BELGIAN DARTS CRISIS DEEPENS
13/01/2026 By Aaron Nijjar
BELGIUM’S buzzing darts scene has “fizzled out” according to talkSPORT host Chris Murphy.
Former World Grand Prix champion Mike De Decker endured another setback at Ally Pally, crashing out in the first round following a 3–2 defeat to Kenyan debutant David Munuya.
‘The Real Deal’ failed to reach a quarter-final in any ranked major last year, with his form deserting him when it mattered most.
Dimitri van den Bergh’s slide also continued at the World Championship, where he exited at the opening hurdle after a 3–0 defeat to Darren Beveridge, averaging just 80.64.
The World No25 endured a miserable campaign, failing to qualify for the World Grand Prix, World Matchplay, Grand Slam and Players Championship Finals.
Murphy believes the warning signs are now impossible to ignore and fears Belgium’s long-anticipated breakthrough has stalled completely.
He told talkSPORT: “[Mike De Decker] hasn’t really kicked on. I’m not quite sure what is going on with Belgian darts at the moment.
“There are no real signs of a Van den Bergh revival or Kim Huybrechts.
“It was this country waiting to explode — and it really seems to have fizzled out over the last 12 months or so.”
Former pro Paul Nicholson also weighed in, questioning the mentality and hunger of Belgium’s leading players following another damaging spell.
Speaking on the Love the Darts Podcast, Nicholson said: “The Belgians, for me — I think De Decker will look at that game in one of two ways.
“How on earth did I lose to someone who averaged 80?
“Or, I really hope that fires him up to get on the board creatively over January and be ready for the PDC World Masters.
“If he’s not ready for that, then someone needs to get in his ear and fire him up, because like Michael van Gerwen, he’s got a rather large cheque to defend in October.
“As for Dimitri, we just don’t know. I think in his own mind, he might know where he wants to go.
“He’s not the player he was. He’s maybe not the person he was.
“But with the right help, I still think there’s a world-class darts player there.
“This could just be a rough patch he has to fight through to become the person he wants to be.”
Image by Taylor Lanning.
