Stephen Bunting is set to make his return to the Premier League for the first time in 10 years, earning a spot as one of four wildcard selections for darts’ premier roadshow event.
Joining him in the wildcard category are Gerwyn Price, Nathan Aspinall, and Chris Dobey, rounding out the eight-player line-up for the 2025 competition.
The Premier League begins on February 6 in Belfast.
These four join the automatically qualified top four players on the PDC Order of Merit: newly-crowned world champion and reigning Premier League champion Luke Littler, world No.1 Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen, and Rob Cross.
Bunting, ranked No.5, is the highest-ranked player outside the automatic qualifiers.
His remarkable 2024 season, highlighted by a semi-final run at the World Darts Championship and a second-place finish on the PDC Players Championship, makes him a worthy inclusion.
Chris Dobey, nicknamed “Hollywood,” also had an impressive year, reaching the World Darts Championship semi-finals before losing to van Gerwen and securing three Players Championship titles in 2024.
The Class of 2025 🎓
Luke Humphries, Luke Littler, Michael van Gerwen, Rob Cross, Stephen Bunting, Gerwyn Price, Chris Dobey and Nathan Aspinall
All kicking off in Belfast on Feb 6… Let’s go ✅
👉 https://t.co/C8DHdQrRUB pic.twitter.com/ZnrMJVwpt1
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) January 6, 2025
📰 Table Of Contents
Premier League Line-Up for 2025
The full roster for the 2025 Premier League includes:
- Luke Humphries
- Luke Littler
- Michael van Gerwen
- Rob Cross
- Stephen Bunting
- Gerwyn Price
- Chris Dobey
- Nathan Aspinall
Several big names missed out on selection this year, including world No.6 Dave Chisnall, 2023 world champion Michael Smith, and 2021 Premier League champion Jonny Clayton.
Former world champions Peter Wright and Gary Anderson were also left out, with Wright missing the Premier League for the first time since 2013.
Mike De Decker, the reigning World Grand Prix champion, became the first player in history to miss a Premier League spot after winning that title.
Addressing these decisions, PDC Chief Executive Matt Porter said: “Obviously with Price, Dobey, and Aspinall, there are players above them in the rankings who haven’t been selected, but we have looked at it in terms of big stage presence, popularity, and the way they can get a 10,000-person crowd every Thursday going.
“We want people on the edge of their seats. We want people up and enjoying their darts. That isn’t to say other players can’t do that. You have to make decisions on who is right at the time.”
The Premier League follows a knockout format, with each event featuring an eight-player bracket.
Across the first seven weeks, each player will face every other competitor once in the opening round. The matchups repeat in weeks 9-15, while the week 8 and week 16 fixtures are based on league standings.
The 2025 @BetMGMUK Premier League is upon us… 🙌
Here’s the eight stars who will battle it out for the 2025 Premier League title 🏆
👉 https://t.co/C8DHdQrk53 pic.twitter.com/TbWqE28ETu
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) January 6, 2025
After 16 weeks, the top four players in the league standings will advance to the semi-finals and final, held at The O2 in London.
The semi-finals are contested in a best-of-19-leg format, with the final played over 21 legs.
2025 Premier League schedule
Here’s the full schedule for this year’s Premier League:
- Night 1: The SSE Arena, Belfast – Thursday, February 6
- Night 2: OVO Hydro, Glasgow – Thursday, February 13
- Night 3: 3Arena, Dublin – Thursday, February 20
- Night 4: Westpoint Exeter – Thursday, February 27
- Night 5: The Brighton Centre – Thursday, March 6
- Night 6: Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham – Thursday, March 13
- Night 7: Utilita Arena, Cardiff – Thursday, March 20
- Night 8: Utilita Arena, Newcastle – Thursday, March 27
- Night 9: Uber Arena, Berlin – Thursday, April 3
- Night 10: AO Arena, Manchester – Thursday, April 10
- Night 11: Rotterdam Ahoy, Rotterdam – Thursday, April 17
- Night 12: M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool – Thursday, April 24
- Night 13: Utilita Arena, Birmingham – Thursday, May 1
- Night 14: First Direct Arena, Leeds – Thursday, May 8
- Night 15: P&J Live, Aberdeen – Thursday, May 15
- Night 16: Utilita Arena, Sheffield – Thursday, May 22
- Play-Offs: The O2, London – Thursday, May 29
