Grand Slam of Darts 2026 Absentees: Big Names Missing
The list of grand slam of darts 2026 absentees is one of the most surprising parts of this year’s tournament. When the 48-player field for the 2026 Grand Slam of Darts was confirmed, several of the biggest names in the sport were not in it. Former champions, former finalists and established stars of the Professional Darts Corporation all missed out, and for some of them the consequences go far beyond a single week in Wolverhampton.
On this page
- How the Grand Slam of Darts 2026 Absentees Were Decided
- Gary Anderson: The Biggest Name Among the Grand Slam of Darts 2026 Absentees
- Michael Smith: From 3-0 Up to Out
- Peter Wright: A Former Champion Misses Out
- Damon Heta and Danny Noppert: Early Exits in Leicester
- Dave Chisnall and Raymond van Barneveld
- Martin Lukeman: The Runner-Up Who Falls Away
- Mickey Mansell and Dimitri Van den Bergh
- The Qualifier: 91 Players, Ten Places
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Conclusion
The 2026 Grand Slam of Darts runs from 14 to 22 November 2026 at WV Active Aldersley in Wolverhampton, with a prize fund of £1 million and £200,000 for the winner. Forty-eight players take part, split into 16 groups of three, and only the winner of each group reaches the last 16. That format leaves no room for a slow start, and it leaves no room for players who fail to qualify.
This article sets out the full picture: who is missing, how they missed out, and what it costs each of them. The names include Gary Anderson, Michael Smith, Peter Wright, Damon Heta, Danny Noppert, Dave Chisnall, Raymond van Barneveld, Martin Lukeman, Mickey Mansell, Dimitri Van den Bergh, Keane Barry and Mensur Suljovic. Some were beaten in the final qualifier, one withdrew before throwing a dart, and others simply ran out of routes into the event.
How the Grand Slam of Darts 2026 Absentees Were Decided
The final ten places in the 2026 field were decided at the Tour Card Holder Qualifier, played on Friday 6 November 2026 at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester. That one-day event was the last route into the tournament for players who had not already qualified, and it produced some of the most dramatic results of the season.
The ten players who came through the qualifier were Stephen Bunting, Joe Cullen, Niko Springer, Ricky Evans, Maik Kuivenhoven, Tom Sykes, Rusty-Jake Rodriguez, Carl Sneyd, Bradley Brooks and Alan Soutar. Each of them earned a place in the group stage and a share of the £1 million prize fund on offer.
The group draw was made on Monday 9 November, three days after the qualifier. Sixteen groups of three players, with only the group winner advancing to the last 16, means every match matters from the first session, and the players who are absent do not even get the chance to fight through the groups.
For the full picture of how the field lines up, see the Grand Slam of Darts 2026 draw and the Grand Slam of Darts 2026 groups, which set out every group in the tournament.
Gary Anderson: The Biggest Name Among the Grand Slam of Darts 2026 Absentees
Gary Anderson is the biggest name on the list of grand slam of darts 2026 absentees, and his absence is the most striking. Anderson withdrew from the Tour Card Holder Qualifier, and with no other route into the event, he misses the Grand Slam altogether. It is only his second absence from the tournament in 20 years.
Anderson was a semi-finalist at the 2024 Grand Slam, and that run now carries a heavy cost. The £50,000 of ranking money he earned by reaching the last four in 2024 comes off the PDC Order of Merit after this year’s event, and because he is not playing, he has no chance to replace any of it. He is currently world number 14, and he will drop out of the top 16 as a result.
There is, at least, darts still to come for Anderson before the year is out. He will play the Players Championship Finals, which take place from 27 to 29 November at Minehead, and he will play the World Championship at Alexandra Palace, where he reached the semi-finals in January. Those two events give him the chance to rebuild ranking money, but neither can undo the fact that the Grand Slam, an event he has graced for almost the whole of its modern history, will go ahead without him this year.
Michael Smith: From 3-0 Up to Out
Michael Smith, the 2022 Grand Slam champion, is another of the headline grand slam of darts 2026 absentees, and the way he missed out was painful. For the first time since 2016, Smith will not be at the Grand Slam of Darts. He lost 5-3 to Joe Cullen in his final qualifier match, after leading 3-0. A three-leg lead in a short race to five should have been enough, but Cullen fought back to win five of the next six legs and take the place instead.
For Smith, a former Grand Slam champion, the defeat is a bitter one. He knows what it takes to win this tournament, having lifted the title in 2022, and to come so close to qualification and then lose from a winning position will be hard to take. He will watch this year’s event from the sidelines rather than defending his record in it, while Cullen, who held his nerve when the match seemed to be slipping away from him, earned his place in the field the hard way.
Peter Wright: A Former Champion Misses Out
Peter Wright is another former champion among the grand slam of darts 2026 absentees. Wright failed to come through the qualifier, and his absence is made worse by the fact that he also failed to qualify for the Players Championship Finals. Where Anderson still has Minehead and Alexandra Palace to look forward to, Wright’s route back into the big events is narrower.
Wright’s absence leaves the field without one of its most recognisable players. For the tournament, it is a loss of star power. For Wright, it is a reminder that qualification is earned on the oche, not on past glories.
Damon Heta and Danny Noppert: Early Exits in Leicester
Damon Heta and Danny Noppert both failed to make the cut in the qualifier, and both went out early. Heta was knocked out in the first round of the qualifier, a sharp and sudden end to his hopes of reaching Wolverhampton. Noppert also went out early, and neither man was able to build any momentum in Leicester.
Heta’s early exit underlines how brutal a one-day qualifier can be. There is no time to settle in and no second match to recover from a bad start. One poor round, and the tournament is gone.
Dave Chisnall and Raymond van Barneveld
Dave Chisnall was in the qualifier draw but did not take one of the ten places. He was knocked out by Bradley Brooks, who went on to qualify and will now play in the Grand Slam. It was a strong result for Brooks and a disappointing one for Chisnall, who has been a fixture at the biggest events for years.
Raymond van Barneveld also missed out in the qualifier. The Dutchman is a former Grand Slam champion who was bidding to return to the event, but his attempt ended in Leicester. His absence is a reminder of the history of this tournament: champions of the past must still earn their place, and the qualifier does not respect reputations.
Martin Lukeman: The Runner-Up Who Falls Away
Martin Lukeman, the surprise runner-up in 2024, is one of the most significant grand slam of darts 2026 absentees in ranking terms. Lukeman failed to qualify for this year’s event, and the consequences are severe. The £70,000 he earned by reaching the 2024 final comes off the Order of Merit, and with no prize money from Wolverhampton to replace it, he will fall outside the top 64. He is currently 43rd in the world, and dropping out of the top 64 puts his Tour Card under serious threat.
Lukeman’s 2024 run was one of the great stories of that year’s tournament, and his fall since then shows how quickly darts can turn. A single deep run can lift a player, but the money must be defended two years later, and failing to qualify makes that impossible.
Mickey Mansell and Dimitri Van den Bergh
Mickey Mansell, a semi-finalist in 2024, is also absent. The £50,000 he earned that year comes off his ranking total, and he is expected to drop from 41st to around 57th in the world.
Dimitri Van den Bergh, who reached the last 16 in 2024, is absent too. The £12,500 he earned then comes off his total, and he is closing in on the top-64 cut-off. He has yet to secure a World Championship place, and he must come through a final World Championship qualifier and then reach at least the third round at Alexandra Palace to retain his Tour Card.
Keane Barry and Mensur Suljovic are also absent despite playing in 2024, when both went out in the group stage. Their absence is a reminder that the field turns over quickly.
The Qualifier: 91 Players, Ten Places
The scale of the qualifier explains why so many good players missed out. Ninety-one players competed for just ten places, with all matches played over the best of nine legs. In that format, one bad spell can end a player’s hopes, and even a strong performance is no guarantee of a place.
Stephen Bunting was the highest-ranked player to come through, and he did it in style, recording three ton-plus averages: 101.55 against Arno Merk, 107.72 against Callan Rydz and 101.23 against Jimmy van Schie. For a closer look at his route, see Stephen Bunting at the Grand Slam of Darts 2026. The Grand Slam of Darts 2026 schedule and the Grand Slam of Darts 2026 prize money set out what the ten qualifiers are now playing for.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are the biggest grand slam of darts 2026 absentees?
Gary Anderson, Michael Smith, Peter Wright, Damon Heta and Danny Noppert head the list. Anderson withdrew from the qualifier, Smith lost 5-3 to Joe Cullen after leading 3-0, Wright failed to qualify, and Heta and Noppert both went out early in Leicester.
Why is Gary Anderson missing the Grand Slam of Darts 2026?
Anderson withdrew from the Tour Card Holder Qualifier on 6 November 2026, and with no other route into the event, he misses the tournament. It is only his second absence in 20 years, and he will drop out of the world’s top 16.
How many players competed in the Grand Slam qualifier?
Ninety-one players competed for ten places at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester on Friday 6 November 2026, with all matches played over the best of nine legs.
Which players came through the qualifier?
Stephen Bunting, Joe Cullen, Niko Springer, Ricky Evans, Maik Kuivenhoven, Tom Sykes, Rusty-Jake Rodriguez, Carl Sneyd, Bradley Brooks and Alan Soutar took the ten places.
What does missing the Grand Slam cost Martin Lukeman?
Lukeman earned £70,000 as the 2024 runner-up, and that money comes off the Order of Merit. He is currently 43rd and will fall outside the top 64, putting his Tour Card under serious threat.
Conclusion
The grand slam of darts 2026 absentees list is a reminder of how demanding this tournament has become. Anderson, Smith, Wright, Heta, Noppert, Chisnall, Van Barneveld, Lukeman, Mansell, Van den Bergh, Barry and Suljovic all played in 2024 or have won the event before, yet none of them will be in Wolverhampton this year. Some lost from winning positions, some went out in the first round, and one withdrew before playing. For Lukeman, Mansell and Van den Bergh, the cost is measured in ranking places and Tour Cards. But the qualifier also produced its own stories, and the ten players who came through it, led by Bunting, have earned their place.
