SMITH AND VAN DEN BERGH FAIL TO QUALIFY FOR WORLD GRAND PRIX
17/09/2025 By Aaron Nijjar
MICHAEL SMITH and Dimitri Van den Bergh have both FAILED to qualify for the World Grand Prix.
Former World Champ Smith has featured in the tournament for the last 11 years but misses out this campaign.
‘Bully Boy’s’ position at 21st in the PDC Order of Merit and 20th on the Grand Prix ProTour Order of Merit means that he is unable to compete at the major.
Smith has been hampered by injuries this season and looks set to end the year without a title for the first time since 2019.
Two-times major winner Smith has only got past the quarter-finals on two occasions in 2025 – doing so at the Players Championship 10 and 14.
The 34-year-old’s last tournament win came back in May 2024, beating Ryan Joyce 8-6 to win last year’s Players Championship 9.
Smith has been battling with arthritis in his right wrist, an issue that was caused by breaking both his wrists when he was 19.
The St Helens thrower also has a grade two acromioclavicular joint injury in his shoulder, leading to a host of missed tournaments that have hampered his ability to rack up enough prize money to reach the top 16 in the world rankings.
Fellow ever-present Dimitri van den Bergh will also be absent at Leicester.
Former World Matchplay Champ Van den Bergh has endured a nightmare year, failing to reach a single ProTour quarter-final from 24 attempts.
Antwerp thrower Van den Bergh misses out on the TV event for the first time since 2019.
Earlier this year, Van den Bergh chose to step back from the oche after admitting he was suffering burnout from darts’ relentless schedule.
But the 31-year-old has struggled to find his best form since returning and now languishes down in 98th on the ProTour Order of Merit.
Image by Taylor Lanning.
