Gary Anderson among three darts stars to make Players Championship Finals decision in surprise move

Gary Anderson is one of the headline absentees from the Players Championship 31 and 32 entry list - and it could well speak volumes about his plans for the rest of 2026.

The two-time PDC world champion did not compete at the European Championship over the weekend in Dortmund, having not collected enough ranking points on the European Tour in 2026 to qualify.

He is by no means guaranteed to qualify for the Players Championship Finals in Minehead in November either, as he sits in 62nd place in the year-to-date Order of Merit in Players Championship events. With only 64 players qualifying for Minehead, and Anderson only £1,000 in prize money ahead of 65th-placed Mario Vandenbogaerde, his chances of getting there are rapidly reducing. But he isn't the only one in that position.

Eight top 16 players join Gary Anderson in withdrawing from PC31 & 32

Luke Littler, Stephen Bunting, Luke Humphries, Jonny Clayton, Ross Smith, Gerwyn Price and Ryan Searle have joined Anderson in opting not to play in Players Championship 31 and 32 in Den Bosch, Netherlands.

All of those players are effectively guaranteed their spot in Minehead except for Littler, who indicated he would not try to qualify, and Price, who should be safe as long as he enters the final two events and picks up at least some additional ranking points.

All the above also competed in the European Championship in Dortmund, with the quick turn-around to travel to Den Bosch, Netherlands, likely to be a factor in some of those withdrawals.

But the outlier among the top 16 absentees is world number eight Josh Rock, who enjoyed a strong European Tour campaign to finish 10th on the Order of Merit before reaching the last 16 of the European Championship.

Josh Rock's participation in the Players Championship Finals is looking increasingly doubtful (Image: Getty)

That form is in stark contrast to his performances on the ProTour, though. The Northern Irishman has pulled out of a number of Players Championship events but, when he has played on the floor, hasn't enjoyed significant success. He sits 76th in the Order of Merit for the PC Finals, with £26,000 to his name - £3,250 off the qualification spots before the next two events.

If Rock is intending to attempt to qualify for Minehead, he will need to enter Players Championship 33 and 34, and have a deep run in at least one of those events, to stand any chance.

The same goes for Ryan Joyce, who sits 86th in the Order of Merit and is comfortably below the ranking points needed to qualify. 'Relentless' would need something rivalling the form of his life in the final two events - if he enters - to make it to Minehead, having pulled out of this week's tournaments.

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Gary Anderson explains darts absence

Anderson now operates on a part-time schedule, and regularly snubs Players Championship and European Tour events due to the amount of travel involved. The Scot even said he would have rejected a Premier League invite for 2026 if he was offered it; the PDC chose not to invite him.

Whether he does launch one more attempt at qualifying for the Grand Slam of Darts - one of his favourite events - remains to be seen. He would make it to the Grand Slam by winning one of the final two Players Championship events, which would in turn book his spot at Minehead as well.

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"If I don't make it, I don't make it," Anderson told Online Darts last week when asked about reaching the Grand Slam. "It's all on my own shoulders. I've not been going to a lot this season. But I can't be in two places at once, it's as simple as that.

"I think Barry [Hearn] has got different ideas about darts players, that they should be there. But unfortunately, I've got a life to live, and I've got a family to look after. It's hard to mingle the two together. So I've just got to keep plodding away.

"It would be fantastic to do them, but I couldn't sit on a flight to Australia now. It's bad enough sitting in a car for a few hours - I can't get out of the thing! Now? Let the youngsters do it."