How the PDC Order of Merit Works: The Complete Guide

What is the PDC Order of Merit?

The PDC Order of Merit (OOM) is the official world ranking for professional darts players on the PDC circuit. It is calculated purely on prize money — not wins, not match count, not averages. Every pound a player earns from an official PDC ranking event is added to their running total, and that total determines where they sit in the rankings.

Unlike some sports where rankings reset each year, the PDC Order of Merit uses a rolling two-year window. Prize money stays on your ranking for exactly two years from the date of the event, then drops off. This means a player’s ranking is always a reflection of their last two years of results — good runs from 18 months ago still count, but a World Championship win from three years ago does not.

You can check the current live standings on the PDC Order of Merit page, which updates after every ranking event.

Which Events Count Towards the Order of Merit?

Not every PDC tournament adds prize money to the Order of Merit. Only official PDC ranking events count. These fall into several categories:

Major Events (Televised)

• PDC World Darts Championship — the biggest prize fund in darts, held at Alexandra Palace each December/January
• Premier League Darts — an invitational league format running from February to May across multiple UK and European cities
• UK Open — open-draw format held in Minehead, often called “the FA Cup of Darts”
• World Matchplay — held at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool each July
• World Grand Prix — double-in, double-out format in Dublin
• European Championship — European Tour flagship event
• Grand Slam of Darts — unique mixed-format event in Wolverhampton
• Players Championship Finals — year-end ProTour championship in Minehead

ProTour Events

Players Championship events — held almost every weekend throughout the year — form the backbone of the PDC ProTour. These are non-televised one-day events open only to Tour Card holders. Despite lower individual prize funds, they collectively contribute a significant portion of the prize money that moves players up or down the Order of Merit.

European Tour

European Tour events are held across Europe and are open to Tour Card holders plus top European qualifiers. Prize money from these events counts on both the main Order of Merit and the European Tour Order of Merit, which separately determines European Championship qualification.

What Does NOT Count

Exhibition matches, charity events, and team-based events do not count. The PDC World Cup of Darts — where players compete for their nations — does not add to the Order of Merit. Nor does the Premier League bonus structure for winning legs. Only the standard prize fund from official ranking events is counted.

The Two-Year Rolling Window Explained

The rolling window is the feature of the Order of Merit that most confuses newcomers, but it is straightforward once understood.

Imagine a player wins £100,000 at the World Matchplay in July 2024. That £100,000 is added to their Order of Merit total. It stays on their ranking through July 2025, through the end of 2025, and into 2026. But after the World Matchplay 2026 is played — exactly two years later — the £100,000 drops off.

This creates a constant churn at the top of the rankings. A player who had a breakthrough year two years ago faces a “prize money cliff” as those results expire. Players who are currently in form climb, while those defending large prize pools must keep performing just to maintain their position.

On each player profile page on this site, the Recently Dropped section shows exactly which results have recently fallen off a player’s ranking, and the Upcoming Events section shows how much prize money is at risk of dropping off in the coming months.

What Does Your Order of Merit Position Determine?

Your position on the Order of Merit has significant consequences across the PDC season:

Top 32 — Major Event Seedings

The top 32 players on the Order of Merit are seeded at the PDC World Championship and most other major events. Seedings determine draw positions — higher seeds face lower-ranked opponents in the early rounds. Being seeded at Alexandra Palace is one of the most coveted positions in the sport.

Top 64 — Tour Card Retention

Finishing in the top 64 on the Order of Merit at year end is the standard threshold for retaining a PDC Tour Card. A Tour Card grants access to all Players Championship and European Tour events — the bread and butter of a professional darts career. Players who fall outside the top 64 must re-enter through Q-School or the Challenge Tour to earn a new card.

Top Positions — Premier League and Special Invitations

The Premier League is an invitational event, but the top-ranked players on the Order of Merit receive consideration for the coveted nine or ten places. The World Grand Prix, World Matchplay, and European Championship all use the Order of Merit to determine the majority of their fields.

How Often Is the Order of Merit Updated?

The Order of Merit updates after every ranking event concludes — typically at the end of each tournament weekend. Players’ totals are adjusted to reflect the new prize money earned and any prize money that has now fallen outside the two-year window.

The live rankings on dartrankings.co.uk reflect the current standings as updated from the PDC data feed. Individual player pages also show ranking change indicators — green for players who have moved up since the last update, red for those who have dropped.

Order of Merit vs Other PDC Rankings

The main Order of Merit is not the only ranking in the PDC ecosystem. The PDC ProTour Order of Merit ranks players specifically by prize money from Players Championship and European Tour events within the current calendar year — it resets each January. This ranking determines Tour Card retention (top 64) independently of the main OOM.

There are also specialist race rankings for individual events — the World Championship Race, World Matchplay Race, and others — which track who is currently qualifying for those specific events. These reset and are calculated differently from the main OOM.

Frequently Asked Questions