Daryl Gurney and Maik Kuivenhoven have been drawn into the 2026 World Series of Darts Finals draw. The PDC confirmed on Wednesday that Lourence Ilagan and Alexis Toylo have withdrawn due to visa issues ahead of the tournament, scheduled to take place from 17 to 20 September at AFAS Live in Amsterdam.
This is not merely a minor adjustment to the list. The change alters two first-round fixtures, presenting a tougher challenge for Michael van Gerwen and a real home opportunity for Kuivenhoven against Jonny Clayton.
Lourence Ilagan & Alexis Toylo have withdrawn from the 2026 World Series of Darts Finals due to visa issues, and will be replaced in the field by Daryl Gurney & Maik Kuivenhoven.
Official PDC update 9 September 2026
Two visa-related withdrawals
According to the official PDC announcement, Ilagan and Toylo had not received a decision on their Schengen visa applications before travelling to China for the final weekend of the PDC Asian Tour and the PDC Asian Championship. The two Filipino players have therefore withdrawn from the World Series Finals, despite having qualified earlier in the season.
The procedure is clear: the PDC is applying Rule 3.7 and drawing from the reserve list resulting from last month’s Tour Card Holder Qualifier. The two highest-ranked players available are Gurney and Kuivenhoven. Put another way: this is not a courtesy invitation, but the standard procedure when a qualified player is unable to take their place.
Van Gerwen faces Gurney in the opening match
The first consequence directly affects Michael van Gerwen. The defending champion was due to begin his title defence against Ilagan. He will now face Gurney on Thursday 17 September, on the first night of the tournament in Amsterdam. On paper, the gap in status remains clear, but the nature of the threat has changed: Gurney has already experienced major televised events, and this sort of first-round match can quickly become uncomfortable if Van Gerwen lets the opening legs slip away.
DartsNews rightly highlights this implication for Van Gerwen. The angle makes sense: on home soil, in front of a Dutch crowd, the reigning champion has gone from facing an Asian qualifier to taking on a player far more accustomed to the European PDC circuit.
| Withdrawal | Replacement |
| Lourence Ilagan | Daryl Gurney, who will face Michael van Gerwen |
| Alexis Toylo | Maik Kuivenhoven, who will face Jonny Clayton |
Kuivenhoven returns to Dutch soil
For Maik Kuivenhoven, the repechage takes on a different flavour. The Dutchman takes Toylo’s place and will face Jonny Clayton, the 2021 champion of this event. It remains a tricky draw, but it offers him a rare opportunity to play in front of his home crowd, in a tournament where the prize money does not count towards the rankings.
This detail matters. The World Series Finals is a prestigious event rather than a direct springboard for the Order of Merit. For a player like Kuivenhoven, the stakes are therefore primarily sporting and media-related: to make the most of an unexpected place, to get a Dutch crowd on their feet, and to remind everyone that he can still make his mark on a televised stage.
The draw retains its headline names
The tournament does, however, retain its core line-up. World number one Luke Littler will open against Danny Noppert. Luke Humphries will face Jermaine Wattimena, whilst Gian van Veen, Gerwyn Price, James Wade, Stephen Bunting, Josh Rock and Damon Heta are also in the line-up. Sky Sports had detailed the initial draw last week, prior to these two changes.
The schedule remains unchanged: the first round on 17 and 18 September, the second round on Saturday 19, followed by the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final on Sunday 20 September. From here on, it’s mainly a week of fine-tuning. The favourites remain the same, but the two changes to the draw are already adding a little more interest to the start of the tournament.
