James Wade opened his 2026 Players Championship campaign in style, edging Nathan Aspinall 8–6 in the final at Hildesheim to claim the season’s first title. The 42-year-old, nicknamed The Machine, had to dig deep throughout the day, most notably surviving a tense 7–6 semi-final against Michael van Gerwen before producing a composed display to overcome Aspinall in the decider.
After showing significant progress in 2025, Wade is aiming to turn this year into his strongest on the PDC circuit. The Players Championship series offers him a crucial pathway to ranking points and prize money that count toward qualification for the sport’s marquee events.
One of the standout stories from the tournament was Jack Tweddell’s impressive run. Ranked 98th in the world, Tweddell took full advantage of the open nature of the Players Championship, which features the top 128 players across 34 events. He beat Adam Paxton, Dimitri Van den Bergh, Greg Ritchie and Stefan Bellmont before bowing out 3–1 to Van Gerwen in the quarter-finals. Fresh from winning his second Winmau Challenge Tour title in January, the 30-year-old continues to test himself against elite opposition.
Justin Hood also made headlines after delivering a dominant second-round performance against Gian van Veen. The world No. 51, who enjoyed a breakthrough World Championship debut by reaching the quarter-finals, averaged a remarkable 108.50 in a crushing 6–1 win. Hood had earlier beaten Danny Noppert and Josh Rock before eventually losing to Gary Anderson in the last eight, underlining his growing status among the PDC’s top contenders.
In contrast, Peter Wright endured another difficult outing. Once world No. 1 after lifting his second World Championship title in 2022, the Scot has struggled badly in recent years and has not gone beyond the quarter-finals of a televised ranking event in over two seasons. His troubles continued in Hildesheim, where he averaged just 77.6 in a heavy 6–1 first-round defeat to Mensur Suljovic. With calls for retirement growing louder, the 55-year-old now faces mounting questions about his future in the sport.
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