Michael van Gerwen has secured his place at the Grand Slam of Darts later this year after reaching the final of the World Cup of Darts 2026 with Gian van Veen for the Netherlands. The qualification criteria for the Grand Slam state that every player who reaches a final at a TV tournament is automatically entered, and the World Cup final counts. According to Vincent van der Voort, speaking on the Darts Draait Door podcast, this is a welcome boost for Van Gerwen given his ranking situation.
Van der Voort called the qualification “a big relief” for Van Gerwen, but also labelled the rule “unfair”. “One hundred percent,” he said. “Not unimportant of course, it’s the easiest way to get that spot.” Podcast host Damian Vlottes argued it is understandable that players take advantage of the rule while it exists. “A huge weight falls off his shoulders. You don’t want to have to play a qualifier for a tournament like that when you’re at the top of the world, do you?”
Van Gerwen earned his spot by helping the Netherlands reach the final with convincing wins over Sweden, Germany, and Northern Ireland. In the final, England’s super pair of Luke Littler and Luke Humphries proved too strong, winning 10-5. Van der Voort praised Van Gerwen’s performance: “But he earned it himself too. I thought he played very well.”
For Van Gerwen, certainty of playing the Grand Slam is hugely important. The Dutchman has a lot of prize money to defend this autumn and could drop significantly on the world rankings at the end of the year. With Grand Slam participation secured, he will at least have a guaranteed chance to pick up some prize money there.
