James Wade captured the Flanders Darts Trophy with an 8-4 victory over Ross Smith in Antwerp, ending a European Tour title drought that stretched back more than a decade. The win marked his second title in as many PDC stage appearances, following his triumph in Wollongong just weeks earlier, and immediately sparked fresh discussion about a possible return to the Premier League Darts lineup for 2027.
Wade's path to the title included a 6-5 third-round win over Rob Cross, a 6-0 quarter-final whitewash of Danny Noppert, and a 7-4 semi-final victory over Damon Heta. In the final, he fended off Smith, who was competing in his fourth European Tour final in his last nine appearances and fell short of a third triumph. Nicolas Gayer, Editor for DartsNews.DE, wrote: "Are we witnessing the twelfth spring of one of the greatest darts players of all time? Oh, I think we are! James Wade has finally put an end to one of the great anomalies in darts, lifting a European Tour trophy again after a wait of more than ten years." Gayer added: "I am calling it now: James Wade will return to the Premier League in 2027 after a five-year absence. His position as world number six alone already makes him extremely difficult to overlook."
Gian van Veen also impressed in Antwerp, reaching the semi-finals with victories over Gabriel Clemens, Kevin Doets and Chris Dobey before missing two match darts against Smith in a 7-6 defeat. Gayer noted that Van Veen had made an adjustment to his stance at the oche, saying: "Given van Veen's health issues earlier this year, it would hardly be surprising if something similar had happened to him. Perhaps the world number three has now found a crucial piece of the puzzle." Damon Heta's run was equally notable, overcoming Beau Greaves, Michael van Gerwen and Nathan Aspinall, with all three victories coming in deciding legs, before falling to Wade. Samuel Gill, Head Editor for DartsNews.com, wrote that Ross Smith, alongside Wade and perhaps Wessel Nijman, "could create selection headaches for the Premier League."
The battle for the final World Grand Prix places proved less dramatic. Joe Cullen and Cristo Reyes both suffered opening-match defeats, but Cullen did enough to claim the final ticket as players immediately below him were also knocked out early. The most dramatic match of the weekend was Sebastian Bialecki against Kim Huybrechts, effectively a play-off for a single World Grand Prix spot. Huybrechts fought back to 5-5 and earned chances to win, but missed six match darts, allowing Bialecki to take the opportunity. Mats Leering, Editor for DartsNieuws.com, said: "For me, that was the match of the weekend." Huybrechts has not competed at the World Grand Prix since 2022, and no Belgian representatives will be in Leicester.
Belgian darts itself came under scrutiny, with speculation over the uncertain future of the Flanders Darts Trophy and the possibility that European Tour events in Belgium could be slashed in half. Lucas Michael, Editor for DartsNews.com, wrote: "Belgium darts is not flourishing and is in a downward spiral that will have big implications for the sport impacting them. Nevertheless, they are much more deserving of a European Tour event than France." Michael also noted that Antwerp now hosts a Premier League Darts event, alongside the Belgian Darts Open, so local fans still have world-class darts to watch. He added that it is "too early to begin Premier League Darts discussions, but he has to be in the hunt after being controversially left out of the 2026 event."
Pieter Verbeek, Editor for DartsNieuws.com, sees Wade sending a statement of intent: "'The Machine' is sending out a clear signal that he is hitting form heading into the crucial part of the season, a period in which Wade has plenty to gain." Wade currently sits sixth in the world rankings with relatively little prize money to defend, and a few strong results could put him in contention for a return to the world's top four and a place in the Premier League Darts. Meanwhile, Beau Greaves competed in her third consecutive European Tour event and managed just one win, having faced Rob Cross, Daryl Gurney, Luke Humphries and Damon Heta. Michael wrote: "Her time will come, but this is a steep learning curve that will make her into a better player."
