"The nerves got the better of me. I'm a bit angry with myself" - Francois Schweyen thrives with home crowd support but ultimately falls short at Belgian Darts Open 2025

Darts remains incredibly popular in Belgium, as demonstrated once again by the massive turnout on Friday during the opening day of the 2025 Belgian Darts Open. Francois Schweyen enjoyed the enthusiastic support of the home crowd, but narrowly fell short against Wessel Nijman.

So far, all Belgian PDC Tour Card holders have been from Flanders. However, with Schweyen (alongside French-speaking Brussels native Cedric Waegemans) qualifying once again for the main draw, a player from a different region has made an appearance. Schweyen explains his success in the qualifiers: "I try to stay calm and not dream too much about the possibility of playing against a PDC top player on stage," he reflects in comments collected by Het Nieuwsblad.
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'The Clock' ultimately lost 6-5 to Wessel Nijman but thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere in the Oktoberhallen in Wieze. "The crowd was absolutely fantastic. Without them, I would never have been able to get back into the match," he says. "I really wanted to win. After two years of being knocked out in the first round, I wanted to survive at least one game. It seemed possible, given the experience I've gained here. And I was so close... The nerves got the better of me. I'm a bit angry with myself. The emotions are definitely there."

Schweyen has been playing darts for a while now. "I come from the soft tip world, which is really popular in Wallonia. Darts there is still seen as a pub game. So, it may not be as big as in Flanders, but I believe if we were to organize a Euro Tour in Wallonia, the sessions would be sold out there as well."

"As for Walloon fans or the popularity of the sport, that’s definitely not an issue," Schweyen continues. "The infrastructure is already in place, and it would be a dream for me to one day play on that stage there."