The recent World Grand Prix was held without Belgian participants for the first time in years, and it was also the second consecutive major for which no Belgian player qualified. The tournament symbolised the difficult situation Belgian darts currently finds itself in, with results at the major televised tournaments particularly poor this year. While Belgian players regularly made their mark on the majors in recent years, 2026 has so far been remarkably quiet.
When looking at the year-to-date ranking, which considers only prize money earned during the calendar year, no Belgian is ranked inside the top 32. Kim Huybrechts is the highest-ranked Belgian in 36th place. Huybrechts endured a particularly poor 2025 and was eliminated in the first round of the most recent World Darts Championship, beginning the new season aware that his PDC Tour Card was at risk. However, the 40-year-old from Nijlen showed character during the opening months of the year. At the Winmau World Masters, he defeated Nick Kenny and fellow Belgian Dimitri Van den Bergh in succession, producing an average of over 100 against the latter, before losing 3-1 to his good friend Niels Zonneveld in the decisive qualifying match. He then produced strong performances at Players Championship events, but his UK Open campaign ended in disappointment with a 6-5 defeat to Keane Barry. Huybrechts continued to fight and qualified for several Euro Tours, finishing just outside the top 16 of the Pro Tour Order of Merit and missing out on the World Matchplay. Qualification for the World Grand Prix was within touching distance, but he lost 6-5 to young Polish player Sebastian Bialecki at the Flanders Darts Trophy despite missing several match darts. Bialecki earned a place at the double-in, double-out tournament in Leicester instead. Huybrechts is currently in a qualifying position for both the European Championship and the Players Championship Finals, and appears capable of preparing for the World Darts Championship for the 16th consecutive year.
Mike De Decker is the second-highest Belgian in the year-to-date ranking. 'The Real Deal' began the season firmly inside the world's top 32 but has since slipped considerably. At the Winmau World Masters, De Decker entered as the 19th seed and faced Luke Littler in the opening round, coming remarkably close to an upset with a match dart before Littler prevailed 3-2. At the UK Open, also seeded 19th, he defeated Adam Lipscombe 10-8 before losing to Rob Cross in a deciding leg at 9-9. In mid-June, De Decker took part in the World Cup of Darts alongside Dimitri Van den Bergh. The Belgian duo began with a surprise 4-2 defeat against Hong Kong, recovered against Slovenia, and advanced to the last 16 thanks to head-to-head results after all three countries finished level on points. There, they faced defending champions Northern Ireland and suffered a narrow defeat. De Decker failed to qualify for the World Matchplay and the World Grand Prix, missing two major televised tournaments in succession. He has now slipped to 34th in the world rankings and, while still qualified for the Players Championship Finals and the World Darts Championship, his position remains vulnerable. Kim Huybrechts is steadily closing the gap on his compatriot in the world rankings.
Mario Vandenbogaerde is Belgium's third-ranked player on the year-to-date ranking. The 53-year-old from West Flanders began the Winmau World Masters with a 3-1 victory over Austria's Mensur Suljovic in the first preliminary round, but lost 3-0 to Poland's Krzysztof Ratajski in the second preliminary round. The UK Open ended in disappointment after a narrow 6-5 loss to Germany's Leon Weber. However, Vandenbogaerde regularly qualified for the Euro Tour and excelled in floor tournaments, reaching the final of the 26th Players Championship where he lost 8-6 to Poland's Sebastian Bialecki. He is well placed to retain his Tour Card and has already secured his place at the World Darts Championship, while the Players Championship Finals remain within reach as he is currently just outside the qualifying places.
With a 112th place in the year-to-date ranking, Dimitri Van den Bergh is the fourth Belgian on the list. The 32-year-old Antwerp native, a two-time major winner, opened the Winmau World Masters with a victory over Danny van Trijp before losing to fellow Belgian Kim Huybrechts. At the UK Open, he suffered a 10-4 defeat to Dutchman Danny Noppert in his opening match. Van den Bergh represented Belgium alongside Mike De Decker at the World Cup of Darts, reaching the last 16 where they lost narrowly to defending champions Northern Ireland. He has qualified for only one Euro Tour event, and his results in the Players Championship tournaments have fallen short of expectations. He also had to miss several Players Championship events for health reasons. Van den Bergh is currently not on the entry list for any major in the autumn, not even the World Darts Championship, and retaining his PDC Tour Card is increasingly threatening to become a very difficult task.
Stefaan Henderyck, the final Belgian Tour Card holder discussed, won his PDC Tour Card at the start of 2025 but has found it particularly difficult to prove himself at the highest level. The 52-year-old West Flemish player had to miss the Winmau World Masters because of work commitments, making the UK Open his only major of the year, where he lost 6-4 to Welshman Robert Owen in his opening match. Henderyck also struggled in the Players Championship tournaments and failed to qualify for a Euro Tour event for the second consecutive year. He is 140th in the year-to-date ranking and has not qualified for any major in the autumn, appearing set to lose his Tour Card after just two seasons without a major turnaround.
Current world ranking positions of the Belgian PDC Tour Card holders: Mike De Decker is 34th with £274,000 in ranking prize money; Kim Huybrechts is 51st with £166,500; Dimitri Van den Bergh is 59th with £135,500; Mario Vandenbogaerde is 66th with £114,000; and Stefaan Henderyck is 127th with £16,750.
The state of Belgian darts in 2026 currently looks particularly bleak. No Belgian managed to qualify for the World Grand Prix, while the country's representatives were also eliminated notably early at other majors, and no Belgian player is currently inside the top 32 of the year-to-date ranking. There are still a few bright spots, however. Kim Huybrechts appears to have found his way back upwards after a difficult period and still has a chance of competing in several major tournaments. Mario Vandenbogaerde also showed with his Players Championship final appearance that he can still compete with the best players on the floor. Mike De Decker will need to rediscover his former level, while Dimitri Van den Bergh is in particularly urgent need of a turnaround. The coming months will be crucial for Belgian darts, with the European Championship, the Players Championship Finals and the World Darts Championship ahead offering opportunities to give the season a more positive direction.
