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Ross Smith, now a two-time winner of the European Championship, believes he ‘definitely’ deserves a place in the 2027 Premier League, but which of his rivals could stand in the way?
Smith joined four all-time darts icons in Michael van Gerwen, Phil Taylor, Rob Cross and Peter Wright in a club of multi-European Championship winners, after he defeated Martin Schindler 11-8 in Dortmund on Sunday.
The Englishman has now moved to a career-high ranking of world No. 6 in the PDC Order of Merit; ahead of his potential Premier League debut, which the Englishman believes he ‘definitely’ deserves, who out of his rivals poses the greatest threat to Smith’s selection claim?
When asked after his victory versus Schindler whether he deserves to be selected for the 2027 Premier League, the 37-year-old confessed: "Yes. At the moment, definitely.
“At the end of the year, who knows? There's another three majors to come; it depends on what other players do. Right now, of course I do. I've won two majors.
“I've finished No. 1 on the Order of Merit in Europe and I've won a couple of Euro Tours. I feel like I do but, again, I'm not the one who picks it!"
Smith, who has won two European Tour and two Players Championship titles this season, battled past Luke Woodhouse, averaging 107, in the European Championship’s quarter-finals, then edged out Gerwyn Price in an 11-7 semi-final contest.
Should he prevail at the Grand Slam of Darts next month, with the Englishman playing at a career-best level, then Smith would move into the world’s top-four, ahead of the World Darts Championship in December.
Between those two events is the Players Championship Finals in Minehead; at all three remaining darts majors, Smith will have the opportunity to pick up crucial ranking points ahead of the 2027 Premier League selection.
"I believe I can beat anybody,” confessed the Englishman, speaking on the Love The Darts Podcast. “But I'm also realistic enough that, if I don't turn up, I'm going to get done as well. You don't win three majors with no confidence and things like that.
"I'd like to go a bit higher [in the rankings], I'm not going to lie. I've just got to knuckle down; there's many more majors coming up. Let's push forward and let's get in that top-four.
"It would be amazing to be in the top-four. It's not the be all and end all for me but obviously, as a player, I want to go as high as I can. I'm feeling really good. I definitely feel like one of the elite players - why wouldn't I?" concluded Smith.
At the time of writing, the PDC have not indicated that the 2027 Premier League will change its format ahead of the 17-city event.
PDC founder and former chairman Barry Hearn, also the president of Matchroom Sport, said in July that his “gut feeling is at least one more year with the same format, then we’ll have to see.”
Should the format remain identical, Smith would either need to realise his ambitions of making into the darts top-four, or force the PDC to offer him an invitation.
The 37-year-old is in the form of his life, and one of the strongest bets outside of the top-four to play Premier League darts in 2027, but the Englishman will face competition from four rivals.
One of darts’ all-time greatest players, Michael van Gerwen, is now at his lowest position, 13th, in the PDC Order of Merit since 2012, as fans question whether the Dutchman has lost his edge.
Van Gerwen has now lost five consecutive matches, suffering a round 32 defeat at his home Dutch Darts Championship, and losing 6-3 to fellow countryman Kevin Doets, also in the round of 32, at the European Championship.
With fans expressing frustration over seeing the same players face off in the Premier League yearly, and rumours that Van Gerwen is dealing with private life problems, the Dutchman’s selection claim is at a 14-year low.
All criticism directed at Van Gerwen is purely sporting scrutiny; as things stand, there is no indication that the PDC have opted to drop the Dutchman from their 2027 selection.
Conversely, James Wade, another all-time darts legend, is enjoying a career resurgence in 2026, playing at close to the Englishman’s very best.
This year, Wade reached the semi-finals of the World Grand Prix for the first time since 2014, and took home his first World Series title at the Australian Darts Masters in August.
However, in comparison with Smith, his resume in 2026 is still lacking, despite claiming victory in 14 of his previous 16 matches.
However, the Englishman’s 2026 resume in comparison with that of Smith is lacking, despite claiming victory in 14 of his last 18 matches.
Two of those four losses arrived in October, in Wade’s last two darts outings, falling to Damon Heta at the European Championship and Dirk van Duijvenbode in the Swiss Darts Trophy.
Both losses were incredibly close 6-5 contests; in September, the 43-year-old won his first Euro Tour title in a decade with the Flanders Darts Trophy.
While Wade’s case for 2027 Premier League selection is strong, it is unlikely to threaten Smith’s claim, who has surely impressed the PDC more than his fellow countryman in 2026.
Both players are outside shouts when the discussion turns to 2027 Premier League selection; however, with three majors yet to be played in 2026, anything is possible.
Bunting currently sits in ninth in the PDC Order of Merit, while Schindler, who fell to Smith in the final in Dortmund, has risen to 20th.
The former has won six of his last 10 matches, and made it to the semi-finals of the Dutch Darts Championship in October, while the latter has claimed victory in six of his previous nine.
Schindler’s case in particular for 2027 Premier League selection also requires more evidence. Should he perform strongly at the Grand Slam of Darts, World Championship Finals, and the Players Championship Finals, his odds would increase.
The darts season is not over, and there’s many crucial ranking points up for grabs between now and the 2027 Premier League.
Also, the format for the event has not yet been confirmed, meaning that any predicted line-up is purely speculation, with fans theorising that the typical eight-man list could become a ten-man selection.
Should the format stay the same, with the top-four being automatically selected, and a further four receiving PDC invites for 2027 Premier League, this is SPORTbible’s predicted line-up.
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