Following two gruelling afternoons of Players Championship darts action in Wigan, attention swiftly pivoted toward European Tour qualification, with ten coveted places on offer for the upcoming events in Riesa and Kiel.
After the opening qualifier, a quartet of players secured their maiden appearances of the season on the continental circuit. The English triumvirate of Bradley Brooks, Tom Bissell and Charlie Manby all navigated a fiercely competitive field with commendable composure to book their spots in Riesa. They were joined by Dutchman Jeffrey Sparidaans, who will also grace the Euro Tour stage for the first time this year.
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Once again, Kim Huybrechts and Cristo Reyes impressed during qualification. Aside from the opening two events in Kraków and Göttingen, the Belgian has consistently stamped his passport for subsequent tournaments, reaching the third round in both of his Euro Tour appearances to date. Reyes, meanwhile, continues to assemble an increasingly admirable qualification record this season.
Completing the ten successful qualifiers from Robin Park for Riesa are Chris Landman, Madars Razma, Keane Barry and Connor Scutt. Within that quartet, only Barry has managed to secure qualification on three occasions from seven attempts, while the others have each achieved the feat twice.
Reyes Doubles Up For Baltic Sea Darts Open
With another wave of hopefuls entering the fray for the Baltic Sea Darts Open qualifier, many harboured ambitions of achieving a lucrative double in Wigan on Wednesday. However, upon revisiting proceedings just hours later, that aspiration proved unattainable.
Indeed, among those who secured passage to Riesa, only Reyes came close to completing the double – falling at the final hurdle in the second one.
In the Baltic Sea Darts Open qualifier, three players ensured their maiden Euro Tour appearances of the season. Somewhat surprisingly – particularly in light of his mesmerising recent World Championship exploits – Justin Hood booked his long-awaited return to this particular stage. After narrowly missing out on the opening seven events, the Somerset thrower will now feature in Kiel next month.
The afternoon also marked the forthcoming Euro Tour debut of reigning Lakeside champion Jimmy van Schie. Since acquiring his Tour Card, the Dutchman has yet to progress beyond a board final on the Players Championship circuit and will be eager for Kiel to ignite his campaign. There was also cause for celebration for Max Hopp, who will make his Euro Tour bow of the year on home soil.
Two-time PDC major winner Dimitri Van den Bergh came agonisingly close to breaking his Euro Tour duck for 2026, only to be denied by James Hurrell. The Belgian relinquished a 4-3 advantage as Hillbilly surged through three consecutive legs to snatch the Kiel qualification spot.
Recent Pro Tour runner-up Alan Soutar also progressed, securing his place in Graz next month and, a fortnight later, Germany, courtesy of his exploits. Lukas Wenig and Ricky Evans share identical trajectories this season, both having featured in the European Darts Trophy and Belgian Darts Open earlier in the year, with Kiel marking their third Euro Tour appearance.
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Young Polish prodigy Sebastian Bialecki now boasts a 50% success rate in Euro Tour qualifiers this season, converting four of eight attempts. At the opposite end of the experience spectrum, Ian White mirrors that record. The 55-year-old veteran, who debuted on the European circuit in its inaugural year of 2012, has three titles to his name and will undoubtedly be eager to add a fourth. Rounding off the Kiel qualifiers is Jeffrey de Zwaan, for whom the Baltic Sea Darts Open will represent his third Euro Tour outing of the campaign.
Below is a list of all PDC Tour Card qualifiers for each upcoming event.
INTERNATIONAL DARTS OPEN (ET7)
22-24 May (Riesa, Germany)
Chris Landman (NED)
Bradley Brooks (ENG)
Tom Bissell (ENG)
Kim Huybrechts (BEL)
Jeffrey Sparidaans (NED)
Madars Razma (LTA)
Keane Barry (IRE)
Charlie Manby (ENG)
Cristo Reyes (ESP)
Connor Scutt (ENG)
BALTIC SEA DARTS OPEN (ET8)
29-31 May (Kiel, Germany)
Alan Soutar (SCO)
Max Hopp (GER)
Ricky Evans (ENG)
Lukas Wenig (GER)
James Hurrell (ENG)
Jeffrey De Zwaan (NED)
Jimmy van Schie (NED)
Justin Hood (ENG)
Ian White (ENG)
Sebastian Bialecki (POL)
—–ENDS—–
Images: PDC
