Players Championship 33-34 Preview: Dates & Format
The PDC ProTour floor season reaches its decisive final double-header on November 4 and 5, when Players Championship 33 and 34 take place at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester. After the European Championship in Dortmund and the Den Bosch double-header, these are the last two ranking events of the year where Tour Card holders can still change their fate. This Players Championship 33-34 preview covers the dates, venue, format, prize money and the race for Minehead.
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Everything converges in Leicester: the final field for the Players Championship Finals at Minehead will be locked in, the last golden tickets for the Grand Slam of Darts decided, and World Darts Championship seedings taking their final shape. Two days, 256 entries, one last roll of the dice.
The Basics: Dates, Venue and Format
Players Championship 33 is played on Wednesday November 4 and Players Championship 34 follows on Thursday November 5, both at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester. The entry deadline for both events is Wednesday October 28 at 2pm.
Each event is a straight knockout played over legs. Every match is best of 11 legs, with no seeds and no second chances — which is exactly why floor events are the most unpredictable corner of the PDC calendar. One inspired session from an unknown qualifier can knock out a world champion before lunch.
Each tournament carries a £150,000 prize fund. The winner pockets £15,000, the runner-up £10,000 and the losing semi-finalists £6,500, while even a single first-round victory banks £1,250. In a season where every pound counts toward qualification, that money matters as much as the silverware.
What’s at Stake: The Race for Minehead
The headline prize in Leicester is qualification for the Players Championship Finals, which take place at Butlins in Minehead from November 27 to 29. Only the top 64 on the Players Championship Order of Merit make the cut, and this is the last edition of the tournament ever played with a 64-player field — from 2027 it expands to 128 players in a multi-board format.
That makes this year’s Minehead a piece of history, and the battle for the final spots has been running all season. The cut-off is expected to climb beyond £30,000 once all 34 events are complete, so players on the bubble have no margin for error. A deep run in Leicester can vault a player into Minehead; an early exit can end the season. And with the Den Bosch double-header on October 28-29 coming first, the qualification picture on the eve of Players Championship 33 could look very different from today.
The Littler Question
No discussion of the ProTour race is complete without the strangest storyline of the season. Luke Littler, the world number one and defending Players Championship Finals champion, sat out the floor circuit almost entirely in 2026. Of the 34 events, he appeared at just two — Players Championship 27 and 28 — before withdrawing from the following double-header.
That leaves him 126th on the Players Championship Order of Merit with £10,500, while Mike De Decker occupies the final qualifying place in 64th with £29,250. The maths is brutal: with only two events left, the world champion is nearly £19,000 short of the mark as it stands, and every rival around the cut-off will be banking money too.
The numbers say it is possible. Winning one Leicester event would lift him to £25,500, and winning both would take him to £40,500 — clear of today’s cut-off. But with the rest of the field also adding prize money, he would realistically need at least one final appearance and probably a title to stand a chance.
The bigger question is whether he even turns up. Speaking on the Love The Darts podcast, Matt Edgar suggested Littler is unlikely to make the trip to Leicester after missing the World Youth Championship final. If the world champion stays home, one of the great “what if” stories of the season ends before the last dart is thrown.
Players to Watch at the Bubble
While the headline act may or may not appear, the real drama will be around the 64th-place cut-off. Michael Smith, Gary Anderson, Nathan Aspinall and Josh Rock have all spent time hovering near or below the provisional qualifying places, and none of them can afford a quiet double-header in Leicester.
Then there are the floor specialists. Wessel Nijman has been the standout of the entire ProTour campaign, racking up three Players Championship titles and building a commanding lead at the top of the Order of Merit. Players like him arrive in Leicester with their Minehead place secure but their seedings still to fight for, and a top-16 seeding means a much kinder draw at Butlins.
Keep an eye, too, on the PDPA associate members filling the field when Tour Card holders withdraw. Floor events are where unknown names become overnight stories, and every year someone from nowhere reaches a semi-final and changes their career.
How to Watch Players Championship 33-34
All the action from both days is streamed live on PDCTV, the PDC’s official streaming service, with four boards covered throughout each event. Play gets underway at 1pm UK time.
Floor events are streamed with single-camera coverage on the outer boards and enhanced production on the main streaming boards — the rawest, most unfiltered darts you can watch. Live scoring is also available ball-by-ball through the PDC’s official channels.
Players Championship 33-34 Preview: Frequently Asked Questions
When are Players Championship 33 and 34?
Players Championship 33 is on Wednesday November 4 and Players Championship 34 is on Thursday November 5, 2026, both at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester.
What is the format?
Both events are straight 128-player knockouts played in legs, with every match best of 11 legs. There is no seeding and no group stage.
How much prize money is on offer?
Each event has a £150,000 prize fund. The winner takes £15,000, the runner-up £10,000, losing semi-finalists £6,500, and a first-round win is worth £1,250.
How do players qualify for the Players Championship Finals?
The top 64 players on the Players Championship Order of Merit — which counts only prize money earned at the 34 Players Championship events — qualify for the Players Championship Finals at Minehead from November 27 to 29.
Can Luke Littler still qualify for Minehead?
Mathematically, yes. He sits 126th with £10,500 while the final qualifying place is around £29,250. He would likely need to win or reach the final of at least one Leicester event — but only if he actually enters, which remains in doubt.
How can I watch the action?
Live streaming of all four main boards on both days is available through PDCTV, with play usually starting at 1pm UK time. Live scores are also available through the PDC’s official channels.
Conclusion
Players Championship 33 and 34 might not have the television cameras or the walk-ons of a major, but they carry more consequence for more players than almost anything else on the calendar. Minehead places are decided here, World Championship seeds are shaped here, and careers are made here — all in a Leicester sports hall, played out in front of a handful of spectators and a camera on each board.
Whether the world champion turns up or not, the drama is guaranteed. The season does not slow down after Leicester either: the Grand Slam qualifier follows on November 6, the Grand Slam itself runs November 14-22, and then comes the season-ending double of the Players Championship Finals at Minehead and the World Championship at Alexandra Palace. The floor season ends in Leicester — and it rarely ends quietly.
