Dragutin Horvat pulls off the miracle: These are the first 20 qualifiers for the PDC Europe Super League 2026
PDC
The PDC Europe NEXT GEN 2026 season could hardly have ended more dramatically. At the big finale weekend in Sindelfingen, Marcel Hausotter celebrated his first tournament win of the year on Saturday, before Dragutin Horvat delivered the story of the weekend on Sunday: “Hercules” absolutely needed the title at the very last event to keep his historic PDC Europe Super League streak alive – and he actually completed a comeback few still thought possible.
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After 16 tournaments, the 20 players who qualified for the PDC Europe Super League via NEXT GEN are confirmed. From 10/11/2026 to 13/11/2026 they will battle for the coveted ticket to the PDC World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace. Four more participants will come through the newly created PDC Europe Start series. First, though, a look back at a final weekend that produced one of the most remarkable stories of the darts year.
Hausotter claims first title of the season in Master Out format
The PDC Europe NEXT GEN 2026 finale weekend opened on Saturday in Sindelfingen with Event 15. The penultimate tournament of the season featured a special format once more: “Master Out.” Unlike the classic Double Out, legs could be won not only on a double but also on a treble. That made, for example, a 180 checkout or a 60-point finish with a single dart possible.
In the end, Marcel Hausotter made the best use of the conditions. The Berliner secured his first NEXT GEN title of the season, taking his personal tally in the series to three. Earlier in the year at the fourth European Tour event in Munich, Hausotter made waves by beating Raymond van Barneveld and then pushing Jonny Clayton to a deciding leg.
Marcel Hausotter crowned himself tournament winner for the first time this season at the penultimate PDC Europe NEXT GEN 2026 event in Sindelfingen.
Saturday did not start perfectly for “Hausi.” In the group phase he beat Nico Kasten comfortably twice by 3-0, but lost narrowly to youngster Lenny Schlüter on both occasions, 2-3.
Once the knockout phase began, however, Hausotter shifted up a gear. He swept past Marco Jung, Patrick Tringler and Daniel Neubauer by 4-1 each, before a 4-2 win over Kevin Troppmann booked his place in the quarter-finals.
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There, the experienced Berliner gave Rowby-John Rodriguez hardly a chance in a clear 5-1. Oliver Keßler could not halt Hausotter’s run in the semi-finals either and went down 3-5.
In the final, Hausotter put the exclamation mark on his day. Against Tim Scholz he allowed nothing in a 6-0 whitewash, sealing his first NEXT GEN title of 2026 in dominant style.
Results PDC Europe NEXT GEN Tournament 15
| Player 1 | legs | VS | legs | Player 2 |
| Final | ||||
| Marcel Hausotter | 6 | VS | 0 | Tim Scholz |
| Semi-finals | ||||
| Tim Scholz | 5 | VS | 2 | Jaimy van de Weerd |
| Marcel Hausotter | 5 | VS | 3 | Oliver Keßler |
| Quarter-finals | ||||
| Jaimy van de Weerd | 5 | VS | 3 | Kevin Jußen |
| Tim Scholz | 5 | VS | 1 | Patrick Klingelhöfer |
| Oliver Keßler | 5 | VS | 3 | Finn Behrens |
| Marcel Hausotter | 5 | VS | 1 | Rowby-John Rodriguez |
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“Hercules” completes historic comeback – Horvat saves his Super League streak at the last moment
A special storyline hovered over the Glaspalast in Sindelfingen on Sunday even before the first dart was thrown. Dragutin Horvat had played every single edition of the Super League and had already won the tournament twice, a record. Ahead of the closing event of PDC Europe NEXT GEN 2026, however, “Hercules” sat well outside the 16 qualifying places – and only a week earlier it seemed certain the Super League would take place without him for the first time.
Darts commentator Adrian Geiler initially reported that Horvat would not play the last two NEXT GEN tournaments of the season. But the two-time World Championship participant changed his mind. As Geiler later reported, Horvat was persuaded to compete after all. That set the stage for Sunday’s season finale, played in the classic FA Cup format: only the tournament win could still take Horvat into the Super League. Fittingly, his first NEXT GEN title of the season had to come at the very last event of the year.
Dragutin Horvat completed a spectacular comeback at the final NEXT GEN tournament of the season and, with his first title of 2026, still punched his Super League ticket.
And Horvat delivered. The German went unbeaten in the group stage. He swept past Luca Haberlach and Nico Schönberger 3–0, before edging past Luis Kirschenlohr 3–2 as “Hercules.”
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But his spectacular comeback almost ended in the very first knockout tie. Against Alexander Presser, Horvat went the distance, held his nerve in the decider and scraped through 4–3.
His mission then gathered real momentum. A 4–1 win over Kevin Bielmeier was followed by two emphatic 4–0 victories against Marco Reichenpfader and Franz Rötzsch. That left Horvat just three wins from a qualification many had written off.
In the quarter-finals he barely gave Austrian Ralf Steininger a chance in a 5–2 win. His compatriot Patrick Reisenegger couldn’t stop Horvat in the semi-finals either and lost 3–5.
The final NEXT-GEN decider of the season could hardly have been more fitting. On one side stood Horvat, one win away from a sensational rescue. On the other was Jaimy van de Weerd, the 2026 season’s dominant force and clear leader of the overall standings. And of course, the final went the full distance.
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Horvat showed the steadier hand in the last leg. Against the throw he left 48 and, on his second match dart, found double 16. The comeback was complete: Horvat won his first NEXT-GEN title of the season at the last possible attempt and punched his Super League ticket after all.
A season finale with near-unbeatable drama. First Horvat’s historic streak looked over, then he had planned to skip the decisive weekend — and in the end he saved his Super League place with a last-gasp tournament win. The Super League will not be without “Hercules” in 2026 either.
Where a darts fairytale is written, there is also a tragic figure. Kevin Jußen held 16th and the final qualifying spot until Horvat’s championship dart landed. Only with that last hit on double 16 was he knocked out of the Super League places — a bitter way to miss his debut.
PDC Europe NEXT GEN Tournament 16 Results
| Player 1 | Average | Legs | VS | Legs | Average | Player 2 |
| Final | ||||||
| Dragutin Horvat | 91.94 | 6 | VS | 5 | 82.02 | Jaimy van de Weerd |
| Semi-finals | ||||||
| Jaimy van de Weerd | 83.18 | 5 | VS | 1 | 78.24 | Lenny Schlüter |
| Dragutin Horvat | 92.19 | 5 | VS | 3 | 81.24 | Patrick Reisenegger |
| Quarter-finals | ||||||
| Jaimy van de Weerd | 87.38 | 5 | VS | 0 | 64.04 | Tim Weber |
| Dragutin Horvat | 85.84 | 5 | VS | 2 | 68.03 | Ralf Steininger |
| Patrick Reisenegger | 83.10 | 5 | VS | 4 | 78.25 | Tim Scholz |
| Lenny Schlüter | 78.92 | 5 | VS | 3 | 74.63 | Kilian Hohnstedt |
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These 20 players are chasing the Ally Pally ticket
With the conclusion of PDC Europe NEXT GEN 2026, 20 participants of this year’s PDC Europe Super League are set. They qualified via the series for the big fight for the coveted PDC World Championship ticket at the legendary Alexandra Palace.
The places are split across two rankings: The top 16 of the Main Order of Merit book their Super League ticket, as do the top four from the Youth Order of Merit. All 20 qualified players are listed below.
The Super League field is not yet complete. Four additional spots will be awarded via the newly created PDC Europe Start series, bringing the total to 24 players battling for the Worlds berth.
The PDC Europe Super League takes place this year from 10.11.2026 to 13.11.2026. That is when we’ll find out which qualifier takes the final step and secures the prized “Ally Pally” ticket.
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PDC Europe NEXT GEN Main Order of Merit
| Rank | Player | Prize money | Nationality |
| 1 | Jaimy van de Weerd | €9,380 | Germany |
| 2 | Daniel Klose | €7,982 | Germany |
| 3 | Paul Krohne | €4,424 | Germany |
| 4 | Patrick Reisenegger | €3,746 | Austria |
| 5 | Mika Donnevert | €3,666 | Germany |
| 6 | Liam Maendl-Lawrance | €3,454 | Germany |
| 7 | Lenny Schlüter | €3,328 | Germany |
| 8 | Jan Schmidt | €2,983 | Germany |
| 9 | Dragutin Horvat | €2,897 | Germany |
| 10 | Marcel Hausotter | €2,883 | Germany |
| 11 | Patrick Tringler | €2,861 | Austria |
| 12 | Florian Preis | €2,811 | Germany |
| 13 | Tim Scholz | €2,687 | Germany |
| 14 | Finn Behrens | €2,589 | Germany |
| 15 | Rene Eidams | €2,500 | Germany |
| 16 | Carsten Hoffmann | €2,357 | Germany |
PDC Europe NEXT GEN Youth Order of Merit
| Rank | Player | Prize money | Nationality |
| 1 | Kimi Seemann | €2,042 | Germany |
| 2 | Deniz Baudis | €1,307 | Germany |
| 3 | Luca Wolff | €1,248 | Germany |
| 4 | Kilian Hohnstedt | €1,235 | Germany |
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Lucas MichaelDarts Journalist
Lucas Michael is a darts journalist and reporter based in Cambridge, UK, and has been part of the DartsNews team since 2025. He covers professional darts through reports, analysis, round-ups, and live coverage, with a focus on clear context and accurate reporting across the PDC calendar.
A key part of his work is liveblogging major tournaments throughout the year, providing real-time updates, match coverage, and contextual reporting across the professional circuit. He also reports regularly from events on site and has covered the PDC World Darts Championship from the venue, delivering first-hand insight throughout the tournament.
Within the newsroom, Lucas works closely with the editorial team and supports coverage alongside Chief Content Officer Samuel Gill and reporter Kieran Wood.
Lucas holds a BA (Hons) in Sports Journalism. In his work, he places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating content promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- And why should he listen to you?Deduce635807-11-2026
- Ultimately it is a bye for whoever draws Barney. It will be another stroppy and sulky performance once he goes behind. Barney was excellent but really must completely call it a day now.richieburnettrocks07-11-2026
- I'm disappointed he was not able to secure a spot at the Grand Slam. With Carl Sneyd taking care of Daryl Gurney, he would have had to beat Andy Boulton before facing the winner of Sneyd vs Mensur Suljović for a Grand Slam spot. Unfortunately, after beating Filip Bereza comfortably, he succumbed to Boulton, and the board would ultimately be won by the highly inconsistent Carl Sneyd. Since he could instead have been drawn against the likes of Cristo Reyes, Dirk van Duijvenbode and Stephen Bunting, I think once Gurney was out of the picture he would have been favourite to win his board, and it seems like a massive missed opportunity to put 5 grand on his ranking and seal another major TV appearance ahead of the Worlds. The highs and lows of following Raymond van Barneveld!Deduce635806-11-2026
- Probably i will receive a lot of backlash and hate for this reaction, but well, so be it. I am more than sick and tired of those lies of you Barry Hearn. How dare you defend yourself over the back of Fallon’s son! He has a disability and not an illness, so let me correct that for you! I know because I have the exact same disability. I have tried to reach out to Fallon in the past, and offered her to help her and her son, because I was struggling with the same problems, and I understood the boy. I wanted him to have finally someone who understood him. However she told me that she did not want my help, and I have respected Fallon’s choice. I have never asked Fallon for money. They don’t need money in that case. I only ever wanted the best for Fallon and Rory, but I have to be honest about the situation. Fallon should tell the true story and not be forced to tell lies. I don’t hate Fallon, and I don’t begrudge or envy a single penny that she gets, but this situation/case is just not fair. I hate the lies and the dishonesty and injustice. I don’t want Fallon to be hated because there is an unfair disadvantage created. Don’t proclaim your false lies over the back of Rory! I only stand for integrity and justice. I am precisely the one who always sticks up for Fallon. And you don't, you don't give a damn about them. You were never there for them, and now you only want to save your own position! You are just trying to talk your way out of your own bad behavior at the expense of someone with a disability. And to Fallon, I don’t know if this may ever reach you, and you read it, but I want you to know I love you and I love your son Rory very much, I am sorry how things developed and went. I hope you and Harriet are still friends. I am sorry if I were too persistent to you, or you experienced it that way, but it was never my intention. Please understand I have autism as well. As Barry Hearn would say, I am only just a human being too, and I also make mistakes and misjudge things sometimes. I promise you I did everything out of the deepest love and care for you and Rory. If I were you, I should just keep all the money, only please never be dishonest or tell lies anymore for Barry Hearn, or anyone else. I hope you have the best life, and I wish nothing more than the best for you. I have always loved the two of you. Farewell.Hiddo05-11-2026
- She is a professional. If darts is her income, she is a professional. Same as Adrian Lewis, Martin Adams. A tour card just means someone can play on the PDC tour. You could even make a case that Clayton wasn't a professional (until recently I believe) because he had employment elsewhere.BandB04-11-2026
- She's technically not a professional though as she doesn't hold a pro tour card.mr-pablo04-11-2026
- Such a shame that lakeside has been reduced to this. Fantastic venue,and previously a great tournament. Not any morerick6703-11-2026
- Seems to me that the top 16 players pick and choose whatever they want to play. Good,all the money will get spread out more. They get more money from exhibitions than tournaments so let them all withdrawrick6703-11-2026
- Play all legs and the winners split the pot. Luke gets the lot of he wins them all. If your occupation is darts player you can't enter, regardless of ability.BandB01-11-2026
- I'm quite a jaded person all things considered, but to be honest I found Beat Luke Littler to be pretty entertaining. It certainly wasn't seamless, which is to be expected given the lack of precedence, but I actually think the pacing was pretty good, the production was impressive, and there was a good sense of humour and levity to it. I think it was a very ambitious undertaking but one that, for the most part, paid off. I liked the system with the four pots and I think it added to the drama and intrigue. I enjoyed seeing the diverse range of entrants and learning about their backstories. I think the interactivity was pretty clever and well-integrated. The panel was a little incoherent at times; Lee Mack shone however, and his improvisational skills were appreciated during some more awkward interstitial moments. As far as the darts is concerned, it was a shame that the format didn't allow Littler to get into full flow. You obviously don't want him to steamroll everyone but you want to feel like you're getting the full Littler package rather than seeing him struggling to get out of first gear. I will say that his leg against Jayden Walker was very impressive, but it was mostly downhill from there. The attraction revolves around Littler being this untouchable, indomitable force, yet the format doesn't really allow him to fulfil that characterisation. As for Fallon Sherrock, she was mightily impressive and deserved the victory. It is a testament to her unshakeable character that she was able to bang in a 14-darter under such mind-bending pressure. Everything that has been said about the misleading marketing is valid, though they were clear about their eligibility criteria and were able to offload the responsibility somewhat by bringing the viewers into the decision-making process in real time. What is clear though, is that Fallon played the game according to the rules, and she should not be criticised for that, much less abused. I will admit though that it is a kick in the teeth for those true amateurs who committed time and money to the course, and I would also question those who think pub players would have no chance, given that some of Littler's winning legs were dispatched in 7 visits to the board! The great thing about darts is that it isn't so much that amateurs cannot replicate the feats of brilliance pulled off by professionals of the sport, than it is that they simply cannot replicate the consistency of their output, something that this format almost entirely removes from the equation. It should also be noted that, financially, Fallon certainly stands to benefit much less in relative terms from the paycheque than would your average pub thrower, as I'm sure she nets a fair income from the lucrative exhibition circuit alone. What I do hope is that she might use this as an opportunity to really build up a head of steam heading into the new season, as it seems long overdue that she come through Q-School and really take it to the pros on a week-in week-out basis, but whatever she chooses to do, she has certainly achieved enough already for one if not several lifetimes, so who am I to dictate terms? To conclude though, I will state once again that I found Beat Luke Littler to be a pretty enjoyable evening of entertainment. I do feel for the contestants who never actually had the chance to try their luck against the world #1, although I suppose it comes with the format, but all which inevitably raises the question: will Netflix be tempted to do it all again next year? It's hard to say. Whether it would be financially viable, I can't weigh in there. One point I have been making though, and which I touched on earlier, is that the entire concept relies on a public perception that Littler is more or less unbeatable, and that certainly hasn't been the case of late. If the execs had been trying to pitch the show in recent months while Littler has seemed vulnerable, rather than when he was mopping up almost every major title on the calendar, it would certainly be a tougher sell. We will have to see in about 6 months' time whether Littler can still reliably command perception as a near-unstoppable force in darts, and then we'll have a clearer idea about whether we should expect a second helping. Even as a one-off experiment though, and with all the controversy taken into account, I still don't think they disgraced themselves by any means, and that will probably be my lingering assessment of the event when all is said and done.Deduce635801-11-2026