Dimitri Van den Bergh is the most successful Belgian darts player ever to compete at PDC level. Van den Bergh won the 2024 UK Open, triumphed at the 2020 World Matchplay, and reached two further major finals. None of his compatriots can match that record. A swift return to former heights looks unlikely. His future is uncertain, his slump continues, his Tour Card is at risk, and time is running out.
The two
Players Championship events in Den Bosch were meant to spark a turnaround. For nearly two years, Dimitri Van den Bergh has been stuck in a dip. The faint hope among Dimi’s fans of seeing a rejuvenated “Dreammaker” in 2026, after his shocking first-round World Championship exit to debutant Darren Beveridge, has likely faded.
Slump persists despite time out
Nothing changed at Players Championship Event 29. The Belgian had gone three months without a ProTour match.
Dimitri Van den Bergh risks missing the World Championship and losing his Tour Card
In early July, Van den Bergh announced via social media that he would withdraw from the next two ProTour events for health reasons. He then skipped the following two blocks as well.
His first event after the break was therefore the Host Nation Qualifier for the Flanders Darts Trophy. He aimed to return to the European Tour stage in his birthplace, Antwerp. He fell short.
Andy Baetens denied the comeback, winning 6–2 in the last 32.
That left the Players Championship double-header in the Netherlands. But Den Bosch brought no improvement:
Van den Bergh lost his opener to
Kai Gotthardt. He failed to win a leg against the German and averaged 75.56.
It was his 15th first-round exit of this Players Championship season. He is winless on the floor across five straight events.
That run will continue for now. Van den Bergh withdrew from Players Championship Event 30 after his eldest daughter broke her arm. He returned home to support his family. The withdrawal cost him another key chance to bank prize money in the race for World Championship qualification.
Comeback required to make the Worlds
Four Players Championship tournaments remain. Two will be staged in the Netherlands, two in England. Alongside the two European Tour qualifiers, these four Players Championship events are his only remaining avenues to qualify for the World Championship via the Pro Tour.
The top 40 players on the 2026 Pro Tour win spots at the Worlds in December. Qualification via that list now looks unrealistic for Van den Bergh. He has earned just £16,750 this year and sits 76th. He trails the last provisional qualifier, Raymond van Barneveld (£29,250), by £12,500.
Across the remaining events, Van den Bergh would need to win almost as much as he has all season.
If he cannot bridge that gap, his only route would be the Tour Card Holder Qualifier for the Worlds. The so-called Last Chance Qualifier offers players not yet qualified one final shot at a place.
For now, the Belgian is still No. 46 on the Order of Merit, ahead of players like Gabriel Clemens. But his last-32 payout from two years ago at the Worlds will drop this winter. The “Dreammaker” would then fall outside the top 64 of the Order of Merit.
That would mean an immediate Tour Card loss. Van den Bergh would no longer be eligible for Pro Tour events or European Tour qualifiers. To continue his career, he would have to return to Q-School in January.
Van den Bergh still has four Players Championship events and two European Tour qualifiers to turn it around. The “Dreammaker” is running out of time.