All the info on 2023 PDC Q-School: How to get a PDC Tour Card and what can be done with it?

From January 9 to 15, the European and UK Q-School will be held. Divided between the two venues, 27 new PDC Tour Cards are ready for the 2023-24 PDC seasons.

The number of Tour Cards per venue has been determined based on the number of entries. Fourteen Tour Cards will be distributed at the European Q-School, while there's thirteen Tour Cards on offer at the UK Q-School.

Q-School divided into two phases

As in the past two years, the Q-School is divided into two phases. The first phase will take place from Jan. 9 through Jan. 11, followed by the final phase from Jan. 12 through Jan. 15.

Players who lost their PDC Tour Card last season or finished in the top eight on the Challenge Tour and Development Tour are immediately qualified for the final phase.

Other participants must start in the first stage. A spot for the final stage can be achieved by reaching the last four in Kalkar on one of the three playing days, or the last eight in Milton Keynes. Should that fail, players must make sure to win as many points as possible. Each win in a full round (without byes) earns one point. Through the Q-School Order of Merit of the first stage, players also advance to the final stage.

Tour Card distribution during final stage

The Tour Cards are only actually distributed during the final stage. Of the 27 available Tour Cards, eight are distributed immediately. On both the British and European Q-School, four days of play will be completed during the final phase. The eight direct cards will go to all daily winners at the tournaments.

The remaining 19 Tour Cards can be earned through the Q-School Order of Merit. At both events, points can be earned per win (not counting preliminaries), these go 10 for EU and 9 for UK due to entry numbers.

With several consistent results, players can still get a Tour Card this way, without having a daily win.

What can you do with a Tour Card?

Players in possession of a Tour Card can participate in the Pro Tour tournaments. In addition, you may participate in the qualifying tournaments for the Euro Tour events, the qualifiers for the Grand Slam of Darts and World Series of Darts Finals and the very last World Championship qualifying tournament.

Can you still play on the PDC circuit without a Tour Card?

Especially for players who have missed out on a Tour Card, the PDC Challenge Tour has been set up. That's 24 tournaments, each with a top prize of 2,500 pounds. Players can also participate in Associate Qualifiers for the Euro Tours and, in addition, there is a Development Tour for players under the age of 24.