Ten spots remain for the 2026 Grand Slam of Darts, and some serious talent has to fight through Friday’s tour-card holder qualifier to get in. Even with the qualification field expanding to 48 players this year, the unique process that rewards title winners and major successes from the last 12 months has left some top names on the outside looking in, forcing them to battle it out at the last minute.
Top Seeds Battling for Wolverhampton
Stephen Bunting, despite being in the Premier League for a second straight season, hasn’t secured any titles or major runs in the past year to automatically qualify. Now, he enters the tour-card holder qualifier as the top seed, giving him a quality shot at returning to Wolverhampton, but he absolutely needs to pick up some wins first. Remember, he was a semifinalist back in 2023, but last year he didn’t even make it out of the group stage. Talk about a shot at redemption if he can make it through on Friday.
Right behind Bunting is Danny Noppert, the second-highest ranked player on the Main Order of Merit (#10 overall) who still needs a spot. Last year’s Grand Slam was one of several majors where Noppert had a semifinal run. He had a couple of real chances to qualify this year, making it to the final on the European Tour twice, but he just couldn’t seal the deal those times. Now, it all comes down to Friday.
The Fight for Survival: Heta, Van Duijvenbode, and More
Dirk van Duijvenbode, known as DVD, also had a couple of close calls for an automatic spot. He could have clinched it if he’d made the final at the Matchplay, and he also had a final run at a floor event. With Martin Lukeman as the other seed in his qualifier draw on Friday, DVD’s chances look pretty good if the bracket plays out in his favor.
Damon Heta’s best shot at making the event this year was when he had a final run at a floor event. He also made a few semifinal runs on the Euro Tour. Now he faces Mickey Mansell, the other seed in his qualifier bracket, as he battles for his spot on Friday. Besides these key players, a loaded field of others are also fighting for those precious remaining spots, including William O’Connor, Daryl Gurney, Dave Chisnall, Joe Cullen, Mike De Decker, Niko Springer, Peter Wright, Michael Smith, and Ricardo Pietreczko.
Friday’s qualifier is the final hurdle for these talented players. With only ten spots up for grabs, every throw, every match, is going to be absolutely massive. Who will step up and punch their ticket to the 2026 Grand Slam of Darts? We’re about to find out!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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