front of his home supporters. O'Connor now heads to Dortmund for the European Championship, where he faces world number one Littler in the opening round.

Elsewhere, Karel Sedlacek climbs two places to 44th, moving above five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld, who drops to 45th. The Czech player also secured European Championship qualification through the European Tour Order of Merit, claiming one of the final places at the expense of Kim Huybrechts.

Huybrechts endured a painful end to his qualifying campaign in Maastricht, missing four match darts against Jimmy van Schie before eventually losing 6-5. That defeat cost him a place in Dortmund, while the Belgian also drops four positions to 55th in the main world rankings.

Jeffrey de Graaf climbs two places to 41st, while Cameron Menzies moves up to 25th at the expense of Kevin Doets.

With the European Tour season complete, the European Championship provides the next opportunity for ranking movement. Van Gerwen enters that stage of the calendar with his top-ten position under immediate pressure, while Humphries and Van Veen remain separated by less than £17,000 in the continuing battle for world number two.

PDC Order of Merit