While Luke Littler continues his meteoric rise, dominating televised majors and living up to unparalleled expectations, a less-publicized phenomenon is unfolding on the PDC Pro Tour. Wessel Nijman is having an astonishing year, consistently winning events and rapidly climbing the rankings, potentially outperforming even Littler in sheer consistent tournament victories. This article explores their contrasting paths to success and asks: who is truly having the more impactful 2026 season?
Luke Littler: The Reigning Star’s Strategic Ascent
Luke Littler, the darts prodigy who captured the world’s attention, has continued his extraordinary form into 2026. After retaining his world title in January, he swiftly added the Winmau World Masters trophy to his collection. A successful UK Open defence followed in March, along with a victory at the inaugural Poland Darts Open. These triumphs cemented his status as a player who appears almost untouchable.
A Shift in Focus: Prioritizing the Big Stage
As the demanding schedule of weekly Premier League nights intensified, Littler began making strategic decisions about his tournament participation. He has largely avoided the PDC Pro Tour and has yet to compete in a single Players Championship event this year. This deliberate choice allows him to focus on the high-profile Premier League and major televised tournaments.
- He skipped ET2 and suffered a rare third-round exit at ET3 in Belgium, and hasn’t appeared on the European Tour since.
- Crucially, skipping Players Championship events could jeopardise his eligibility to defend the Players Championship Finals title he won in 2025.
His Premier League journey, after a slow start, has seen him climb to the top of the table ahead of the London finals. This significant upturn in form almost perfectly coincides with his decision to step back from the relentless grind of the Pro Tour.
As a fascinating consequence of this approach, that defeat to Niels Zonneveld remains “The Nuke’s” only loss in a ranking event all year. His current record stands at an incredible 21 wins from 22 matches. Many of Littler’s Premier League rivals, including Luke Humphries, Gian van Veen, and Stephen Bunting, have adopted similar strategies, prioritizing major events over the weekly Pro Tour grind.
Wessel Nijman: The Unstoppable Pro Tour Dominator
While Littler shines on the biggest stages, Wessel Nijman has been rewriting the record books on the PDC Pro Tour. The Dutchman’s stranglehold on the one-year Order of Merit has been nothing short of startling. He is rapidly approaching double the Pro Tour earnings of any other player in 2026 – a level of dominance typically associated with the world’s top players.
A Season of Unprecedented Wins
Nijman’s success is built on an incredible run of victories:
- Five Players Championship wins: PC2, PC8, PC10, PC12, and PC14.
- A maiden European Tour title: ET2.
This phenomenal performance has catapulted the 25-year-old into the world’s top 16, despite having limited success in televised majors, which usually account for the bulk of professional prize money. His streak of 34 wins from 37 Players Championship matches is truly unheard of!
To put this achievement into perspective, the last player to win five PDC Players Championship events in a calendar year was Michael van Gerwen during his legendary 2016 season – widely considered one of the greatest individual campaigns in PDC history. Nijman has already equalled this by May. Phil Taylor’s record of eight PC wins in a year, set before the PDC Tour Card era, might even be within his reach.
Nijman began 2026 with the simple ambition of breaking into the world’s top 16. Having achieved this by late April, he is now recalibrating his goals. While televised majors are the obvious next frontier, he remains committed to the Pro Tour events that have dramatically transformed his career. He is no longer seen as merely a “promising future star” but is now positioned alongside established names like former Premier League regulars Nathan Aspinall and Chris Dobey.
The Tale of Two Trajectories: Expectation vs. Surprise
Both Luke Littler and Wessel Nijman are enjoying exceptional years in 2026, but their narratives are fundamentally different.
- Luke Littler’s year deserves nothing but admiration. World Champion, Masters champion, UK Open champion, Premier League contender. He is, without question, the best player in the world, and he proves it week after week. However, Littler carries the immense weight of towering expectation. Meeting these expectations, however brilliantly, is simply what is required of him.
- Wessel Nijman operates under no such burden. He started 2026 as an outsider to the top 16 conversation and has since redefined every projection placed upon him. He isn’t just scraping through tournaments; he is winning them with a consistency that borders on the predictable. As observers, it’s often clear who the winner will be long before the final darts are thrown.
Ultimately, that is what separates these two compelling stories. Littler is living up to his extraordinary billing, a feat that is far from small given his status. But Nijman is exceeding his expectations at a pace that suggests his best is still to come. In a year where both players have been truly exceptional, only one has delivered a genuine surprise, captivating the darts world with an unexpected, dominant ascent.
Source: Based on an article from Darts Planet TV.
