As the 2026 season gets underway, the PDC Tour Card system enters its sixteenth year. Since its introduction in 2011, a Tour Card has been the gateway to the Professional Darts Corporation circuit. In that time, hundreds of players have tried to hold their own at the highest level, but only a handful have managed to remain part of the tour continuously throughout all those years.
Remarkably, as of 2026 there are only twelve players who have kept their place on the circuit every year since the start of the Tour Card era. As reported by @dartingupdates on X, that exclusive group includes Michael van Gerwen, James Wade, Gary Anderson, Dave Chisnall, Joe Cullen, Michael Smith, Peter Wright, William O'Connor, Mickey Mansell, Brendan Dolan, Mensur Suljović, and Ian White. They have all held a Tour Card for sixteen consecutive seasons and are among the true constants of modern darts.
That list naturally contains some of the sport's biggest names. Van Gerwen became one of the most successful players of all time, while Anderson, Wright, Wade, and Smith collected world titles and major televised tournaments. Yet it may well be the lesser-heralded names who deserve the most admiration. Players like O'Connor, Mansell, and Dolan have kept their status year after year in an increasingly strong and international field. Their achievements underline how difficult it is to remain active on the professional tour uninterrupted for a decade and a half.
Right behind this group are Raymond van Barneveld, Kim Huybrechts, and Mervyn King with fifteen Tour Card years. For Van Barneveld, that number could have been higher. The Dutch five-time world champion handed in his PDC Tour Card after his temporary retirement at the end of 2019, but returned successfully a year later. As a result, only the 2020 season is missing from his impressive résumé. King lost his Tour Card after 2024, but managed to qualify again for 2026, which also puts him on fifteen years. Huybrechts claimed his PDC Tour Card in 2012 and, as of 2026, is still competing on the Pro Tour without interruption.
Looking at the current generation, several players stand out who have also built an impressive track record. Ross Smith, Daryl Gurney, and Ricky Evans are now on fourteen Tour Card years, while Gerwyn Price and Stephen Bunting have already been part of the professional circuit for thirteen seasons. Jonny Clayton, Chris Dobey, Jermaine Wattimena, and Dimitri Van den Bergh now have twelve consecutive years to their names. The numbers mainly illustrate how exceptional sustained excellence is in modern darts. The standard on the PDC Tour rises every year, while fresh talent emerges through Q-School. Keeping a Tour Card requires not only ability, but also years of consistent results, physical fitness, and mental resilience. That twelve players have managed not to miss a single season on the professional tour since 2011 can rightly be regarded as one of the most underrated feats in contemporary darts.
