One year into his darts retirement, Raymond van Barneveld has revealed plans to make his PDC comeback next season.
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The five-time world champion will appear at PDC Q-School in January, where he will try to earn a Tour Card for the PDC Pro Tour circuit. A Tour Card is required to participate in the Players Championship tournaments, which allow players to qualify for the majors.
In November 2018, Van Barneveld suddenly announced that 2019 was going to be his last year on the PDC circuit. The Dutchman then received an invitation for the Premier League Darts in 2019, so that he could play in front his home crowd at the Ahoy Rotterdam in a farewell double-header.
U-Turn
Unfortunately, the dream farewell proved to be a nightmare. Barney was thumped 7-1 by Daryl Gurney, confirming elimination from the Premier League before Judgement Night. In a dead rubber tie on March 28, he again succumbed 7-1, this time to compatriot Michael van Gerwen. Immediately following the game, an emotional Van Barneveld announced his retirement with immediate effect.
The 2007 PDC world champion repealed that decision a day later, stating his aim to bow out at the 2019/20 PDC World Darts Championship. Barney's participation wasn't a certainty, but he made good on his Alexandra Palace promise a week later by reaching a Players Championship final. He lost to Adrian Lewis, but World Championship qualification was within his grasp.
Later in his retirement year, another final spot at a World Series tournament and quarter-finals at the World Series of Darts Finals and the Players Championship Finals followed, as the Barney Army dared to dream of a big final outing.
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Dramatic ending
Van Barneveld wanted one more shot in Alexandra Palace, the home of world darts since 2008; a year after he his PDC world title.
The World Championship draw pitted Van Barneveld against Darin Young in the first round. A win would have resulted in a clash with Jeffrey de Zwaan, who made his first steps on the professional circuit as a protégé of the 53-year-old from The Hague.
However, that symbolic match between the up-and-coming talent and the retiring darts legend did not materialise. Young silenced the Ally Pally crowd by defeating the five-time world champion 3-1 in sets, slamming the book shut on one of the most successful careers in darts history.
Farewell evening and return rumours
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A more fitting farewell did come on February 8, in a sold out AFAS Live in Amsterdam, where thousands of Dutch fans said goodbye to the man who put darts on the map in the Netherlands.
Still, rumours of a Barney comeback soon sprang up. Firstly, after playing a historic online charity match against famed nemesis Phil Taylor, Van Barneveld didn't rule out the possibility of playing in some tournaments on the soft-tip circuit.
Later, a return to the PDC circuit was also discussed. Despite five world titles, the lure of top level darts continued to gnaw at the Dutchman. As speculation swirled, Barney poured cold water on a proposed return, as he had to consider whether he wanted to start at the bottom of the ladder.
Impossible to refuse
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Eventually, those rumours began to crystallise into reality. Ben de Kok, owner of Bengi BV and manager of Jeffrey de Zwaan, presented Van Barneveld with a lucrative sponsorship contract.
The five-time world champion has agreed to sign up, with De Kok taking over from Jaco van Bodegom as his manager.
It now remains to be seen whether Q-School can be held as usual in the current climate surrounding COVID-19, and whether Van Barneveld can battle his way back into the winner's circle after seemingly having been put out to pasture for good.
I stumbled into the world of darts quite by accident back in 2013. For a Journalism School assignment, I had to produce a live sports report and as it happened, the European Tour event in Veldhoven was the only available option. That weekend, I caught the darts bug. The post-match interviews especially appealed to me, as darts players tend to be much more open and approachable than what you usually see with footballers on television.
After a few detours, I joined Dartsnieuws.com in 2017 as editor-in-chief. I don’t have much competitive experience myself, although I once entered a PDC Development Tour weekend just to experience what it’s like from a player’s perspective. I even managed to win a leg against a Tour Card holder and, quite by accident, earned £50 in prize money.
In 2022, I was also involved in the founding of the TOTO Dart Kings, a commercial darts team, where I worked as media manager for three years. Unfortunately, due to new legislation in the Netherlands, that project came to an end in 2025.
Through my work in darts, I’ve been fortunate to travel to some incredible events, from Premier League nights at Ahoy Rotterdam, to several World Championships, and even the US Darts Masters at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Beyond darts, I’m a passionate sports fan in general. You can always wake me up for a game of tennis or padel, and I love following football, tennis, padel, cycling, Formula 1, and ice skating.
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- He produced some impressive numbers in that qualifying campaign. I'm excited to see him compete at the World Championship once again, even if it will be difficult to replicate last year's success even with an improved performance, with the draw playing a huge role in determining his fortunes.Deduce635811-11-2026
- I often think about this very question. I think they should revive the format. They could even invite representatives from MODUS Super Series, with four series winners from the past year, and the ADC, with finalists from the Global Championship and perhaps other events. Why not throw in eligible representatives from the JDC and even the soft-tip game too?Deduce635811-11-2026
- So what if littler missed out, he doesnt have to enter everythingant10-11-2026
- Good, absolutely no loss if we never see this dancing goof ever again......no that is not fair. He absolutely cannot and has never been remotely able to dance!richieburnettrocks10-11-2026
- Yes Phil,now the money in the game is bigger than ever,you'd play littler. Well so would I! Retire on your memory Phil,and your successful careerrick6709-11-2026
- 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