Rhys Griffin, Adam Leek, Arno Merk and Filip Bereza secured the first four PDC Tour Cards at 2026 Qualifying School on Thursday, after coming through their respective fields in the UK and Europe, with the Final Stage commencing in Milton Keynes and Kalkar, Germany.
The opening three days of 2026 PDC Qualifying School saw players battle it out in Stage One to secure spots into the Final Stage, with 96 automatic places given out, 48 in each field, with the remaining spots going to players via their respective Order of Merit’s, which was built up on winning games and picking up points.
The final stage sees the two finalists from each days play in each venue earn PDC Tour Cards. After the final day the remaining 13 cards will be split between the venues and awarded to those who finish highest on the respective Orders of Merit.
UK Q School
Griffin, who lost his Tour Card at the end of 2025, regained it at the first time of asking, as the Welshman recorded victories on the day against Kelvin O’Keefe, Shane McGuirk, Steve Lennon, Harry Ward, Derek Coulsen and a 6-0 whitewash victory against Former Grand Slam Champion Scott Waites in his decider.
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Australia’s Adam Leek was the other automatic Tour Card winner on Day One, with the Adelaide-born star recording victories on the day against Jonathan Kavanagh, Dylan Slevin, Nathan Potter, Aden Kirk, Steve Beaton and a 6-5 victory against Tyler Thorpe in his decider to secure two-years on the PDC circuit for the first time in his career.
The day also saw a second nine-dart finish of the 2026 Q School hit by Englishman Martin Grearson during his second-round defeat against Mervyn King.
European Q School
Germany’s Arno Merk, who reached the Third Round of the recent PDC World Darts Championship, secured a two-year Tour Card for the first time in his career, as the 33-year-old recorded victories on the day against Danny Jansen, Romeo Grbavac, Mylo Michiels, Jeffrey Keen, Damian Mol and Jeffrey Sparidaans in his decider, surviving multiple match darts in a 6-5 win against the Dutchman.
Alongside Merk, Poland’s Filip Bereza also secured a two-year Tour Card for the first time, as he recorded victories against Michael Hurtz, Peter Keleman, Michael Unterbuchner, Marcel Otter, Maikel Verberk and Jeffrey De Zwaan, to join his trio of compatriots in Krzysztof Ratajski, Sebastian Bialecki and Tytus Kanik on the PDC circuit.
2026 PDC Qualifying School continues on Friday, in the UK and Europe, as Day Two of the Final Stage takes place, with two automatic Tour Cards up for grabs at each Q School. Play will commence at 13:00 CET in Europe and 12:00 GMT in the UK. All live scores and results can be viewed at tv.dartconnect.com
THE PDC Q-SCHOOL: How to win a Pro Tour golden ticket
2026 UK Qualifying School
Thursday 8th January
Final Stage( Day One)
Last 16
Scott Waites 6-5 Jarred Cole
Stephen Rosney 6-1 Sam Spivey
Derek Coulsen 6-0 John Henderson
Rhys Griffin 6-5 Harry Ward
Steve Beaton 6-4 Thomas Cromwell
Adam Leek 6-5 Aden Kirk
Jack Aldridge 6-2 Jamie Hughes
Tyler Thorpe 6-1 Jenson Walker
Quarter Finals
Scott Waites 6-5 Stephen Rosney
Rhys Griffin 6-2 Derek Coulsen
Adam Leek 6-5 Steve Beaton
Tyler Thorpe 6-1 Jack Aldridge
Semi Finals
Rhys Griffin 6-0 Scott Waites
Adam Leek 6-5 Tyler Thorpe
2026 European Qualifying School
Final Stage (Day One)
Last 16
Jeffrey Sparidaans 6-1 Ron Meulenkamp
Andreas Harrysson 6-3 Adam Sevada
Damian Mol 6-4 Jimmy Van Schie
Arno Merk 6-4 Jeffrey Keen
Maikel Verberk 6-1 Adam Gawlas
Filip Bereza 6-2 Marcel Otter
Jeffrey De Zwaan 6-2 Bjorn Quoiffy
Benjamin Pratnemer 6-5 Ricardo Ulrich
Quarter Finals
Jeffrey Sparidaans 6-2 Andreas Harrysson
Arno Merk 6-5 Damian Mol
Filip Bereza 6-3 Maikel Verberk
Jeffrey De Zwaan 6-1 Benjamin Pratnemer
Semi Finals
Arno Merk 6-5 Jeffrey Sparidaans
Filip Bereza 6-5 Jeffrey De Zwaan
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