ANALYSIS (Part 2): Players at major risk of losing their Tour Card from German trailblazer to showman with dartitis issues

Part one spotlighted players teetering on the edge of tour card danger. Part two turns to bigger names: players ranked above 50th whose 2026 form tells a different story to their ranking. With Tricole the benchmark at £115,750, the question is how players with nearly £100,000 more on their ranking find themselves in the same conversation. Results in 2026 suggest their true level sits closer to the threshold than the number next to their name implies.

Also featured are players flirting with the top 64, for whom a return to Q-School just two years after winning their card is a genuine possibility. A German trailblazer, former World Master, a darting showman and a former World Youth Champion all appear below, with names that would have seemed unthinkable on a list like this twelve months ago. With only 64 guaranteed their place, some will inevitably fall.

The most coveted name in the whole of German darts, Max Hopp, has had one of the most resilient stories to get back on tour and compete. Just 29, he made his World Championship debut in 2013 and became the youngest player to play at this tournament at 16 years of age. A two-year gap followed until he won his PDC tour card in 2015, where a string of successful years accumulated to a peak rank of 23rd in the world in April 2019. Breaking records, Hopp became the highest-ranked German player in PDC history at that point, boasting through 2018’s European glory. The 2018 German Darts Open is where Hopp turned hopes into dreams, winning in front of a packed crowd at the Saarlandhall in Saarbrücken, defeating Michael Smith in the final 8-7.

Through this, he qualified for the 2018 European Championships, where, once again spurred on by the German fans, he reached the European Championship semi-final in Dortmund. Just to reinforce Hopp’s stature, he was selected as a contender for the Berlin Premier League in 2019, the peak of his recognition, fighting the best on a Thursday night. Hopp was the face of German darts, which ultimately became the weight that started his downfall. "I know when the pressure falls off me, I can really produce great stuff. But I make it myself sometimes too difficult,” Hopp told DartsNews, admitting that the weight of being the face of German darts took its toll.

23rd in the world in 2019. 89th in the world in 2022. Hopp’s downfall wasn’t sudden; it was a painful spiral where prize money dried and the end felt closer than any recovery. Hopp earned just £17.75k on tour in 2022, with many without a tour card in that year, such as Scott Williams, earning nearly 4x more. Injuries played the largest role, with ongoing shoulder injuries mixed with a torn ankle ligament in late 2021, and glandular fever. Combined with physical and mental exhaustion, the chronic fatigue triggered a loss of throwing rhythm and confidence. Two years away from professional darts followed in 2023 and 2024, and results on the Challenge Tour gave little indication that he could come back and win back his tour card. “I still just have to free myself.. My mind … If I can just free my mind and free my soul, I will be a really good player”, Hopp revealed in that same interview with DartsNews. Injuries and glandular fever didn't take his health; it stripped the micro-muscle memory and mental sharpness the PDC tour requires. Once his body recovered, so did his form and averages.

Although failing to win his card in 2023 and 2024, Hopp came to Kalkar with a dream in January 2025, securing the tour card on the last day. That mental fortitude of 4 days, consistent performances without an outright win, is gruelling for any player, and for a player who has been through what Hopp has, that context made the achievement all the more significant. 2025 produced a win percentage of 53% and a relatively low average of 88.86 across the year. Despite that, the persistence shown to even be back on the tour mirrors Hopp’s career. The Maximiser has never stopped, despite everything trying to get him to. Qualifying for the 2026 World Championships, he beat an out-of-sorts Martin Lukeman in the first round 3-1, 13 years on since his debut. “I know my issues as well. And it's a long process. I mean, it took me about four years to get back on that stage. And it probably will take me another one or two years to really reach my peak, but I'm willing to do so,” Hopp said before his round two match, losing to Luke Woodhouse 0-3. Regardless of the result, the self-awareness in his words is striking; a quality the very best players share. However, it is far from guaranteed that those 2-3 years will come with him on the tour.

Hopp is the World Number 67, £18,000 off Tricole in 64th place. Reaching a final at Players Championship 14, and showing signs of a top 40 player with Players Championship 12 quarter-final to accompany, showing on current evidence, Hopp looks more likely to retain his card than lose it. Hopp’s 2026 average has been 92.52, the 38th highest in the world, and is a dramatic improvement compared to 2025. Known for his power scoring, a first-nine average of 100.38 suggests Hopp is scoring at an elite level that 2024 World Champion Luke Humphries couldn’t contain in Players Championship 11, reaching the last 16 after defeating Cool Hand in a last-leg shootout.

Despite his 2026 efforts, Max Hopp is currently only qualified for the World Championships and Players Championship finals, with other majors out of reach unless Hopp can produce multiple finals. 2026 earnings of £39.5k after 6 months contribute to 40% of his ranking money, yet 2025 may drag him down. Hopp is one of a kind, being a player on this list whose 2026 form is improving rather than deteriorating. The German has shown the ability to sustain elite-level form across a full day of competition, with his average improving from 88.86 to 92.52 in 2026, pointing firmly upward. The question will remain how high Hopp can climb with all the hardships behind him, and guaranteed prize money for his ranking from the majors.

The showman of the tour, Shaggy, has made his name through his stage presence, confidence and care-free nature, capturing attention whenever he walks onto a major stage. These qualities haven’t translated onto the floor for years, but there has been no year as poor as 2026 has been so far. World Number 48 with £170,000 to his name, Williams seems safe on the surface, but the dartitis has crept into his game, and his confidence has been damaged.

Although making darting history by becoming the first player to sign with a podcast, signing with the popular JaackMaate's Happy Hour Podcast, nothing else has happened that carries this pedigree. His £15,750 won so far is far from history-making. In 2024, Williams reached a World Championship semi-final, beating the Green Machine, Michael Van Gerwen 5-3 at the quarter-finals on the way, marking his best career victory. In 2024 alone, he earned £6,500 more than his current 2-year cycle. Williams is structurally dependent on the atmosphere to perform recently, and now it looks hard to see if he will qualify for these majors.

2026 win percentage documents best, 37%, down from 55% in the last 2 years. Not just this, the 36-year-old is averaging 88.27 in 2026, and has a 9.7% chance to hit a 95+ average in games this year. These stats are stark and damning for Williams, especially when comparing 2024, where 2026’s 82 180s contrasts with 2024's 306. Williams is producing his best darts in fewer than one in ten matches; a problem that damaging confidence would explain correctly. A 2026 best tournament has come in the form of Players Championship 10, a last 16, losing to Woodhouse after a favourable draw, with the highest-ranked player Ricardo Pietreczko dealing with his own dartitis problems. 11 first-round exits from 20-Player Championships explain Williams' hardships, now finding himself £6,750 off the Ally Pally, which is where Williams shines best.

Although not as dire as Van den Bergh, Williams doesn’t find himself in a scenario he would envision after a decent 2025. Four Semi-finals and a final in 2025 could save Williams from tour card contention this year, but masks a real problem in his consistency against top 32 players, never mind 2025, when he beat Littler, Michael Van Gerwen and Anderson. Dartitis has damaged his confidence temporarily, but it is the rest of 2026 to determine whether this is permanent. If 2025 Williams returns, the card is safe; if 2026 carries in the same trajectory, Williams may find himself at Milton Keynes in February.

Brooks regained his tour card for the third time in the 26-year-old's career and made an immediate statement with it. A 93.18 average over 2025, and a 40.18% checkout rate put him firmly into the top 32 in these metrics. These performances backed the numbers, a player championship win at Players Championship 21 in July 2025, and a semi-final two events later at Players Championship 23.

That year generated £78,750, meaning a replica of this year would secure his tour card. 2026 has been a different story. His average dropped to 89.16, and most noticeably, his checkout percentage dropped to 35.37, 225th in the world. Brooks has gone from the top 32 level to below tour standards in six months.

His tour card is now in doubt. £93,750 is £22,000 below the threshold, and Brooks knows all about losing his card in his previous years. The question now is whether 2025 was a fluke year. Nothing in 2026 has shown the qualities that defined 2025, with the best performance being a Players Championship Three last 16, beating Nathan Aspinall during this run.

Still 26, the development curve is still steep and in his favour, but he needs to rediscover the foundation that 2025 is possible. Continuing this 2026 form, Brooks will drop off the tour. Outside of Ally Pally and Minehead qualification by some margin, another significant result will need to arrive before this year ends for Brooks to be considered a PDC professional in 2027.

Plaisier was on the brink of winning his tour card in 2024, after impressing on his invitationals and even winning at Players Championship 28 in 2024. In the end, it wasn’t enough, and he earned his card by finishing second on the Challenge Tour. After 18 months of this card, Plaisier sits World Number 70 with £85,250 to his name, £30,500 away from the threshold.

A significant amount comes from the 2026 World Championships, where he reached the 3rd round and secured £35,000; 41% of his ranking money. Relying on rhythm to produce high scores, the Dutchman has produced quality darts in patches last year, reaching a semi-final at Players Championship 30, losing to Damon Heta 6-7. Plaisier has levels; however, most noticeably thrashing Gerwyn Price in the World Championships 3-0, one of the results of the tournament.

The problem hasn’t been his A game; it’s been his C game. Plaisier has exited Player Championships 14 times in the first round, and has failed to qualify for any European Tour event in 2026. His 2026 sits at a below tour standard 89.15, dropping from 92.55 in 2025, suggesting that, despite the outstanding World Championship display, his C game on tour hasn’t been adequate.

For a player relying on scoring power, a first 9 average of 96.50 no longer leaves opponents outscored, and the 36-year-old now relies on a huge improvement in the second half of 2026. 2 last 16s are the 2026 highlights, with a 107.36 average in the first round win on the way to one of these runs, against Austrian Rusty-Jake Rodriguez 6-0 in Players Championship One. He looks dangerous when on it, but he is so rarely on it. Closing that £30,000 gap requires more than a good World Championship and Minehead; it also needs a much better 2026, and the stats suggest this won’t happen.