As the gates creak open on the brutal, merciless, soul-testing furnace that is the 2026 PDC Q-School, the darting community once again braces itself for a week where dreams are either reforged in fire or reduced to ash. Across Milton Keynes in the UK and German venue Kalkar, hundreds will already be hacking their way through the opening-stage jungle – but elsewhere, a select band waits in the shadows.
These are the exempt operators. The ones spared the opening bloodbath. Rested. Watching. Calculating. Knowing full well that exemption does not guarantee salvation – it merely delays judgement.
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Here, Darts World turns its lens toward some of the most recognisable names poised to enter the final-stage arena, where margins are microscopic and failure is terminal.
UK FINAL STAGE – ONES TO WATCH
Jack Tweddell: Freshly crowned ADC Global Champion, Tweddell arrives with momentum roaring like a tailwind. His dramatic triumph over Jonny Haines at the MODUS Live Lounge has already made 2026 feel like a breakthrough year. Now comes the next ascent. The Swindon man knows this is the gateway from respected amateur force to weekly combat with the elite. Confidence? Abundant. Pressure? Immense.
Charlie Manby: Still glowing from a fairytale debut at Alexandra Palace, Manby arrives armed with belief bordering on bravado. A stellar Development Tour campaign was followed by a last-16 World Championship run featuring scalps such as Cameron Menzies, Adam Sevada and Ricky Evans, before eventual finalist Gian van Veen finally closed the door. At just 20, Manby feels less like a prospect and more like an inevitability.
Scott Waites: Experience. Pedigree. And unfinished business. One of only two former PDC TV major champions in the entire Q-School field, Waites still harbours ambitions of a second act. Averaging just shy of 90 on last year’s Pro Tour shows the engine still runs – even if the gears didn’t quite mesh often enough to stay aboard. Never discount a former Grand Slam winner when silverware is within theoretical reach.
Ted Evetts: Once the golden boy. Then the lost one. Now, perhaps, the reborn. A former World Youth Champion who never fully capitalised on early glory, Evetts has spent the last year rebuilding piece by piece. His third-place finish on the Challenge Tour was agonisingly close to automatic redemption. If “Super Ted” finds the version of himself that once dominated his peers, this could be the week professional status is reclaimed.
EUROPEAN FINAL STAGE – ONES TO WATCH
José de Sousa: Once feared. Once revered. Once among the elite. The former Grand Slam champion’s fall from grace has been stark, but the echoes of his prime still linger. A sub-90 Pro Tour average last season tells only half the story; so does a triple-figure tally of maximums that once flowed like water. If “The Special One” reconnects with the ruthless finisher he used to be, Kalkar could witness resurrection.
Andreas Harrysson: Momentum personified. Harrysson floats into Germany on the back of history – the first Swede to reach the World Championship last 16. That run wasn’t a fluke. Topping the PDC Nordic & Baltic Tour secured his Ally Pally ticket, and victims such as Ross Smith and Ricardo Pietreczko can attest to his danger. On his day, Dirty Harry is a demolition job waiting to happen.
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Adam Sevada: If North America is to produce another Tour Card holder this year, many believe Sevada is the best bet. A dominant CDC Tour campaign – including an unprecedented run of four consecutive titles – showcased his ceiling. The tools are there. The question is whether sustained elite opposition can sharpen them further. A strong Q-School could change everything.
Andy Baetens: Belgium’s World Championship campaign was bleak, but Baetens emerged with dignity intact. Pushing Dirk van Duijvenbode to a final-set decider reminded everyone of the class beneath the surface. A former Lakeside Champion does not forget how to win. If consistency joins pedigree, this could mark a return to the big stage.
UK Final Stage Exempt Players (full list)
- Ted Evetts
- Mervyn King
- Jack Tweddell
- Sam Spivey
- Scott Waites
- Scott Campbell
- Carl Sneyd
- Graham Hall
- Lee Cocks
- Joe Hunt
- Charlie Manby
- Ryan Branley
- James Beeton
- Jenson Walker
- Patrik Williams
- Nathan Potter
- Henry Coates
- Tyler Thorpe
- Fallon Sherrock
- Devon Petersen
- Darren Beveridge
- Steve Lennon
- Matthew Dennant
- Dylan Slevin
- Adam Hunt
- Jim Williams
- Rhys Griffin
- Robert Grundy
- Nathan Rafferty
- William Borland
- Brett Claydon
- George Killington
- Stephen Burton
EU Final Stage Exempt Players (full list)
- Michael Unterbuchner
- Alexander Merkx
- Danny van Trijp
- Jamai van den Herik
- Jurjen van der Velde
- Adam Gawlas
- Jannis Barkhausen
- Adam Sevada
- Jesus Salate
- Ben Robb
- Tomoya Goto
- Andreas Harrysson
- Levy Frauenfelder
- Bradly Roes
- Chris Landman
- Florian Hempel
- Andy Baetens
- Jose de Sousa
- Patrick Geeraets
- Jitse Van der Wal
- Radek Szaganski
- Jelle Klaasen
- Martijn Dragt
- Danny Lauby
- Benjamin Reus
- Michele Turetta
- Mario Vandenbogaerde
- Matt Campbell
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