Not exactly £1,000: PDC opens 2026 Q-School registration without mooted huge increase to entry fee, major change also to combat Order of Merit issue

The PDC has opened registration for the 2026 Qualifying Schools. The qualifying tournament offers darters 16 and older the opportunity to earn a two-year Tour Card and qualify for the professional circuit. The qualifying period will take place from Jan. 5 through Jan. 11, 2026. The matches will be held simultaneously at two venues: the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes and Wunderland Kalkar in Germany.

Q-School remains the official gateway to the PDC ProTour. Players 16 years of age or older on January 4, 2026 are eligible to participate. The competition consists of two separate stages. The First Stage runs from Jan. 5 to Jan. 7. The Final Stage will be played from Jan. 8 through Jan. 11. At both locations, the Final Stage will start with a maximum of 128 players per day.

Each day of play at the First Stage will provide 16 direct qualifiers for the Final Stage. In addition, a ranking list will be established to complete the field of participants to the maximum of 128 players. Players exempted from the First Stage will also be admitted to the Final Stage.

During the Final Stage, the same ranking list will be used to replenish the playlist daily in case of cancellations or as soon as players secure a Tour Card earlier. This ensures that the day can be started from the round with 128 players each time, which is necessary to allocate ranking points correctly.

Players from the United Kingdom, Ireland and Gibraltar automatically qualify in the UK Qualifying School. Participants from other European countries will be assigned to the European Qualifying School in Kalkar. Players from outside Europe may decide in which Qualifying School they participate. The entry fee is £475 including DRA sanction fee. For the UK Q-School, this fee is exclusive of VAT. This means it has risen but it has not for 2026 as such with the VAT meaning the cost to enter has increased but only in VAT over the actual fee.

This comes after it was rumoured that it would be a grand (£1,000) to enter this year in a bid to cut numbers but the opposite has occurred also in that every day they will also fill up to the 128 instead. This was an issue in the past with players having to play every day to get their points and now once they drop off the Order of Merit, there will no longer be gaps in the draw.

Players who lose their Tour Card at the end of 2025 will receive an exemption for the Final Stage. However, registration is mandatory for participation in Q-School. In addition, the top 16 players from both the Winmau Challenge Tour and Development Tour in 2025, provided they do not have a Tour Card for 2026, will receive free entry to the Final Stage. The top eight of the 2025 Women's Series Ranking and the eight highest-ranked players on the PDC Nordic & Baltic Ranking will be invited to participate in the First Stage without an entry fee. Winners of the PDC Affiliate Tours will be exempt for the Final Stage, but must also register regularly.

Players who lose their Tour Card at the end of the 2025 season may choose to participate exclusively in Winmau Challenge Tour tournaments in 2026. To do so, however, the Q-School participation must be satisfied and the player must notify the PDC in writing of this decision.

New participants must register online in advance. After verification - a process that can take up to 48 hours - registration for the respective qualifying tournament can be completed. Only after confirmation is participation final.

For years, the Q-School has been an established part of the PDC calendar and is the direct entry point to a career at the highest level within professional darts. The 2026 edition will again accommodate both experienced players looking to regain their Tour Card and talents looking to make the transition to the professional circuit. The first matches will be thrown on Jan. 5.