"How his endgame is unfolding is something you’d never have expected from him": Raymond van Barneveld decision to chase money over World Masters causes outrage

This Wednesday afternoon the qualifiers for the Winmau World Masters 2026 are being played, with the main event starting on Thursday evening. Raymond van Barneveld, who was not yet automatically seeded, chose to skip these qualifiers to play an exhibition at football club FC Twente. Former pro and close friend Vincent van der Voort has reacted with surprise to his compatriot’s decision.

“I do have a problem with it,” he opens in the latest episode of the Darts Draait Door podcast. “I understand his reasoning on the one hand that he’s going for guaranteed money, but this is also a ranking event, right? No one has anything to defend and he’s immediately one tournament behind the rest. I get that he can pocket a lot of money at FC Twente in two days, but this is a TV ranking. Win three rounds and he already bags £5,000, with a chance at much more. His sponsors won’t like this either. All in all, a remarkable choice.”

The Hague native had already indicated that these exhibitions at FC Twente were scheduled before the date for the first major of the year was announced. He therefore decided to stick with his choice and give the Masters a miss. “It shows where Raymond is mentally. He doesn’t feel good enough to win a qualifier,” Van der Voort concludes. “I expected him to say that should have been doable. Apparently he’s not there mentally yet. So his season only starts in two weeks. He’ll really have to perform well in the first few tournaments and hope to qualify for the Euro Tour, otherwise it will be a long year.”

According to Van der Voort, Van Barneveld is only thinking short term and not about the bigger picture. “I think he’s really thinking about guaranteed money, and anything he picks up around it is a bonus.” In addition, ‘Fast Vinny’ knows that exhibition nights aren’t always the be-all and end-all. “They cost a lot of energy. You start your pro events around them already tired and on the back foot, especially at his age. He’s clearly choosing guaranteed money and that’s a shame to see. How his endgame is unfolding is something you’d never have expected from him. This is unworthy of Van Barneveld. But due to circumstances it has to be, for him it’s a financial matter.”

He also regrets that Van Barneveld has chosen this route. “We don’t need to feel sorry for him, because he still earns a lot of money. But it’s a pity to see him like this, compared to everything he achieved in the past. It’s not taken very seriously anymore now. He was always among the favorites or the dark horses for a title, that’s no longer the case. In the past three years he hasn’t won a round at major tournaments. That’s very sad. That something needs to change is clear. Hopefully Rafael van der Vaart can make a difference, that would be nice.”