James Wade withdraws from second successive European Tour event as Ricky Evans receives Czech Darts Open call-up

James Wade has withdrawn from the 2026 Czech Darts Open, extending his absence from the European Tour after also pulling out of last weekend’s Hungarian Darts Trophy in Budapest.

Wade had originally been included among the seeded players for Prague, but will now play no part in the tournament running from September 4-6. Ricky Evans has been promoted from the reserve list to take his place in the field.

The withdrawal follows Wade’s absence from Budapest, where he had also initially been entered before Madars Razma replaced him. PDC Europe confirmed that Wade was one of the original top-16 seeds for the Hungarian Darts Trophy before the late change.

No reason has been given for Wade’s latest withdrawal.

Evans now comes into the Czech Darts Open at short notice and will begin his tournament in the first round on Friday afternoon against Kevin Doets. The winner of that match will progress to a second-round meeting with Danny Noppert on Saturday.

The winner of that match will progress to a second-round meeting with Danny Noppert on Saturday.

For Wade, missing another European Tour weekend comes at an important point in the race for the European Championship. After 11 of the 15 events, he sits 30th on the European Tour Order of Merit with £31,000, only £1,500 above Joe Cullen in the final provisional qualification position. Four tournaments remain, beginning with Prague this weekend.

That makes the Czech withdrawal more significant than a straightforward late change to the field. Wade will have one fewer opportunity to add to his European Tour total as the battle for the top 32 heads towards its conclusion.

His absence also comes less than two weeks after winning the Australian Darts Masters in Wollongong, where he claimed the first World Series title of his career by beating Brody Klinge 8-5 in the final.

The Czech Darts Open gets underway in Prague on Friday, with the first-round winners joining the seeded players in round two on Saturday before the tournament concludes on Sunday.