For the first time in the tournament’s 21-year history, a Premier League Darts night will be hosted in Belgium as Antwerp’s AFAS Dome takes centre stage later this week. Although the 23,000-capacity venue is Belgium’s largest indoor sports arena, tickets were sold out months ago amidst an unprecedented rise in darts’ popularity.
The tournament consists of an initial 16-night league phase, with a mini knockout competition taking place at each of these events. As has been the case over the past few editions, eight players are participating in this year’s Premier League. Players receive points based on their nightly performance, with all scores being applied to a progressive league table. At the conclusion of the sixteenth night, the four highest-ranked players advance to the playoffs to compete for the title.
The quarter-final draw for the vast majority of Premier League nights has already been conducted. The ties are organised in a way that ensures every player will face each other at least twice throughout the tournament, so that no one gains an unfair advantage by avoiding the strongest opponents.
On Nights Eight and 16, each player’s league position determines who they will meet in the quarter-finals. Both of these nights see the players at the top and bottom ends of the table paired together on a descending scale, so first takes on eighth, second meets seventh, and so on (third vs. sixth and fourth vs. fifth).
Luke Humphries secured the revered triple crown by defeating Luke Littler in last year’s Premier League final, but may struggle to retain his title this time around. Reigning world champion Littler is currently the bookies’ clear favourite, while Gian van Veen is also fancied to mount a credible challenge for silverware.
Every nightly winner receives a tidy £10,000 bonus for their efforts, so there’s more than just Premier League points on the line on Thursday evening.
Premier League Darts Night Two: Key information
Date: Thursday, 12th February
Start time: 19:00 (CET)
Venue: AFAS Dome (also referred to as Sportpaleis), Antwerp
TV Channels/Live stream: Sky Sports (Action, Main Event, and UHDR) and PDC TV
Favourites: Luke Littler: 6/4, Gian van Veen: 9/2, Luke Humphries: 5/1 (Odds provided by bet365)
What happened in Newcastle on Night One?
The most successful player in Premier League history romped to an impressive opening night triumph, as seven-time champion Michael van Gerwen cruised through the first two rounds before edging out Gian van Veen in an all-Dutch final.
The Green Machine initially found it tough against Stephen Bunting in the quarter-finals, having fallen two legs behind early on. However, he soon launched a remarkable recovery, winning every remaining leg to record the first of two consecutive 6-2 successes. The second came courtesy of a dazzling victory over Luke Humphries, as van Gerwen capitalised on his opponent’s inability to close out legs from a commanding position. With ‘Cool Hand’ continuing to miss doubles, MvG registered a 104 check-out before delivering a knockout blow via a 114 finish on tops.
Although van Veen’s route to the showpiece was a little more arduous, it was nonetheless equally as impressive. The Giant could hardly have been handed a tougher tie on his maiden Premier League appearance, facing Luke Littler in a repeat of last month’s World Championship final. At the climactic end of a topsy-turvy contest, van Veen nailed a double 16 to break the teenager’s throw and secure a narrow 6-4 triumph. Just as he had on the opening night of last year’s Premier League series, Littler fell at the first hurdle despite recording a superior three-dart average to his opponent.
Having avenged that heartbreaking loss at the Alexandra Palace, van Veen progressed to a semi-final clash with Jonny Clayton. It seemed as if he would saunter to victory after breaking the Welshman three times during the opening exchanges, but Clayton roared back to move within touching distance of levelling the scoreline. However, the world youth champion produced a flash of brilliance in the tenth and decisive leg, reaching zero on his eleventh dart to send the Geordie audience into raptures.
The final swung one way then the other early on, as van Gerwen raced into a two-leg advantage before being pegged back to 2-2. The elder statesman then demonstrated his immense class and resilience, moving back into the lead while putting van Veen under intense pressure on his throw. Although he survived three match darts to squeeze through the ninth leg unscathed, the 23-year-old was beaten moments later when van Gerwen struck double 14 to earn his first Premier League night win since April 2024.
Elsewhere, there were quarter-final losses for debutant Josh Rock and three-time Grand Slam champion Gerwyn Price. Rock was comprehensively defeated by Jonny Clayton despite averaging more than a tonne overall, while Price missed a match dart in the last-leg decider of his thrilling contest with Luke Humphries.
Night Two: Quarter-final draw
The clash between England teammates Luke Littler and Luke Humphries is undoubtedly the pick of the opening round ties, but there is plenty of intrigue surrounding the other three matches. Josh Rock will hope youth trumps experience when he stands toe-to-toe with Michael van Gerwen, while the same goes for Gian van Veen in his meeting with the wily Gerwyn Price. After suffering a sobering defeat to van Gerwen in Newcastle, Stephen Bunting - who some believe is undeserved of his place in this year's Premier League - faces the unenviable task of playing against an in-form Jonny Clayton.
Here is the full quarter-final draw for Thursday night’s meeting in Antwerp:
1. Luke Littler vs Luke Humphries
2. Michael van Gerwen vs Josh Rock
3. Jonny Clayton vs Stephen Bunting
4. Gerwyn Price vs Gian van Veen
As the draw is split into two halves, the potential semi-final ties have already been mapped out. The winners of QF1 (Littler vs. Humphries) and QF2 (van Gerwen vs. Rock) will meet in the next round, while the second semi-final involves the victors of the two other ties.
Where to watch on TV or live stream?
Every minute of the 2026 Premier League Darts campaign - including May’s playoffs at the O2 Arena - will be televised on Sky Sports, the United Kingdom’s main broadcaster of PDC tournaments.
Live coverage of this week’s meeting in Antwerp is being shown on Sky Sports Action and Sky Sports Main Event, with coverage commencing at the earlier-than-normal time of 19:00 CET. Those with a premium subscription package can enjoy an enhanced viewing experience over on Sky Sports UHDR.
The event is also being streamed on the PDC TV app, which is available to download on various electronic devices. It costs £59.99 per year (or £5.99 per month) to subscribe to PDC TV, but this price includes early access to tournament tickets and various other in-app features.
Premier League Darts Night Two odds
To win Night Two:
Luke Littler: 6/4
Gian van Veen: 9/2
Luke Humphries: 5/1
Gerwyn Price: 7/1
Josh Rock: 9/1
Michael van Gerwen: 9/1
Jonny Clayton: 12/1
Stephen Bunting: 20/1
(The odds, correct at the time of publication, are subject to change. All odds provided by bet365.)