Michael van Gerwen has cast doubt on any imminent changes to the Premier League Darts format, despite growing criticism from players and fans. Speaking on the podcast Darts Draait Door alongside Damian Vlottes and Vincent van der Voort, the seven-time Premier League winner, who missed the play-offs for the second consecutive year, admitted he does not expect the format to be overhauled. “We can talk about it forever; I don’t think they’ll change it anyway,” Van Gerwen said.
Van Gerwen finished sixth in the 2026 Premier League table, a result he appeared unfazed by. “I wasn’t really thinking about that at all. Whether you finish fifth or sixth… it’s all the same,” he said. He did not spare himself in his analysis, acknowledging his performances fell short. “I didn’t perform well enough for many weeks. Sometimes I sold myself short. That put unnecessary pressure on me. At some point you pay the price for that, it’s as simple as that.” Vincent van der Voort described missing the top four as “not worthy of Van Gerwen,” to which Van Gerwen responded, “Yeah, that’s just not good enough.”
The overcrowded darts calendar was cited as a factor in Van Gerwen’s inconsistency. “It’s a mega-long season. It’s intense. You have to show up every week. Of course my focus is mainly on the ranking tournaments. Those are ultimately the most important tournaments,” he explained, indirectly admitting the Premier League is no longer his absolute priority. Van der Voort noted that Van Gerwen is not alone in feeling fatigued, adding, “You have supporters, but I think there are more people against it than for it. Players are a bit done with it.” Van Gerwen agreed, pointing to Gian van Veen’s experience: “Gian played for the first time and even he says: ‘After a few weeks you’ve seen enough.’ That says something about the format.”
Despite the criticism, Van Gerwen does not foresee major changes soon. When asked about behind-the-scenes talks, he joked, “If you hear something behind the scenes, I’ll probably hear it too,” before adding, “There will always be talks, but I haven’t heard anything yet.” Van der Voort believes commercial interests are key: “As long as those arenas are sold out and the viewing figures are good, they won’t change it very quickly.” Van Gerwen chimed in, “The Premier League is sold out before the players are even known.”
With the Premier League behind him, Van Gerwen is now focusing on the second half of the season, particularly the World Matchplay. “From September it has to happen. If you hit your flow, you can do a lot of damage in a short time,” he said. Van der Voort sees opportunity at the Matchplay: “From the moment you get back from holiday, you have to build towards the Matchplay. You can land a mega-result there too. You can see it’s still in him, so I think that’s the moment.” Van Gerwen, who recently expressed frustration after a defeat to Ross Smith, said, “I’ve had several tournaments this year where I thought: how am I throwing this away again? Then you just make it incredibly difficult for yourself.” He remains confident in his ability: “I actually have that feeling at every tournament. You just have to finish the job.”
Van Gerwen is now looking forward to a holiday with his children. “I’m going on holiday with my kids. Just a nice break together,” he said, declining to reveal the destination. “Those kids just need the attention for a bit. So you have to make time for that.”
