Stef Kosters secures PDC World Darts Championship debut after beating Andy Baetens in qualifier final
PDC
Stef Kosters has qualified for the PDC World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace for the first time in his career. The Dutchman won the Netherlands/Belgium Qualifier on Saturday, beating Belgian Andy Baetens 7-5 in the final. Baetens had won the qualifying event last year.
ADVERTISEMENT
Kosters had to win six matches to reach the final. He opened his campaign with a 6-1 victory over Kristiaan de Boer, then beat Jeffrey Ballast 6-4. In the last 16, Kosters defeated Berry van Peer 6-1 before edging past Sietse Lap 7-5 in the quarter-finals. He then swept Niek Tuik aside 7-0 in the semi-finals.
Baetens had reached the final without too much difficulty from the other side of the draw. He beat Peter van den Broek (6-0), Rick Hofstra (6-3), Luke van der Kwast (6-0), Wesley Plaisier (6-1), Brian Raman (7-4) and Gilbert van der Meijden (7-2).
Kosters took the lead for the first time in the fifth leg of the final, but Baetens regained the advantage with finishes of 62 and 56. Kosters then levelled the match with a 24 checkout before breaking Baetens with a superb 11-darter. Two more breaks followed, sending Kosters into the 12th leg with a 6-5 lead. He sealed his World Championship place with a 17-dart leg.
Read also
Netherlands/Belgium Qualifier results
| Final | ||||||
| Stef Kosters | (91.84) | 7 | vs | 5 | (92.34) | Andy Baetens |
| Semi-finals | ||||||
| Stef Kosters | (83.50) | 7 | vs | 0 | (74.13) | Niek Tuik |
| Andy Baetens | (93.46) | 7 | vs | 2 | (75.90) | Gilbert van der Meijden |
| Quarter-finals | ||||||
| Niek Tuik | (82.14) | 7 | vs | 4 | (79.83) | Nunjo Dewaele |
| Stef Kosters | (93.80) | 7 | vs | 5 | (86.69) | Sietse Lap |
| Andy Baetens | (94.87) | 7 | vs | 4 | (78.80) | Brian Raman |
| Gilbert van der Meijden | (83.10) | 7 | vs | 4 | (80.58) | Ziggy Schenk |
| Last 16 | ||||||
| Niek Tuik | (89.07) | 6 | vs | 4 | (85.76) | Chris Landman |
| Nunjo Dewaele | (84.72) | 6 | vs | 5 | (79.89) | Danny Bosch |
| Stef Kosters | (83.12) | 6 | vs | 1 | (78.49) | Berry van Peer |
| Sietse Lap | (87.34) | 6 | vs | 3 | (78.48) | Melvin Gerritsen |
| Brian Raman | (93.40) | 6 | vs | 2 | (83.55) | Jan Lamein |
| Andy Baetens | (87.84) | 6 | vs | 1 | (81.94) | Wesley Plaisier |
| Gilbert van der Meijden | (87.88) | 6 | vs | 5 | (85.71) | Daan Beernink |
| Ziggy Schenk | (82.56) | 6 | vs | 5 | (84.22) | Martijn Dragt |
Lucas MichaelDarts Journalist
Lucas Michael is a darts journalist and reporter based in Cambridge, UK, and has been part of the DartsNews team since 2025. He covers professional darts through reports, analysis, round-ups, and live coverage, with a focus on clear context and accurate reporting across the PDC calendar.
A key part of his work is liveblogging major tournaments throughout the year, providing real-time updates, match coverage, and contextual reporting across the professional circuit. He also reports regularly from events on site and has covered the PDC World Darts Championship from the venue, delivering first-hand insight throughout the tournament.
Within the newsroom, Lucas works closely with the editorial team and supports coverage alongside Chief Content Officer Samuel Gill and reporter Kieran Wood.
Lucas holds a BA (Hons) in Sports Journalism. In his work, he places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating content promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- 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