Van Gerwen and Humphries clash as Price and Clayton headline on home soil
On Thursday evening, March 5, 2026, the fifth night of the 2026 Premier League Darts takes place in Cardiff, Wales. The Welsh crowd will have plenty to cheer for, with Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton both competing on home soil in what promises to be an electric night of darts.
The Premier League continues with its familiar mini-tournament format. Each night features a knockout bracket consisting of quarter-finals, semi-finals, and a final, with players earning points based on how far they progress.
The nightly winner earns five points and a £10,000 bonus, while the runner-up receives three points. Losing semi-finalists collect two points each, and players eliminated in the quarter-finals leave empty-handed. After 16 weeks of competition, the top four players in the standings will advance to the play-offs at the end of May, where the Premier League champion will be crowned.
Cardiff has produced three different nightly winners since the format was introduced. In 2023, Gerwyn Price thrilled the home crowd by beating Nathan Aspinall in the final. In 2024, Price reached the final again but lost to Michael Smith. Last year, reigning world champion Luke Littler took the title with a 6–4 victory over Michael van Gerwen.
Cardiff Night Five Schedule
| Time | Player 1 | v | Player 2 | Round |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8:15 PM | Michael van Gerwen | vs | Luke Humphries | Quarter-final |
| 8:45 PM | Gian van Veen | vs | Jonny Clayton | Quarter-final |
| 9:15 PM | Gerwyn Price | vs | Stephen Bunting | Quarter-final |
| 9:45 PM | Luke Littler | vs | Josh Rock | Quarter-final |
Michael van Gerwen vs Luke Humphries
The night opens with a blockbuster clash between Michael van Gerwen and Luke Humphries.
Van Gerwen made an excellent start to his 2026 Premier League campaign, winning the opening night and reaching another final the following week to quickly accumulate eight points. However, the Dutchman missed Night 3 in Glasgow due to illness and therefore added nothing to his tally. Last week in Belfast he returned but was not yet at full strength, losing narrowly to Gerwyn Price in the quarter-finals.
Despite those setbacks, “Mighty Mike” still sits third in the standings, highlighting how strong his early form was.
Humphries, meanwhile, has had a much slower start to the season. The defending champion has collected four points so far and is still searching for his first nightly final of the campaign. He lost to Van Gerwen in the semi-finals on Night 1 and then exited in the quarter-finals against Luke Littler a week later. On Night 3 he again reached the semi-finals, before Stephen Bunting knocked him out 6–4 in Belfast last week.
Even so, Humphries’ statistics suggest improvement is coming soon. “Cool Hand Luke” currently holds the highest tournament average, which indicates his performances have been stronger than his results suggest.
Head-to-head, the rivalry is incredibly tight. Across 33 meetings, Van Gerwen leads 17–16. In the Premier League specifically, however, Humphries holds the edge, winning 8 of their 11 matches, although the most recent clash went the Dutchman’s way.
Considering Humphries’ strong scoring and the motivation of facing Van Gerwen, this opening match could be a turning point for the world number two.
Prediction: Luke Humphries to win
Tip: Luke Humphries to win @1.52
Gian van Veen vs Jonny Clayton
Next up is a rematch of the Night 3 final in Glasgow, where Jonny Clayton defeated Gian van Veen to claim the title.
Both players have made impressive starts to the season, but Van Veen’s campaign has been particularly eye-catching. The Dutchman is making his Premier League debut this year and has already reached three finals in four nights. The only thing missing is a nightly victory, as he has lost all three finals so far. Nevertheless, his consistency has earned him nine points, placing him second in the standings.
The only player ahead of him is Clayton, who currently leads the table with 11 points. “The Ferret” has won his opening match on each of the first four nights, reaching the semi-finals three times and claiming the Night 3 title in Glasgow.
Playing in front of a home crowd in Cardiff could provide Clayton with an extra boost as he aims to extend his lead at the top.
Their head-to-head record offers no clear favourite. The pair have met six times, with three wins each, though Clayton won their most recent Premier League meeting.
Prediction: Gian van Veen to win
Tip: Gian van Veen to win @1.62
Gerwyn Price vs Stephen Bunting
Another Welsh favourite in action is Gerwyn Price, who faces Stephen Bunting in the third quarter-final of the night.
Price has made a solid start to the season, collecting seven points, largely thanks to his nightly victory on Night 2. Outside of that triumph, he has managed just one additional match win so far. However, Price has historically performed strongly when the Premier League visits Cardiff, which should boost his confidence in front of the home fans.
Standing in his way is Stephen Bunting, who delivered a sensational performance in Belfast last week. After failing to win a single match across the first three nights, “The Bullet” exploded into form on Night 4, producing two averages above 106 on his way to the final. There he defeated Gian van Veen 6–2 to secure his first nightly victory of the season.
The key question now is whether Bunting can maintain that level consistently.
Historically, Price has the upper hand. In 23 previous meetings, Price has won 14, while Bunting has won nine. Interestingly, in the Premier League itself Bunting leads 2–1 from their three encounters.
Prediction: Gerwyn Price to win
Tip: Gerwyn Price win @1.50
Luke Littler vs Josh Rock
The final quarter-final sees Luke Littler take on Josh Rock, with both players currently occupying the bottom two places in the table.
For Littler, that position is particularly surprising. The reigning world champion has endured a difficult start to the season and is yet to reach a final. He lost his opening match on Nights 1 and 4 and was defeated by Van Gerwen in the semi-finals on Night 2.
On Night 3 he benefited from Van Gerwen’s withdrawal due to illness, which automatically placed him in the semi-finals and gave him two points, but he still lost heavily 6–1 to Jonny Clayton.
As a result, “The Nuke” sits seventh with four points, far below expectations.
Prediction: Luke Littler to win
Tip: Luke Littler @1.28
Things are arguably even tougher for Josh Rock. The Northern Irish debutant entered the Premier League full of confidence but has yet to collect a single point after four nights.
His one bright moment came last week in Belfast when he produced a nine-darter in front of his home crowd, even though he still lost the match to Gian van Veen.
The head-to-head record heavily favours Littler. In five previous meetings, Rock has never beaten him. However, given both players’ struggles this season, Rock might see this match as a genuine opportunity to finally get off the mark.
And who knows — Cardiff could be the night where the Northern Irishman finally turns his Premier League campaign around.
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