By Sarah Leaver
The PDC’s Qualifying Schools in Milton Keynes and Germany allows for darting unknowns to make their mark on the sport and win a Tour Card for the next two years, allowing them to share the stage with darting icons such as Luke Littler and Michael van Gerwen.
Here are some of the players who went all the way to win their Tour Cards for 2026/27.
Stephen Burton
38-year-old Stephen Burton is not new to the darting Tour, winning his first Tour Card in 2017, however he lost this after a 3-0 whitewashing by Ryan Searle in the first round of the 2019 World Championships.
He regained his Card at Q School in 2019 but lost it again at the 2026 World Championships after losing to Martin Schindler.
The self-employed window cleaner won his Tour Card via the Order of Merit in this year’s Q School, allowing him to play in PDC events for the next two years.
Cristo Reyes (EU)
Cristo Reyes will return to PDC competitions for the first time in over five years after beating Matthias Ehlers in the semi-finals during day two of EU Q School, held in Kalkar.
The Spaniard returned to the World Championship in 2026 after a six-year absence but was quickly eliminated by eventual runner-up Gian van Veen. Reyes has only gone as far as the last 16 in PDC premier events but will be looking to improve on this after regaining his Tour Card.
Adam Leek
Adam Leek has won himself a tour card!
We get to see this beauty of a shirt on the PDC circuit now!
— Josh (@joshpearson180) January 8, 2026
Australian Adam Leek has certainly made a name for himself after winning his first Tour Card, after quitting his job Down Under and travelling to the UK to pursue a career in darts.
Leek admitted that he has no place to live and no real plan for his time in the UK, other than darts. He is also set to partner fellow Aussie Damon Heta at the World Cup of Darts, if no other Australians get their Tour Cards.
His success at Q School came after victories against former world champion Steve Beaton and a tough match against Aidan Kirk, who had multiple opportunities to deny the Aussie the Tour Card.
Charlie Manby
20-year-old Charlie Manby made an impression on the darting world during his 2026 World Championship campaign, reaching the last 16 of the competition, beating Cameron Menzies, Adam Seveda and Ricky Evans.
Manby had to wait until the final day of Q School to finally win his Tour Card, beating Steve Beaton to ensure his place via the Order of Merit, but the bricklayer powered on to win the card outright.
Jimmy Van Schie (EU)
Jimmy van Schie, the reigning WDF World Champion, will not have the chance to defend his title at the end of the year – but for good reason. The 32-year-old won his Tour Card on the third day of Q School in Kalkar, despite losing in the semi-final.
The Dutchman had won enough points during his campaign to ensure he will receive a Tour Card via the Order of Merit, no matter what happened in the rest of the week.
Van Schie made sure that lightning didn’t strike twice after narrowly missing out on a Card at Q School in 2025.
Full list of Tour Card Winners:
UK
Automatic Tour Card winners –
Rhys Griffin, Adam Leek, Carl Sneyd, Niall Culleton, Tom Sykes, Shane McGuirk, Charlie Manby, Samuel Price (outright).
Order of Merit winners –
Stephen Burton, Mervyn King, Tyler Thorpe, Stephen Rosney, David Sharp
EU
Automatic Tour Card winners –
Filip Bereza, Arno Merk, Jeffrey Sparidaans, Cristo Reyes, Matthias Ehlers, Yorick Hofkens, Jeffrey De Zwaan, Sietse Lap (Order of Merit)
Order of Merit winners –
Jimmy van Schie, Chris Landman, Marvin Kraft, Benjamin Pratnemer, Adam Gawlas, Jurjen van der Velde, Alexander Merkx, Pascal Rupprecht