Belgian darts is enduring a difficult spell, and for the first time in years, no Belgian player will compete at the European Championship. The tournament in Dortmund will go ahead without a Belgian in the field, leaving fans with no home player to support. Mike De Decker represented Belgium at the European Championship last year, but this time around there will be no Belgian involvement.
Kim Huybrechts came closest to earning a place, but the Antwerp native had four match darts at the Dutch Darts Championship to keep his qualification hopes alive and missed them all, ending his campaign. "Everything that could go wrong did go wrong," former professional Erik Clarys told Sporza. Clarys believes Huybrechts' play was not even the main problem, adding: "He's in the firing line at the moment."
While Clarys sees no reason to question the overall standard of Belgian darts and stressed that Huybrechts has enjoyed a spell of strong form, he is far less optimistic about Dimitri Van den Bergh. "This is just a snapshot," Clarys said. "Kim is playing incredibly well, but Mike De Decker and Dimitri Van den Bergh have slipped a little." Since his surprise victory at the World Grand Prix, De Decker has been unable to build on that success, and Clarys suspects added expectations may have contributed to his inconsistent results. "Mike may have felt a little too much pressure after winning the World Grand Prix, or perhaps he's putting in slightly less time. But he is working his way back."
Clarys, however, fears severe consequences for Van den Bergh, the former World Matchplay champion who has struggled for form for some time and has dropped considerably in the PDC Order of Merit. "With Dimi, we know it's a mental issue. His ranking is very poor at the moment, and there's a nine-in-ten chance he'll lose his Tour Card. I fear the worst for his career if that happens. Things look very bleak," Clarys said, raising the question of whether Van den Bergh will still be on the PDC circuit in 2027.
Despite the disappointing performances of Belgium's best-known players, Clarys refuses to take a bleak view of the sport's future in his country, pointing to young talent coming through. "There are young players coming through. We shouldn't be too quick to think that darts in Belgium is over. It's only a matter of time," he said. He also believes the current generation still has enough quality, citing the averages of Mike, Kim and Mario Vandenbogaerde: "There's no need to worry. The level is genuinely good at the moment, judging by the averages Mike, Kim and Mario are producing. Those numbers are good enough to win matches."
For now, Belgian players are mainly struggling to deliver at the decisive moments, and Clarys hopes that will change at the upcoming World Darts Championship. "It's been like this for a year or two. Hopefully, we can turn things around soon. Who knows, perhaps three or four Belgians will have a good World Championship, and then we'll be talking very differently."
