The 2026 Grand Slam of Darts will take place from 14 to 22 November at WV Active Aldersley in Wolverhampton, with the field expanded to 48 players. With just over two weeks to go until the tournament begins, 34 places have already been secured and the list of qualifiers is growing with every weekend of competition.
A field expanding from 32 to 48 players
Presented this year as the Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts, the tournament is taking on a new scale. Long limited to 32 participants, it now welcomes 48 players, which fundamentally changes the qualification routes. Winners of European Tour and Players Championship events earn additional places, as do the continental circuits and the qualifier reserved for Pro Tour cardholders.
In practical terms, the tournament is opening up to players who would usually be left out, particularly those who secure a one-off victory on the Pro Tour during the season. A larger format also means a busier first weekend in Wolverhampton, with more matches to fit in across the two tables.
Schindler and Coates secure their places
The PDC confirmed two further qualifiers on 26 October. Martin Schindler, who had reached the final of the European Championship the previous day in Dortmund, secured his place thanks to his performances in televised events. The German, who lost 11-8 to Ross Smith in the final, is therefore in good form heading into the Grand Slam.
Henry Coates has also secured his place, following a victory in a Pro Tour event this season. For the Englishman, this is a rare opportunity to test himself against the world’s elite in a tournament where every match is decided by a few crucial legs.
The 34 players already qualified
The field is divided into three groups of qualifiers.
Finalists in televised events (9): Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, Ross Smith, Gian van Veen, Gerwyn Price, James Wade, Nathan Aspinall, Michael van Gerwen, Martin Schindler.
Winners of European Tour or Players Championship events (17): Wessel Nijman, Josh Rock, Luke Woodhouse, Krzysztof Ratajski, Chris Dobey, Cameron Menzies, Ryan Searle, Jermaine Wattimena, Rob Cross, Kevin Doets, Andrew Gilding, Jeffrey de Graaf, Gabriel Clemens, Karel Sedlacek, Jonny Clayton, Niels Zonneveld, Henry Coates.
Tours and championships (8): Beau Greaves, Lisa Ashton, Cam Crabtree, Jan Schmidt, Sebastian Bialecki, Joe Hunt, Paolo Nebrida, Adam Sevada.
Greaves and Ashton, regulars at the event
Beau Greaves returns to Wolverhampton having qualified via both the World Youth Championship and the Women’s Matchplay, which she won. Lisa Ashton, meanwhile, qualified via the Women’s Series. Both players are familiar with the venue and the format, a significant advantage in a tournament where the early matches are played over short distances.
The rest of the European field is represented by Sebastian Bialecki, who came through the Development Tour; Joe Hunt, Challenge Tour winner; Paolo Nebrida, Asian champion; and Adam Sevada, North American champion. Cam Crabtree and Jan Schmidt complete the list of World Junior Championship finalists.
Fourteen places still up for grabs
There are fourteen places still to be allocated before 14 November. Eight will be awarded at the Tour Card Holder Qualifier on Friday 6 November, an event that guarantees at least eight qualifiers from among the cardholders.
A further four places will go to the winners of European Tour or Players Championship events between now and the start of the tournament, subject to the usual proviso: if a player who has already qualified wins, the place is reallocated. Finally, the PDCNB and ANZ Premier League tours will each send their champions, which should see two new faces emerge.
Littler headlines the field
Luke Littler, winner of the 2024 edition, remains the main attraction on the line-up. Having secured his qualification via the televised finals, he avoids having to go through the qualifiers – a convenience that carries weight as the season draws to a close. However, the draw – which is larger this year – does not guarantee him an easy run: the winners of the autumn Pro Tour are often the players in the best form come November.
Ross Smith, crowned European champion on 25 October, is among the credible outsiders. Gerwyn Price, Michael van Gerwen and James Wade bring the experience of a tournament they know inside out, whilst Gian van Veen and Wessel Nijman represent the up-and-coming Dutch generation.
A tournament in a league of its own
The Grand Slam of Darts retains a unique place between the European Championship and the World Championship. Its line-up combines stars from the world rankings, winners of continental tournaments and young players from the development circuits, which often results in matches that appear one-sided on paper but prove tight on the stage.
To see which top players were already in the field at the same time last year, the preview of the 2025 edition in Wolverhampton remains a good point of comparison. The full list of 48 participants will be announced after the qualifier on 6 November, two weeks before the first match in Wolverhampton.
