“You win – and then they tell you: pack your bags!” - WDF World Championship controversy at Lakeside with players left searching for place to sleep

Two Belgian players have reached the last 16 of the WDF World Championship at the historic Lakeside venue. Yet instead of enjoying their success, both find themselves frustrated and dismayed: Francois Schweyen and Sybren Gijbels were asked to leave the tournament hotel after their victories, with “overbooking” cited as the reason.

The World Darts Federation is regarded as the second-largest organisation behind the PDC. While the standard is comparable to a “second tier”, the commitment required from players is substantial, involving months of travel across Europe to earn ranking points for the World Championship. Ultimately, 48 players qualified for Frimley Green.

Schweyen, seeded tenth, entered directly in round two and won a tense 3–2 contest against Jeffrey Sparidaans. Gijbels, originally only a reserve before Boris Krcmar withdrew, defeated Kevin Luke and Marcus Maier in succession. Belgium therefore had two players in the last 16 — an achievement that should have been a reason for celebration.

Under the WDF contract, a player’s stay is typically extended automatically following a win, but a clause in the small print states this is “subject to availability”. That availability, they were told, was no longer guaranteed.

The Lakeside Leisure Complex offers just 98 rooms, and according to Belgian ex-pro turned RTL analyst Tanguy Borra in conversation with Het Nieuwsblad, that number is insufficient for an event of this scale. Although the venue remains synonymous with legends such as Raymond van Barneveld, Martin Adams and Phil Taylor, its limited capacity now poses challenges. For players, it means disruption rather than the steady routines normally associated with a major championship.

Schweyen and Gijbels, operating with fewer financial resources than many professionals, generally book rooms only for their scheduled match day, with additional nights covered by the organisation. This time, they were required to pay out of pocket and immediately relocate.

Borra expressed his disbelief: “We are here at a World Championship. And then you treat players like this? Francois wanted simply to go home, he was so disgusted. Sybren as well.”

According to Borra, the Belgian's were far from the only competitors faced with this issue, including German players, Women's WDF World Masters champion Lorraine Hyde from Scotland, Czech player Jitka Císařová and the Dutch darter Priscilla Steenbergen. Japan’s Mikuru Suzuki reportedly arrived in the players’ area with her luggage on the evening she was due to play, having also been denied a room.

Borra is now staying, as Schweyen’s chaperone, in a hotel five kilometres away — one not even included in the WDF’s official list. “We’re looking out onto the runway. It’s not about the distance, it’s that the entire routine is disrupted. Breakfast, practice, rest – all gone.”

He suspects that rooms were reassigned to television crews. “Having to move out the entourage at this stage – fine. But not the players! That’s simply disrespectful.”