Luke Littler (Photo by Taylor Lanning/PDC")
Luke Littler extended his lead at the top of the PDC Rankings Ladder following his triumph at the inaugural Poland Darts Open.
The world number one extended his total prize money across the last 24 months to a personal record £2,886,000 after scooping the £35,000 top prize in Krakow, despite not appearing at the first four Players Championship events of the year.
Littler’s total prize money after the first European Tour event of the year is the highest ever recorded on the world rankings, reflecting the 19-year-old’s dominance in the sport.
The Warrington wonderkid is the current holder of all individual ranking Premier event titles except for the European Championship, and his exploits in Poland added further fresh silverware to his cabinet.
Wessel Nijman has pocketed the most prize money since the first Players Championship event, subsequently moving up six places since the start of the year to 23rd on the world rankings.
The Dutch star reached the quarter-finals in Krakow, whilst picking up his fourth Players Championship title in Hildesheim in Event Two and finishing runner-up at Event Four.
James Wade is enjoying a stellar start to 2026, taking home the opening Players Championship title of the year to propel the omnipresent arrowsmith up from 11th to eighth.
The three-time UK Open champion reached the quarter-finals at the Winmau World Masters before claiming his 14th ProTour title in Hildesheim, whilst also reaching the semi-finals at Event Three.
Luke Humphries’ position as world number two remains firm despite Gian van Veen’s run to the final at the Poland Darts Open.
The Premier League champion finished runner-up at the World Masters before claiming his first Players Championship title since October 2024 at Event Four in Wigan to culminate in a solid start to the season.
Meanwhile, Van Veen was eliminated by Humphries at the semi-finals stage of the World Masters in Milton Keynes, and was unable to reach beyond round two of all four Players Championship events to kick off the year.
Ryan Searle has dropped from eighth to 12th on the world rankings following a mixed February, despite reaching the semi-finals at Players Championship Event Two.
The World Championship semi-finalist lost his opening matches at the World Masters and Poland Darts Open, and did not appear at Wigan for Events Three and Four of Players Championship, causing the Somerset star to fall in the rankings.
The greatest start to the year of the 29 new Tour Card Holders belongs to Adam Gawlas, whose strong start to 2026 has pushed the Czech to 90th in the world.
Gawlas – a former UK Open semi-finalist – reached the semi-final of Players Championship Event One and round two at the Poland Darts Open to secure a solid February on the tour.
The PDC Rankings Ladder comprises prize money won over a two-year period by players in PDC ranking events. –
The PDC Rankings Ladder will next be open to change this week, as the Players Championship continues in Leicester with Events Five and Six from February 24-25.
