Belgian darts is facing a crisis after the latest PDC Order of Merit rankings revealed a dramatic decline for two of its biggest stars. Dimitri Van den Bergh and Mike De Decker have both lost significant ground since the World Grand Prix, prompting concerns from former professional Vincent van der Voort.
Van den Bergh, a former World Matchplay champion, has suffered the biggest drop, falling from 46th to 59th in the rankings. "World number 59," Van der Voort said in disbelief on the Darts Draait Door podcast. "Two years ago, there were two Belgians in the semi-finals, against each other. And now there isn't a single one left. That's a hard blow for Belgium." De Decker, who won the World Grand Prix two years ago, has also paid a heavy price, sliding from 24th to 33rd and out of the top 32.
The situation is particularly striking given Belgium's long-standing presence near the top of the world rankings. Kim Huybrechts broke into the top 32 in 2012, after which Van den Bergh eventually took over as Belgium's leading player, with De Decker also establishing himself prominently. "It looks like, for the first time in 14 years — since 2012, when Kim Huybrechts entered the top 32 — there are no Belgians in the world's top 32," Van der Voort concluded.
Van der Voort believes De Decker should have capitalised more on his major title. "If you've won a tournament like that, after two years you should be in the top 16 in the world. Especially with all the Euro Tours he was able to play, all the opportunities and all the money those events brought him," he said. "He's also left a lot on the table, of course. But he knows that himself. He says that himself." The consequence is that De Decker must start rebuilding. "Now he can start again from the ground up. He's certainly going to have to do that."
There have also been notable shifts among players from other countries. Raymond van Barneveld is now 44th, while several other experienced names, including Michael Smith and Peter Wright, continue to slide down the rankings. "We're saying goodbye to quite a large group of really good players," Van der Voort observed. Several Dutch players, on the other hand, have gained ground. Niels Zonneveld climbed from 35th to 29th, Jermaine Wattimena took 16th place from Chris Dobey, and Danny Noppert is ranked seventh. "I think if you asked someone now where Noppert is in the rankings, nobody would get it right. Everyone would think he's 11th or 12th. And he hasn't had a great year either. So it is quite impressive," Van der Voort said.
For Belgium, the hope now rests on a revival from the established names and on a new generation capable of closing the gap. Van der Voort noted that significant investment is being made in development. "At the JDC Under-18 level, they do have a pretty good generation. They also put a lot of effort into it, so you have to hope that some of those players come through." He also stressed the importance of having a home player performing well. "It's important that a home player does well. If there's no Belgian playing, it's less interesting to watch. So it's important that a few of them start playing well again."
