Charlie Manby, Mervyn King and Jimmy van Schie among final Tour Card winners at Qualifying School
Charlie Manby, Mervyn King and Jimmy van Schie were among the notable names to secure coveted Tour Cards on the final day of 2026 PDC Qualifying School.
Following seven days of competition, 2026 Qualifying School reached its climax in both Milton Keynes and Kalkar on Sunday.
Rising star Manby, who reached the Last 16 on his World Championship debut last month, secured an automatic two-year Tour Card courtesy of a series of superb displays on the final day at Arena MK.
The 20-year-old overcame darting icons Steve Beaton and Mervyn King in the process and also defied a late onslaught from Matthew Dennant to triumph in a dramatic second round decider, while his best performance of the day saw him average 102.8 in overcoming Daniel Ayres.
Elsewhere, Coventry-born star Price joined Manby in claiming a spot on the PDC circuit courtesy of an astonishing run on Sunday.
The 32-year-old only began his Final Stage campaign on Day Three after missing out on automatic qualification, but he produced a series of terrific displays to break new ground.
Price denied George Killington in a decider before averaging 102 in victory over Derek Coulson, which he backed up by dumping out former World Youth Champion Arron Monk.
Following a 6-3 success against Stephen Burton in the last eight, Price then edged out Lewis Pride in a nail-biting winner-takes-all showdown, surviving a match dart at the bull in the decider.
Dutch duo De Zwaan and Lap were the automatic qualifiers in Kalkar, as former World Matchplay semi-finalist De Zwaan returns to the ProTour circuit after relinquishing his Tour Card in December 2024.
The 29-year-old prevailed in a trio of deciding-leg tussles on German soil, denying Daniel Klose and Swedish star Andreas Harrysson, before defying a 104 average from Pascal Rupprecht to seal the deal.
De Zwaan rounded off his campaign with a 6-2 success against 17-year-old German Mika Donnevert, which afforded Rupprecht a reprieve and ensured he reclaimed his Tour Card via the European Qualifying School Order of Merit.
Lap, meanwhile, will become the latest Dutchman to feature on the professional circuit, following wins over PDC Nordic & Baltic Champion Teemu Harju and 2024 World Youth Championship runner-up Jurjen van der Velde.
This set up a decisive tussle against Croatian ace Boris Krcmar, and it was Lap who emerged victorious after surviving match darts in the penultimate leg of the contest.
There were a further eight Tour Cards distributed via the European Qualifying School Rankings List, with reigning WDF champion Van Schie securing top spot on 12 points.
Van Schie’s compatriot Chris Landman secured an immediate return to the ProTour with a second-place finish, with newcomer Marvin Kraft set to join his fellow German Rupprecht on the professional circuit in 2026.
Benjamin Pratnemer made history by becoming the first Slovenian to claim a PDC Tour Card, while Czechia’s former UK Open semi-finalist Adam Gawlas and Dutch star Merkx confirmed their returns.
Elsewhere, former World Youth Championship runner-up Van der Velde will become a fully fledged member of the ProTour circuit in 2026/27, as he aims to build on his impressive performances over the last 18 months.
There were a further five Tour Cards allocated to players from the UK Qualifying School Rankings List, with three-time World Championship qualifier Burton boasting a four-point cushion at the top of the rankings.
Former World Master King was another high-profile name to earn a Tour Card in Milton Keynes, despite his defeat to Manby in the Last Four.
King – a six-time televised finalist in the PDC – finished in second spot, just ahead of talented youngster Tyler Thorpe – a winner on the Development Tour last September.
The remaining two places were claimed by Republic of Ireland’s Stephen Rosney and Scotland’s David Sharp, both of whom will compete on the PDC ProTour for the first time in their respective careers.
Beaton and Ireland’s former World Cup runner-up Steve Lennon were amongst the players to narrowly miss out on Tour Cards at UK Qualifying School, while Sweden’s Harrysson – who reached the Last 16 on his World Championship debut last month – was denied via legs difference in Kalkar.
Former Grand Slam champion Jose de Sousa was beaten in the quarter-finals at European Qualifying School as he fell short in his bid for an immediate ProTour return, as Italy’s Michele Turetta and Krcmar missed out by one point apiece.
Welshman Derek Coulson agonisingly missed out on a first-time Tour Card in the UK by just one leg following a Last 32 defeat on Sunday which saw him squander multiple darts at doubles to seal the deal.
UK Qualifying School – Tour Card Winners
Automatic
Rhys Griffin (Day 1)
Adam Leek (Day 1)
Carl Sneyd (Day 2)
Niall Culleton (Day 2)
Tom Sykes (Day 3)
Shane McGuirk (Day 3)
Charlie Manby (Day 4)
Samuel Price (Day 4)
Order of Merit
Stephen Burton
Mervyn King
Tyler Thorpe
Stephen Rosney
David Sharp
European Qualifying School – Tour Card Winners
Automatic
Filip Bereza (Day 1)
Arno Merk (Day 1)
Jeffrey Sparidaans (Day 2)
Cristo Reyes (Day 2)
Matthias Ehlers (Day 3)
Yorick Hofkens (Day 3)
Jeffrey De Zwaan (Day 4)
Sietse Lap (Day 4)
Order of Merit
Jimmy van Schie
Chris Landman
Marvin Kraft
Benjamin Pratnemer
Adam Gawlas
Jurjen van der Velde
Alexander Merkx
Pascal Rupprecht
