Tour Card Holder PDC World Darts Championship qualifying tournament draw - Which five players will prevail and qualify for Alexandra Palace?
PDC
Today is the last chance for all tour card holders to secure a PDC World Darts Championship ticket after all. Five starting places will be awarded.
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Florian Hempel enters the tournament as the number one seed. Due to his world ranking, he will not enter the tournament until the quarter-finals, where he will face Robert Grundy. The German, who has won at least one match in every World Championship he had competed in, is in danger of losing his Tour Crad if he cannot qualify.
In section two, Robert Owen is the big name. After a surprising run last year which managed to help him keep his Tour Card for another year, he may need something similar to occur this year. He faces a tricky test in Kai Gotthardt in his opening clash. Recent Players Championship finalist Dennie Olde Kalter will take on Radek Szaganski in the round-of-16 with Adam Hunt, Thomas Lovely and Nathan Rafferty the British involvement in this section.
Section three boasts Stephen Burton who is also in dire need of a ticket to Ally Pally for his chances of retaining his Tour Card. His draw also features the likes of former World Championship participant Berry van Peer and Maik Kuivenhoven who missed out in qualification by a mere £500. William Borland headlines section four. The Scot would be a popular return to the Palace after his nine-dart heroics a few years back. Jim Williams, Greg Ritchie and Rhys Griffin all challenge for a ticket.
A couple of years ago, Jose de Sousa competing in the qualifier for the World Darts Championship would seem crazy, Now, it is reality. The former Grand Slam of Darts champion faces Rusty-Jake Rodriguez in his quarter-final clash. Other notable names he may need to get past are Christian Kist, who pinned a perfect leg last year, George Killington and Dylan Slevin.
Who will get the last five free starting places for the World Darts Championship?
World Championship section 1:
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| Round of sixteen | ||
| Tom Bissell | vs | Darryl Pilgrim |
| Quarterfinals | ||
| Florian Hempel | vs | Robert Grundy |
| Benjamin Reus | vs | Martijn Dragt |
| Patrick Geeraets | vs | Jim Long |
| Tavis Dudeney | vs | Bissell/Pilgrim |
| Habfinale | ||
| Hempel/Grundy | vs | Reus/Dragt |
| Geeraets/Long | vs | Dudeney/Bissell/Pilgrim |
| Final | ||
| Hempel/Grundy/Reus/Dragt | vs | Geeraets/Long/Dudeney/Bissell/Pilgrim |
World Championship qualifier section 2:
| Round of sixteen | ||
| Dennie Olde Kalter | vs | Radek Szaganski |
| Quarterfinals | ||
| Rob Owen | vs | Kai Gotthardt |
| Tytus Kanik | vs | Nathan Rafferty |
| Adam Hunt | vs | Maximilian Czerwinski |
| Thomas Lovely | vs | Kalter/Szaganski |
| Semifinal | ||
| Owen/Gotthardt | vs | Kanik/Rafferty |
| Hunt/Czerwinski | vs | Kalter/Szaganski/Owen |
| Final | ||
| Owen/Gotthardt/Kanik/Rafferty | vs | Hunt/Czerwinski/Kalter/Szaganski/Owen |
World Championship qualifier section 3:
| Round of sixteen | ||
| Adam Warner | vs | Jitse van der Wal |
| Quarterfinals | ||
| Stephen Burton | vs | Adam Paxton |
| Marvin van Velzen | vs | Leon Weber |
| Berry van Peer | vs | Maik Kuivenhoven |
| Joshua Richardson | vs | Warner/van der Wal |
| Semifinal | ||
| Burton/Paxton | vs | van Velzen/Weber |
| van Peer/Kuivenhoven | vs | Richardson/Warner/van der Wal |
| Final | ||
| Burton/Paxton/van Velzen/Weber | vs | van Peer/Kuivenhoven/Richardson/Warner/der Wal |
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World Championship qualifier section 4:
| Round of sixteen | ||
| Jelle Klaasen | vs | Danny Lauby |
| Quarterfinals | ||
| Jim Williams | vs | Brett Claydon |
| William Borland | vs | Michele Turetta |
| Rhys Griffin | vs | Haupai Puha |
| Greg Ritchie | vs | Klaasen/Lauby |
| Semifinal | ||
| Williams/Claydon | vs | Borland/Turetta |
| Griffin/Puha | vs | Ritchie/Klaasen/Lauby |
| Final | ||
| Williams/Claydon/Borland/Turetta | vs | Griffin/Puha/Ritchie/Klaasen/Lauby |
World Championship qualifier section 5:
| Quarterfinals | ||
| Dylan Slevin | vs | Viktor Tingstrom |
| George Killington | vs | Andy Boulton |
| Jose de Sousa | vs | Rusty-Jake Rodriguez |
| Christian Kist | vs | Pero Ljibic |
| Semifinal | ||
| Slevin/Tingstrom | vs | Killington/Boulton |
| De Sousa/Rodriguez | vs | Kist/Ljubic |
| Final | ||
| Slevin/Tingstrom/Killington/Boulton | vs | De Sousa/Rodriguez/Kist/Ljubic |
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.
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- 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
- 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