-
39 minutes ago
James Wade has said he would love to be back in the Premier League and in the top four of the world but admits “there is a lot of darts to be played between now and the end of the year”.
Wade currently sits at number five in the world rankings after a successful start to 2025, reaching both the finals of the UK Open and World Matchplay – losing both games to Luke Littler.
Wade has played in 12 Premier League campaigns and won the competition in 2009. His most recent appearance came in 2022, when he finished third in the league phase but lost in the semi-finals to Michael Van Gerwen.
To qualify for the Premier League, players need to be ranked in the top four places in the world on PDC’s order of merit or be selected as a wildcard option.
“Top four is a dream position to be in, but it is achievable. Staying in the top 10 is a hard job,” Wade told BBC Sport.
“I’d love the opportunity to be back in the Premier League but we’ll see what happens – I think I need to be in the top four to be in there.”
Wade has been playing at the top level of the sport for 20 years – but just over 12 months ago, he found himself down at world number 27 – his lowest ranking for “forever in a day”, after he was taken to hospital during a European Tour event in Germany.
He experienced symptoms including a racing heart, high blood pressure, nausea, and dizziness.
He admitted that this affected him “physically and mentally more than I realised”.
He added “people wrote him off” but when speaking to Barry Hearn, he told him that “I will get back in the top 10” and “negativity spurred me on”.
Getty ImagesHe recalled “not so long ago when we played in smoky pubs”, where the winner would earn £2,500 – until Barry Hearn came along to reinvigorate and modernise the sport.
For the World Championships in December, the winner will receive £1m in prize money.
“It’s amazing how far the game has come, going from little pubs to darts around the world,” he said.
“I remember first time playing at the O2 in front of 12,500 people – that was a magical moment in darts.”
‘Wasn’t an easy decision’
Wade has qualified for the World Series of Darts finals and will face world number one Luke Humphries in the first round on Friday night.
He qualified through his position in the order of merit – after turning down a place at the events in Australia and New Zealand because he committed to going on a family holiday to Disney with his wife and two sons.
“I had a month’s notice. As much as I wanted to go, I couldn’t,” he said.
“My children won’t always be children and I spend enough time away from my wife already.
“It wasn’t an easy decision but it was the right decision.”
