By Sarah Leaver
After an electric World Championship which saw the rise (and fall) of many players, those who weren’t lucky enough to retain their Tour Card had to return to Q School.
In this, players of all calibre face off to win one of 29 Tour Cards available for 2026. Here are how some of this year’s World Championship players did in the competition:
Charlie Manby
The 20-year-old made headlines at the 2026 World Championship for reaching the last-16 of the tournament – taking out Cameron Menzies, Adam Seveda and Ricky Evans while doing so.
A heavy favourite to win a Tour Card, Charlie Manby faltered in his day three semi-final match against Shane McGuirk, taking his campaign to the final day.
Manby persevered through the final day of action, overcoming darting veterans Steve Beaton and Mervyn King to claim victory in Milton Keynes.
Fallon Sherrock
Fallon Sherrock had a Q School to forget, as she lost four games in a row as she failed to win a Tour Card yet again.
The Queen of the Palace, as she was named in 2019 after becoming the first woman to beat a man at the World Championships – beating Mensur Suljovic and Ted Evetts during the 2020 tournament, lost in the first round of each day at Q School. This follows a first-round exit in the 2026 World Championship where she was beaten 3-0 by Dave Chisnall.
This leaves just one female player in the 2026 competitions – Beau Greaves, who won her Tour Card on the development tour in 2025.
Andreas Harrysson
In the European Q School hosted at the Wunderland in Kalkar, another player who made the last-16 of the World Championships was brutally denied a Tour Card via a legs difference.
Andreas Harrysson made his mark on the darting world after beating Ross Smith, Motomu Sakai and Ricardi Pietreczko in the competition, and was expected to win a Tour Card this year.
The Swede narrowly missed out after finishing on eight points – the same as Pascal Rupprecht – but just six legs short of the German in the final standings.
Arno Merk
Arno Merk breezed through his time at Q School, winning an automatic Tour Card on the first day.
The German defeated Kim Huybrechts and two-time winner Peter Wright at the World Championship before losing to Michael van Gerwen, but this clearly didn’t knock his confidence heading into Q School.
Merk took out Jeffrey Keen and Damian Mol (among others) before beating Dutchman Jeffrey Sparidaans in the semi-final.
Mervyn King
61-year-old Mervyn King will make his return to PDC darts in 2026 after winning a Tour Card via the Order of Merit after losing his semi-final match against Manby.
King was eliminated in the first round of the 2026 World Championship after losing to Ian White, but the Veteran will be keen to make his mark on his return to the Tour.