After Ally Pally battles with Peter Wright and Van Gerwen, Arno Merk secures PDC Tour Card at Q-School: "I showed at the Worlds I already have the right mindset"

Arno Merk has secured a PDC Tour Card for the first time in his career. The 33-year-old German defeated Dutchman Jeffrey Sparidaans 6-5 in his decisive match at European Q-School.

Merk recently impressed at the Alexandra Palace, reaching the third round at the 2026 PDC World Darts Championship on debut and as a player without a PDC Tour Card.

He beat Kim Huybrechts and two-time world champion Peter Wright in succession, only to bow out in the third round against Michael van Gerwen. Merk lost that match 4-1, but his strong showing in North London last December, clearly gave him confidence heading into Q-School.

“It was a perfect day. The first stage, I got through directly on Monday and I knew what I was capable of in this final stage," Merk reflected afterwards in conversation with the PDC. "Now, I've shown it again on the first day, so I'm really happy."

“I think I've shown in the German Super League and already at the World Championship that I have a good mindset," Merk continues. "I've shown that again today, and that was the key to winning."

Merk is no stranger on the international darts circuit. He made his debut at the BDO World Championship in 2011 at the age of 18, losing 3-1 in the opening round to Garry Thompson and was once widely touted as a future star of German darts. After having a break from the sport, he's now finally secured himself a spot on the PDC Pro Tour.

“I returned because of a good friend of mine. He just said: 'let's go to some small tournaments' and then I realised that I'm still quite good," Merk explains. "I found out that I still have that talent and yeah, here I am!"