The Flanders Darts Trophy has been hit by a wave of late withdrawals, with Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, Jonny Clayton and Gary Anderson all pulling out of the European Tour event taking place from September 11-13 in Antwerp. The 13th European Tour event of the year carries huge implications for the World Grand Prix and the European Championship, with only three more European Tour events remaining in 2026.
Littler's withdrawal was confirmed earlier in the week, with 'The Nuke' hinting at the decision following his victory at the Czech Darts Open in his return to the European Tour, having seemingly wrapped up European Championship qualification. The reigning champion, who defeated Josh Rock 8-7 in last year's final, will not return to defend his title. Humphries also will not participate following his final run in Prague, having almost pulled out of the prior tournament due to shoulder pain, and may be opting to rest up ahead of a busy period in the darting calendar. Clayton's absence prolongs his wait for a PDC ranking title in 2026, while Anderson's early exit last week has all-but ended his ambitions of qualifying for the European Championship in Dortmund, despite a sparkling final run in Budapest.
With the field blown wide open, Kim Huybrechts was already scheduled to play in his home event thanks to the reigning champion pulling out. He was third reserve, with the other names finally revealed as Gabriel Clemens, James Hurrell and Brendan Dolan. For the Belgian, this is not only a golden chance to perform well on home soil, but to rack up enough money to confirm his qualification for the World Grand Prix. He sits £2,500 behind Cristo Reyes in the final qualification spot, with this set to be a dramatic weekend.
Martin Schindler's Leicester chances have also taken a boost, with him moved up to a seed, guaranteeing a bye to the second round. Luke Woodhouse, Jermaine Wattimena and Krzysztof Ratajski also benefit from this. The tournament is headlined by Gian van Veen, Michael van Gerwen, Gerwyn Price, James Wade, Stephen Bunting, Josh Rock, Nathan Aspinall and Wessel Nijman as they look to seal glory on Belgian soil.
