At the beginning of this year, 36 players started their (new) Tour Card period. Of this number, 31 players managed to secure a Tour Card through the Q-School, two through the Challenge Tour and two through the Development Tour. Furthermore, Luke Littler also received a Tour Card because his performance at the World Darts Championship put him inside the top-64 of the PDC Order of Merit in one fell swoop.
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The season is now about halfway through, so this is a great opportunity to review the newcomers. In this article, we name the five best newcomers on the PDC Tour.
Luke Littler
Was his final spot at the World Darts Championship a fluke, or the unburdening of an absolute growth brilliant? That was the big question after the then 16-year-old Littler unleashed a huge media storm with his performance at Alexandra Palace.
With wins over Christian Kist (3-0), Andrew Gilding (3-1), Matt Campbell (4-1), Raymond van Barneveld (4-1), Brendan Dolan (5-1) and Rob Cross (6-2), 'The Nuke' made it to the final of the World Darts Championship in sensational fashion. The ultimate end to this fairy tale was missing, as the world title went 7-4 to Luke Humphries.
Littler set a number of records in Ally Pally that will probably never and at least not soon be broken. The highest average by a rookie, the youngest player with a 100+ average, the youngest winner of a match in the first round and the youngest player in the World Darts Championship final.... These records all now stand in Littler's name.
After the World Darts Championship, Littler continued to hit the ground running. Just two weeks later, the teenage sensation won the Bahrain Darts Masters by defeating Michael van Gerwen in the final. En route to the final, Littler also threw a nine-darter, also becoming the youngest player ever with a nine-darter at a television tournament.
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Subsequently, the now 17-year-old Littler also won the first Players Championship tournament and the first Euro Tour tournament of the season. At both tournaments, Littler was again good for a nine-darter. At the end of April, Littler recorded his second Euro Tour final victory. His biggest success, however, came in the month of May. 'The Nuke' brilliantly qualified for the playoffs of the Premier League Darts and during the final night Littler struck hard by winning the Premier League final and taking his first major. And you guessed it; Littler also threw a nine darter in this final.
So the counter already stands at five titles in 2024, and we are only halfway through the season. 'The Nuke' is no doubt going to add a few more titles to his already impressive list in the coming months.
Dom Taylor
A number of times Dom Taylor has been very close to winning a PDC Tour Card, but this year the 26-year-old dart player from Bristol, England, finally hit the ground running. Taylor, no relation to darts legend Phil Taylor, was already allowed to compete on the PDC Pro Tour a few times last year when he was asked to take part in a number of Players Championship tournaments as a substitute via Challenge Tour.
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Even then he did not do a bad job, because in his nine substitute appearances Taylor did not lose a single time in the first round and once the Englishman even reached the semifinals. This year, "The Tower" apparently needed some time to get going, because during the first five Players Championship tournaments of the season, Taylor lost four times in the first round. In the last nine Players Championship tournaments, this happened only once.
He also managed to advance four times and has already played three Euro Tour tournaments, with Taylor making it past the first round each time. With already 25,250 pounds in his pocket, things will have to get very strange if he does not make his debut at Alexandra Palace later this year.
Jeffrey de Graaf
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We had lost track of Jeffrey de Graaf a bit in recent years, but by now it's safe to say that De Graaf is better than ever. He returned to the World Darts Championship after a four-year absence and, after six consecutive first-round defeats, finally managed to record his first World Cup victory. After fine victories over Ritchie Edhouse (3-2) and Jose de Sousa (3-1), the Swedish Dutchman had to acknowledge his superiority to Rob Cross (4-2) at the last 32, which is absolutely no shame.
It did not earn him a Tour Card and it looked like De Graaf was not going to win one at the Q-School. However, after a thrilling final day in Hildesheim, he picked up a Tour Card by winning the last tournament.
In the first five Players Championship tournaments of the season De Graaf lost each time in the first round. At Players Championship 6 he survived the first round, after which De Graaf picked up the pace. The absolute highlight was a final spot at Players Championship 10, while De Graaf also reached the last sixteen at the Euro Tour tournament in Rosmalen. He also reached the quarterfinals of the World Cup of Darts together with compatriot Oskar Lukasiak.
De Graaf can still qualify for the World Darts Championship this year through the Nordic & Baltic Tour. The 33-year-old dart player is currently leading that ranking. Should De Graaf forfeit a top-2 ranking on the Nordic & Baltic Tour, he may still be able to fall back on his Pro Tour ranking to make another appearance at the World Darts Championship.
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Wessel Nijman
In 2020, Nijman was well on his way to a Tour Card and a World's spot via the Development Tour, but a match-fixing case halted his career for nearly three years. He was allowed to return to the PDC circuit in 2023 and once again did well on the PDC's youth circuit. Nijman made his debut at the World Darts Championship in December and also earned a Tour Card for 2024 and 2025 through the Development Tour.
On the Pro Tour, Nijman is doing extremely well for now. The 24-year-old Dutchman reached the last 32 twice on the Euro Tour, four times the last 32 at Players Championship tournaments and once even reached the last sixteen at a Players Championship tournament.
Of particular note is the consistent level Nijman shows. Nijman has a season average of 94.51, a number surpassed by only twenty players. For example, Nijman's season average is higher than those of James Wade (94.45), Nathan Aspinall (94.29), Dimitri van den Bergh (94.07), Gian van Veen (93.99) and Raymond van Barneveld (93.82).
We can quietly assume that we will see Nijman back at the World Darts Championship in December. Either through the Pro Tour, or else through the Development Tour, where he is currently in second place.
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Andy Baetens
Winning a Lakeside title creates expectations heading into the Q-School. Andy Baetens was considered one of the big favorites for a Tour Card, but experienced two disappointing opening days during the final stage of the Q-School. However, 'The Beast' fired away on the third day of play and captured the day's victory to immediately secure entry to the lucrative Pro Tour circuit.
Baetens is doing well on the Pro Tour, although the Belgian has not yet managed to really make it to the final stage of a tournament. He does collect prize money quite often, which has already earned him 17,500 pounds on the Pro Tour.
Baetens has twice reached the last sixteen of a Players Championship tournament and twice participated in a Euro Tour tournament, each time finishing in the second round. Baetens has now virtually qualified for the World Darts Championship, but will have to work hard in the coming months to make his debut at Alexandra Palace later this year.
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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