Vincent van der Voort has delivered a stark warning over the World Championship prospects of Raymond van Barneveld, Dimitri Van den Bergh and Scott Williams, claiming all three are unlikely to qualify via the rankings. Speaking on the Darts Draait Door podcast alongside Damian Vlottes, the former professional assessed the precarious positions of the three former World Championship standouts, who currently sit outside the qualifying spots for the PDC World Darts Championship.
Van der Voort was particularly downbeat on Van den Bergh, who he believes faces the biggest challenge. “The chance that Dimitri is going to make it, to be honest, isn’t very big,” he stated. The Belgian, a former UK Open champion and World Championship semi-finalist, currently sits 56th on the ProTour Order of Merit, with a top-forty spot required to keep his hopes alive via that route. “That’s just really a lot,” Vlottes said of the deficit, with Van der Voort adding: “For him you have to fear even more, of course.” The Dutchman pointed to a long-standing issue: “Over the years it’s become clear that he just finds ProTours very difficult. And that’s exactly where it has to happen now.”
Raymond van Barneveld, the five-time world champion, is also in a worrying position. Van der Voort sees little sign of a turnaround: “I don’t know exactly how far behind he is. But it’s not like there’s anything to hold on to that suggests it’s going to get much better soon.” He noted that Van Barneveld is taking a rest and is not seeded for major TV events, where the biggest prize money is available. “In the autumn there aren’t that many tournaments left where you can do it. There are many TV tournaments, but you’re not seeded for those. So where are you going to do it?” As things stand, Van Barneveld will not appear at the 2027 World Darts Championship in December.
Scott Williams, who reached the World Championship semi-finals a few years ago, is also struggling. Van der Voort believes the Englishman has been hampered by dartitis. “He’s had a bit of dartitis. Maybe still does.” He noted that Williams seemed at his best when he didn’t have a Tour Card, winning a ProTour event during that period. “Back then he could play everything. That seemed to suit him better than this.” Van der Voort also sees a clear difference between stage and floor: “I find him better on stage than on the floor.”
When asked which of the three would qualify for the Worlds, Van der Voort offered a bold prediction: “I think all three won’t make the Worlds. Not via the rankings, anyway.” He did acknowledge alternative routes, such as the PDPA Qualifier, where three wins in one day could secure a spot. “All three of them can do that,” he said. However, his overall conclusion was clear: the standard route to Alexandra Palace is slipping further out of reach for Van Barneveld, Van den Bergh and Williams.
