James Wade qualifies for Grand Slam of Darts after European Championship run

James Wade has qualified for the Grand Slam of Darts at the last minute. 'The Machine' owes placement for this prestigious tournament to his final place at the European Darts Championship.

The finalists of all major tournaments receive an invitation to the Grand Slam of Darts. Wade's performance was bad news for Danny Noppert, who held the final qualifying spot until last week.

Since there were not yet 16 different TV finalists, further consideration was given to Euro Tour winners and winners of Players Championship tournaments. The latter criteria looks at the number of Players Championship tournaments won by a player. Through this route, Dirk van Duijvenbode (three Pro Tour titles) and Noppert (two Pro Tour titles) had secured virtual qualification.

Noppert lost his starting spot due to Wade's final place. However, 'The Freeze' can take over the qualifying spot from Van Duijvenbode if he manages to win a Players Championship tournament this week. Should that fail, Noppert must compete in the qualifying tournament on Friday, Nov. 3, to try to force placement.