Every year there are always surprising absentees at the Grand Slam of Darts. The finalists of the major tournaments force a spot for this tournament, while the Euro Tour winners were also eventually automatically seeded. Completing the list of participants are eight winners on the secondary tours and the eight winners of the Tour Card-qualifying tournament.
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Because there were relatively many surprise finalists at the major tournaments this season, a lot of established names were condemned to play the very last qualifying tournament. The qualifier became a battleground, where a lot of top players missed the boat for good.
Among others, Raymond van Barneveld, Joe Cullen, Dirk van Duijvenbode, Daryl Gurney and Ryan Searle will not be present in Wolverhampton from November 9 to 17, and these are not even the five biggest absentees. As many as four players from the world's top-10 missed out on qualifying for the 2024 Grand Slam of Darts. According to Dartsnews.com, these are the five most notable absentees.
Gerwyn Price
The winner of Grand Slam of Darts in 2018, 2019 and 2021 will not be there in Wolverhampton. Gerwyn Price seemed to be skipping the Grand Slam of Darts anyway, as 'The Iceman' announced after the European Darts Championship that he was only going to play the Players Championship Finals and the World Darts Championship.
However, the Welshman changed his mind and decided to appear at the qualifying tournament for Tour Card holders on Friday after all. The world number eight worked his way convincingly past Jurjen van der Velde (5-2) and Robert Owen (5-2), but then got surprised by Mickey Mansell (5-3) in the final round.
At the majors this season, Price never came close to a final this season, not even a quarterfinal was in 2024 for the former rugby player. In the final of the International Darts Open in April, "The Iceman" lost to Martin Schindler (8-5). Had he won that match, Price would have been at the Grand Slam.
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In 2022, Price reached the quarter-finals at the Grand Slam of Darts, the result he thus had to defend this year in the world rankings. So his absence means that 25,000 pounds will soon disappear from his ranking.
Three-time Grand Slam winner Gerwyn Price is the biggest absentee in Wolverhampton
Nathan Aspinall
Fans at the Aldersley Leisure Village will have to do without The Killers' sing-along Mr. Brightside this year, as Nathan Aspinall also failed to qualify.
The Englishman was injured in his throwing arm for much of this season, but has been symptom-free for several weeks. However, it was not in time to play himself into top form. Aspinall, who did make the semifinals at the Masters early this year, lost in the penultimate round of the qualifying tournament to Cameron Menzies.
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As a result, Aspinall will lose a good amount of his ranking, because two years ago Aspinall was in the final of the Grand Slam of Darts. That performance earned him 70,000 pounds at the time.
Nathan Aspinall was still in the final of the Grand Slam of Darts in 2022
Chris Dobey
Surely the biggest unlucky player is Chris Dobey. 'Hollywood' was the best player on the floor this season with three Players Championship titles. Normally, that is more than enough for a spot on the Grand Slam of Darts.
However, Dobey was unlucky to have too many different major finalists this season. The course of the European Championship ultimately proved disastrous for the Englishman. With Ritchie Edhouse and Jermaine Wattimena, there were two players there who very surprisingly managed to reach the final match. That ultimately cost Dobey his spot in Wolverhampton.
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The world number 13 still tried at the qualifying tournament, where he started with a 5-3 victory over Keegan Brown. In his second match, however, Dobey went down 5-3 against Jeffrey de Graaf.
For Dobey, his absence from the Grand Slam of Darts has no immediate impact on the world rankings. The 34-year-old darter from Bedlington was also absent two years ago, and thus has no prize money at stake.
Jonny Clayton
Looking at the world rankings, Jonny Clayton is the highest ranked absentee at the Grand Slam of Darts. 'The Ferret' is the current world number five and missing for the first time since 2019.
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The qualifying tournament was soon over for 'The Ferret' on Friday, who lost in his opening match to Madars Razma (5-3). Like his compatriot Price, Clayton was one win away from a spot at the Grand Slam of Darts earlier this year. He lost in the final of the Euro Tour tournament in Rosmalen to Josh Rock, who did qualify as a result.
The absence of Price and Clayton, among others, ensures that for the first time since 2014 there is no Welsh player competing at the Grand Slam of Darts. There is a very small chance that this will change; Clayton is, in fact, the first reserve for the tournament.
In 2022, Clayton reached the second round at the Grand Slam of Darts. So that means that 12,500 pounds will disappear from his ranking after the upcoming edition. Because three of the four players directly behind him are also missing, Clayton will presumably have to drop a maximum of one place on the PDC Order of Merit.
The world number five is also absent from the Grand Slam of Darts
Damon Heta
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What applied to Chris Dobey also applies, to a slightly lesser extent, to Damon Heta. Normally, "The Heat's" performance would have been enough to secure a spot at the Grand Slam of Darts without a qualifying tournament.
Indeed, Heta won two Players Championship tournaments this season. Also, the Australian was close to a final place at the UK Open, where Heta lost to Dimitri van den Bergh in the semifinals.
The former World Cup winner was up against a strong Ryan Joyce in Friday's qualifying tournament, who eventually did get away with a starting ticket. Heta does not lose much prize money in the world rankings due to his absence. 'The Heat' was there two years ago, but was then eliminated in the pool stage. The loss is ultimately eight thousand pounds for the number nine in the world rankings.
There is no Oceanic representation this year at the Grand Slam of Darts
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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.
In his current role, Samuel works closely with editors and writers to ensure content meets clear journalistic standards, with a focus on source verification, editorial consistency, and timely updates when new, confirmed information becomes available.
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- 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
- Probably i will receive a lot of backlash and hate for this reaction, but well, so be it. I am more than sick and tired of those lies of you Barry Hearn. How dare you defend yourself over the back of Fallon’s son! He has a disability and not an illness, so let me correct that for you! I know because I have the exact same disability. I have tried to reach out to Fallon in the past, and offered her to help her and her son, because I was struggling with the same problems, and I understood the boy. I wanted him to have finally someone who understood him. However she told me that she did not want my help, and I have respected Fallon’s choice. I have never asked Fallon for money. They don’t need money in that case. I only ever wanted the best for Fallon and Rory, but I have to be honest about the situation. Fallon should tell the true story and not be forced to tell lies. I don’t hate Fallon, and I don’t begrudge or envy a single penny that she gets, but this situation/case is just not fair. I hate the lies and the dishonesty and injustice. I don’t want Fallon to be hated because there is an unfair disadvantage created. Don’t proclaim your false lies over the back of Rory! I only stand for integrity and justice. I am precisely the one who always sticks up for Fallon. And you don't, you don't give a damn about them. You were never there for them, and now you only want to save your own position! You are just trying to talk your way out of your own bad behavior at the expense of someone with a disability. And to Fallon, I don’t know if this may ever reach you, and you read it, but I want you to know I love you and I love your son Rory very much, I am sorry how things developed and went. I hope you and Harriet are still friends. I am sorry if I were too persistent to you, or you experienced it that way, but it was never my intention. Please understand I have autism as well. As Barry Hearn would say, I am only just a human being too, and I also make mistakes and misjudge things sometimes. I promise you I did everything out of the deepest love and care for you and Rory. If I were you, I should just keep all the money, only please never be dishonest or tell lies anymore for Barry Hearn, or anyone else. I hope you have the best life, and I wish nothing more than the best for you. I have always loved the two of you. Farewell.Hiddo05-11-2026
- She is a professional. If darts is her income, she is a professional. Same as Adrian Lewis, Martin Adams. A tour card just means someone can play on the PDC tour. You could even make a case that Clayton wasn't a professional (until recently I believe) because he had employment elsewhere.BandB04-11-2026
- She's technically not a professional though as she doesn't hold a pro tour card.mr-pablo04-11-2026
- Such a shame that lakeside has been reduced to this. Fantastic venue,and previously a great tournament. Not any morerick6703-11-2026
- Seems to me that the top 16 players pick and choose whatever they want to play. Good,all the money will get spread out more. They get more money from exhibitions than tournaments so let them all withdrawrick6703-11-2026
- Play all legs and the winners split the pot. Luke gets the lot of he wins them all. If your occupation is darts player you can't enter, regardless of ability.BandB01-11-2026
- I'm quite a jaded person all things considered, but to be honest I found Beat Luke Littler to be pretty entertaining. It certainly wasn't seamless, which is to be expected given the lack of precedence, but I actually think the pacing was pretty good, the production was impressive, and there was a good sense of humour and levity to it. I think it was a very ambitious undertaking but one that, for the most part, paid off. I liked the system with the four pots and I think it added to the drama and intrigue. I enjoyed seeing the diverse range of entrants and learning about their backstories. I think the interactivity was pretty clever and well-integrated. The panel was a little incoherent at times; Lee Mack shone however, and his improvisational skills were appreciated during some more awkward interstitial moments. As far as the darts is concerned, it was a shame that the format didn't allow Littler to get into full flow. You obviously don't want him to steamroll everyone but you want to feel like you're getting the full Littler package rather than seeing him struggling to get out of first gear. I will say that his leg against Jayden Walker was very impressive, but it was mostly downhill from there. The attraction revolves around Littler being this untouchable, indomitable force, yet the format doesn't really allow him to fulfil that characterisation. As for Fallon Sherrock, she was mightily impressive and deserved the victory. It is a testament to her unshakeable character that she was able to bang in a 14-darter under such mind-bending pressure. Everything that has been said about the misleading marketing is valid, though they were clear about their eligibility criteria and were able to offload the responsibility somewhat by bringing the viewers into the decision-making process in real time. What is clear though, is that Fallon played the game according to the rules, and she should not be criticised for that, much less abused. I will admit though that it is a kick in the teeth for those true amateurs who committed time and money to the course, and I would also question those who think pub players would have no chance, given that some of Littler's winning legs were dispatched in 7 visits to the board! The great thing about darts is that it isn't so much that amateurs cannot replicate the feats of brilliance pulled off by professionals of the sport, than it is that they simply cannot replicate the consistency of their output, something that this format almost entirely removes from the equation. It should also be noted that, financially, Fallon certainly stands to benefit much less in relative terms from the paycheque than would your average pub thrower, as I'm sure she nets a fair income from the lucrative exhibition circuit alone. What I do hope is that she might use this as an opportunity to really build up a head of steam heading into the new season, as it seems long overdue that she come through Q-School and really take it to the pros on a week-in week-out basis, but whatever she chooses to do, she has certainly achieved enough already for one if not several lifetimes, so who am I to dictate terms? To conclude though, I will state once again that I found Beat Luke Littler to be a pretty enjoyable evening of entertainment. I do feel for the contestants who never actually had the chance to try their luck against the world #1, although I suppose it comes with the format, but all which inevitably raises the question: will Netflix be tempted to do it all again next year? It's hard to say. Whether it would be financially viable, I can't weigh in there. One point I have been making though, and which I touched on earlier, is that the entire concept relies on a public perception that Littler is more or less unbeatable, and that certainly hasn't been the case of late. If the execs had been trying to pitch the show in recent months while Littler has seemed vulnerable, rather than when he was mopping up almost every major title on the calendar, it would certainly be a tougher sell. We will have to see in about 6 months' time whether Littler can still reliably command perception as a near-unstoppable force in darts, and then we'll have a clearer idea about whether we should expect a second helping. Even as a one-off experiment though, and with all the controversy taken into account, I still don't think they disgraced themselves by any means, and that will probably be my lingering assessment of the event when all is said and done.Deduce635801-11-2026
