This year, too, the Premier League Darts is on again – without German participation. SPORT1 expert Robert Marijanovic would have wished for more courage in the selection of participants.
The Premier League Darts 2026 (LIVE on Free-TV and Stream) starts on Thursday in Newcastle. According to SPORT1 expert Robert Marijanovic, Martin Schindler would also have deserved a chance at the oche there.
“I would have simply wished for a bit more courage to take a risk. I also saw Martin Schindler in that gap,” he said on the first matchday of Madhouse – The SPORT1 Darts Show during the discussion about this year’s eight participants.
Martin Schindler is currently 15th in the world rankings
In addition to the top four in the world rankings (Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, Gian van Veen, and Michael van Gerwen) who are seeded, four wildcards were added. These went to Josh Rock, Jonny Clayton, Gerwyn Price, and Stephen Bunting. Last year’s participants Nathan Aspinall, Chris Dobey, and Rob Cross are no longer included.
Marijanovic: “That would have been a brave move for me”
As world number 15, the first German player in the top 15 of the PDC Order of Merit, and with two tournament victories in 2025, Schindler would probably have been a hot candidate as the figurehead of the large German darts market, had the Darts World Championship gone better for him.
Despite Schindler’s third-round exit against eventual semi-finalist Ryan Searle, Marijanovic would have argued for an invitation for Schindler: “I know many will now say that his World Championship performance wasn’t top-notch. But that would have been a brave move for me.”
Marijanovic also noted in the same breath that the nomination for the event has not paid off for everyone: “The Premier League can promote careers, but it has also destroyed careers.”