Explanation PDC Q-School 2025: What do you have to do to win a PDC Tour Card and what can you do with it?
PDC
From Monday, January 6 to Sunday, January 12, 2025, the fifteenth edition of the PDC Q-School will take place. At venues in Kalkar (Germany) and Milton Keynes (England), nearly nine hundred participants will compete for a PDC Tour Card.
A total of 29 PDC Tour Cards are on hand for the 2025 and 2026 seasons. The number of Tour Cards per venue has been determined based on the number of entries. Sixteen Tour Cards are expected to be distributed through the European Q-School and thirteen through 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 January 6 to 8, followed by the final phase from January 9 to 12.
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 stage.
The remaining participants must start in the first stage. Placement for the final stage is possible by reaching the last eight on one of the three playing days in Kalkar or Milton Keynes. Should that fail, players must ensure that as many pots as possible are won. Each win in a full round (without byes) earns one point. Via the Q-School Order of Merit of the first stage, players also advance to the final stage.
Tour Card distribution during final stage
During the final stage, Tour Cards are only actually distributed. Of the 29 Tour Cards available, eight will be distributed immediately. At 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 21 Tour Cards can be earned through the Q-School Order of Merit. At both events, points can be earned per win (not counting preliminaries, ed.).
With several constant results, players can still get a Tour Card this way, without having a day's success. At the European Q-School twelve Tour Cards can still be distributed via the ranking, in Milton Keynes at the UK Q-School only nine.
What can you do with a Tour Card?
Players who hold a Tour Card can enter Pro Tour tournaments. They are guaranteed participation in all 34 Players Championship tournaments in 2025. 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 Cup qualifying tournament.
Without a Tour Card, can you still play on the PDC circuit?
Especially for players who have missed out on a Tour Card, the PDC Challenge Tour has been set up. Those are 24 tournaments, each with a top prize of 2,500 pounds. Even outside the PDC circuit, there are then still plenty of opportunities to play tournaments. For example, the organization Amateur Darts Circuit (ADC) has set up a whole ranking system with various tournaments, where one can also qualify for the MODUS Super Series. There is also the WDF circuit, and darters over the age of 45 can participate in the World Seniors tournaments.
Over 870 players will compete in the 2025 PDC Qualifying Schools next week, with 29 Tour Cards on offer for players to secure a spot on the PDC circuit.
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) January 4, 2025
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- I think the PDC's choice is too conservative. EIther or both of Damon Heta and Mike de Dekker should have been in, at the expense of Aspinall and possibly Price. I guess the PDC's reasoning is that they do not want too much turnover from year to year, and so having already rejected Smith and Wright, they have kept Price and Aspinall, but I guess those two are "on probation".
UndartedWaters06-01-2025 - Two from the three of Price, Aspinall and Dobey should have been excluded, De Decker and Edhouse should have been in. I would have offered a place to Beau Greaves though i doubt she would have accepted it and probably not really ready for it confidence wise.Mysstree06-01-2025
- Tennis has a protected ranking system for injuries and Golf has a system that as a Major winner you get invited back of a number of years regardless of your ranking. Barry Hearn gave Stephen Hendry a wildcard for some tournaments though he still had to enter at the qualification stage. Doubt the PDC would give Burnett an exemption as he has never won a PDC Major, same would apply to Steve Beaton. It’s a slippery slope to abandoning a meritocratic system, if the PDC did do so they could then (for example) award a place to Fallon Sherrock even though she has yet to qualify at any level for a tour card.Mysstree06-01-2025
- I'd have said the same about Ady Lewis,but the PDC is indeed a law unto itself,so sorry bud,get your leg kicking and do it for the good lads!!rick6705-01-2025
- COME ON RICHIE BURNETT Surely a World Champion and player with the calibra of Richie should be exempt from ever losing a tour card and having to qualify.richieburnettrocks04-01-2025
- That's true, Richie. Taylor used to call it, "Manley's millions."MrYnyslas197103-01-2025
- The semi finals are so one sided nowadays. Bunting and Dobey had their final in the quarters and simply had no interest once they got behind and gave up., yet both will be whining for premier league places. Earning enough to keep the rankings is more important to most players. Peter Manley got to a final with Phil Taylor but was more happy that he had earned enough to pay off his mortgage and promptly and expectedly whitewashed by Philrichieburnettrocks03-01-2025
- Wessel Nijman nickname should be Ni I Manmedinabello03-01-2025
- Jealously.....a nothing happening player who has won nothing and only redeeming feature is his ever increasing bald spot. He'll be crying he deserves a premier league place next. Class A Tw4trichieburnettrocks31-12-2024
- Woodhouse is 36 but looks half that Bunting is 39 ? and looks twice thatrichieburnettrocks31-12-2024