Raymond van Barneveld is preparing for his 34th appearance at the PDC World Darts Championship. The 59-year-old Dutchman managed to secure his place at Alexandra Palace during the final Players Championship events of the season. Speaking on the The Darts Show podcast, the five-time world champion reflects on the dramatic conclusion to his qualification battle.
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Van Barneveld entered the final stages of the ProTour season with a significant deficit to overcome. For a long time, it looked as though the Dutchman would fail to qualify directly for the World Championship. However, a strong performance at Players Championship 33 in Leicester changed everything.
The Dutchman reached the quarter-finals, earning enough prize money to secure his place at the World Championship after all.
'I kept telling myself I was going to do this'
Van Barneveld explains that, despite his difficult position, he continued to believe that things would work out. "The strange thing is I kept telling myself I'm going to do this. If you give yourself positive vibes... And, of course, the draw has to be with you as well. I was in Jermaine's group and Bunting's group. They both went out first round."
The Dutchman watched as Daryl Gurney defeated Bunting, while Ricky Evans beat Jermaine Wattimena. He subsequently managed to defeat both players himself. "So, Daryl beat Bunting and Ricky Evans beat Jermaine Wattimena. I beat Daryl and Ricky. So, it has to go your way. But I kept telling myself I'm going to do this."
However, the five-time world champion also acknowledged that securing his World Championship place had an impact on his performances at the final Players Championship event. "Once you've done it... Well, pretty much before Pro Tour 34, I was quite safe. I was in 36th position or something, 34th."
According to Van Barneveld, that security also had a downside. "Then your focus lowers. And then in the second round, Chris Dobey played absolutely brilliantly against me. But then you're losing the focus you had the day before. And then you're vulnerable."
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Fatigue also began to play a role. Van Barneveld had just completed three intense days in Leicester and subsequently had to compete in the qualifying tournament for the Grand Slam of Darts. "And then a day later, the tiredness comes in on the qualifiers."
Although he failed to qualify for the Grand Slam, Van Barneveld is overwhelmingly satisfied with the way he secured his World Championship place.
"Quite happy with the way I qualified, because it was really, really tough for me after Pro Tour 22. I was nowhere. Didn't make Minehead, of course. Just in the Worlds. But I'm pretty happy with it."
Van Barneveld sympathises with Wesley Plaisier
During the conversation, Van Barneveld also discussed the disappointment experienced by several compatriots who narrowly missed out on direct World Championship qualification.
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The situations involving Wesley Plaisier and Jeffrey de Zwaan particularly concern him. Both Dutchmen came within just £250 of qualifying through the ProTour rankings, alongside Irishman Shane McGuirk.
Van Barneveld knows both players well and regularly practises with them.
"I practise in Holland quite regularly with him. Jeffrey de Zwaan was also sponsored by my former sponsor, so I have practised with him as well. And there was another one, a guy from Ireland. Shane McGuirk."
The Dutchman can understand how disappointing it must be when an entire season comes down to such a small amount of money.
"So all three of them are on £250. So you will say to yourself, I should have won this game, should have won that game. You're blaming yourself. Of course, they still have a qualifier to go, but missing out on £250, that's harsh."
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For Plaisier, the consequences are particularly significant. Not only did he miss out on direct World Championship qualification, but he also failed to qualify for the Players Championship Finals in Minehead.
"For Wesley, he missed out on the Worlds, well, for now, and he didn't qualify, so that's £15,000, £4,000 missing out on Minehead. So he's going to lose his Tour Card. So that's also extra pressure."
Van Barneveld emphasised the number of things Plaisier was fighting for during the final tournaments.
"It's a huge swing, isn't it? For him, in his mind, he was playing for three things: Tour Card, saving, Worlds, Minehead. So that's immense pressure."
'Wesley doesn't want to know where he stands'
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Interestingly, according to the five-time world champion, Van Barneveld and Plaisier deal with that pressure in very different ways.
Van Barneveld himself likes to follow the live rankings so that he knows exactly what he needs to do. Plaisier, on the other hand, tries to shut himself off from all the calculations as much as possible.
"I love to see it because then I can prepare myself. When I'm fourth, I know the people below me. I want to see the focus. That gives me extra power."
According to Van Barneveld, Plaisier is the complete opposite. "But Wesley is a guy, he doesn't like that at all. So if you go to him at 11:30 in the morning and ask him about his draw, he'll say: 'I don't want to know, Ray. I'll find out.'"
Van Barneveld says that Plaisier also prefers to avoid looking at the current rankings.
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"He's not looking at the rankings because, for a guy like him, it gives him extra pressure in his head. You know where you are. But some people, they don't want to see it on paper. So that gives them extra pressure."
Van Barneveld emphasised that such small differences in prize money can have major consequences for a player's future.
"After that, you find out he's missed out on £250, which is £250. Then you should say to yourself, I should have won this game or I missed doubles in that game. But £250."
Looking forward to revamped Alexandra Palace
Van Barneveld has now secured his World Championship qualification and can turn his attention towards his return to Alexandra Palace, where the tournament begins on December 11.
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Read also
This year, the World Championship will be played on a bigger stage and at an expanded venue. Van Barneveld is looking forward to the changes.
"Yeah, I'm looking forward to that. The bigger stage and the bigger venue. So, yeah, looking forward to that."
Samuel GillChief Content Officer
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
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- Well,I suppose if you don't play the tournaments ,then why should any player qualify? There are players who enter every tournament,and if they don't win it,they carry on, spending money they haven't won,yet certain players seem to think they should qualify. Winners only I thinkrick6714-11-2026
- Everyone knows what a fantastic champion Taylor was,but his performances in the seniors were poor. He wouldn't throw littler off stage,as he'd miss these days!!rick6712-11-2026
- 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