A PDC Tour Card holder has released a statement after opting not to take part in the World Masters preliminary event.
The World Masters begins on January 29 and marks the first major tournament of the 2026 PDC calendar. The champion will collect £100,000 from a total prize fund of £500,000.
The top 24 players on the two-year Order of Merit earned automatic qualification, while a further 122 competitors — including Tour Card holders and leading players from other PDC circuits — battled through preliminary rounds in Milton Keynes on Tuesday for the remaining eight spots.
Lower-ranked players such as Beau Greaves, Charlie Manby, Max Hopp and Andreas Harrysson first competed in a group stage to decide the round of 64 lineup, with higher-ranked names receiving byes into the opening knockout round.
Michael Smith, Peter Wright and Joe Cullen were among those handed byes. However, one player who would have been eligible chose not to enter at all.
Northern Ireland’s Mickey Mansell, currently world number 46 and a former Players Championship winner, was absent from the official entry list published by the PDC.
Mansell was not the only notable absentee, with Raymond van Barneveld and Ryan Meikle also deciding against taking part. Australia’s newest Tour Card holder Adam Leek was another missing name, having confirmed earlier this month that he would return home on January 24 before the ProTour season begins.
Mansell’s absence raised further questions when he posted on Twitter that he would be “taking a break” and revealed he had parted ways with his management team.
The ‘Clonoe Cyclone’ wrote:
“I’d like to thank GMDartsManagement for their help and support over the last few years — some great memories created.
“I’ve decided to take a break and wish them well.”
However, The Sun reports that Mansell’s comments referred only to his management situation, and that he is not stepping away from darts despite missing the World Masters.
Meanwhile, several players successfully booked their places through the preliminary rounds. New Tour Card holders Jimmy van Schie and Shane McGuirk — the last two WDF World Championship winners — secured qualification by winning their last-16 matches in Milton Keynes.
They will be joined in the World Masters draw by Niels Zonneveld, Jeffrey de Graaf, Madars Razma, Wessel Nijman, Connor Scutt and James Hurrell.
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