The race to qualify for the 2026 BOYLE Sports World Grand Prix concludes this weekend, as the Flanders Darts Trophy (ET13) takes place in Antwerp. The 2026 European Tour season continues at the Antwerp Expo from September 11-13, as 48 players compete for the £35,000 top prize on Belgian soil. This weekend’s event represents the […]
The race to qualify for the 2026 BOYLE Sports World Grand Prix concludes this weekend, as the Flanders Darts Trophy (ET13) takes place in Antwerp.
The 2026 European Tour season continues at the Antwerp Expo from September 11-13, as 48 players compete for the £35,000 top prize on Belgian soil.
This weekend’s event represents the final opportunity for players to secure their spot at the World Grand Prix, which will be held in Leicester from September 28-October 4.
The top 16 players from the Werner Rankings Ladder will qualify for the double-start event at the Mattioli Arena, where they will be joined by the 16 top-performing players from the ProTour rankings.
World number one Luke Littler will be aiming to go back-to-back in the East Midlands, as he continues his pursuit of a clean sweep of Premier televised titles in 2026.
2023 champion Luke Humphries – who has featured in each of the last three World Grand Prix finals – will also headline, alongside Dutch number one Gian van Veen.
Six-time champion Michael van Gerwen is also set to star, alongside two-time winner James Wade and Welsh duo Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton, who celebrated double-start glory in 2020 and 2021 respectively.
Scottish icon Gary Anderson – a World Grand Prix runner-up in 2016 – will make his 17th appearance in the double-start event, with 2022 finalist Nathan Aspinall set to complete the seeded representatives.
Baltic Sea Darts Open winner Luke Woodhouse will lead the 16 ProTour qualifiers, as Dutch star Kevin Doets prepares to make his debut following his exploits over the last year.
William O’Connor is poised to make his first World Grand Prix appearance in over a decade, with 2017/18 World Champion Rob Cross and Australian number one Damon Heta also returning to the Mattioli Arena.
Dirk van Duijvenbode – a World Grand Prix runner-up in 2020 – will be aiming to continue his resurgence in Leicester, with his compatriot Niels Zonneveld also in line for a double-start debut.
Two-time finalist Dave Chisnall and German newcomer Niko Springer are poised to make up the 16 ProTour qualifiers, with Joe Cullen and Sebastian Bialecki occupying the final two provisional qualification places.
Bialecki leads Spanish star Cristo Reyes by just £500 heading into this weekend’s action, with both players set to feature in Antwerp.
However, with Reyes set to earn £2,000 by virtue of coming through July’s Tour Card Holder Qualifier, Bialecki will miss out on a place in Leicester if he suffers an opening round defeat.
Poland’s number two will take on Kim Huybrechts in a pivotal round one tie, after the Belgian received a late call-up to the event via the Reserve List.
Huybrechts trails Bialecki by a mere £1,000 ahead of their showdown on Friday, therefore victory could propel him into the provisional qualification places at Bialecki and Reyes’ expense.
German number one Martin Schindler and Czechia’s premier player Karel Sedlacek are £5,000 and £6,000 adrift of the cut-off respectively, while Beau Greaves must reach the final or lift the title in Antwerp in order to qualify.
Jeffrey de Graaf, Mickey Mansell, Gabriel Clemens and Brendan Dolan also remain in contention, although their only chance of qualification relies on them winning the Flanders Darts Trophy.
The table below displays the latest standings in the race to the 2026 BOYLE Sports World Grand Prix, which will take place at Leicester’s Mattioli Arena from from September 28-October 4, televised live on Sky Sports and through the PDC’s global broadcast partners.
