Darts Star to Lose PDC Tour Card After World Championship Defeat

A former Grand Slam Darts champion is set to lose his PDC Tour card after defeat in the first round of the 2026 World Championship.

Last week, the 2026 PDC World Darts Championship began at the Alexandra Palace, London.

The big hitters such as Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, Gerwyn Price and Stephen Bunting all advanced to the next round.

But seeded players such as Ross Smith, Ritchie Edhouse, Dimitri van den Bergh and Cameron Menzies suffered first-round defeats.

On Tuesday night, 2020 Grand Slam winner Jose de Sousa was in action against Ricardo Pietreczko.

Despite scoring an average of over 90 and hitting six maximums, 'The Special One' was beaten 3-1 by the German.

After the match, De Sousa cut a dejected figure as the defeat against Pietreczko meant he had lost his PDC Tour card for 2026.

Jose de Sousa has lost his PDC Tour card. Image: Getty

As a result, the 51-year-old will now have to go through Q-School if he wants to secure a place on the tour for the next two years.

Over the last six years, De Sousa has won seven titles, including the Grand Slam in 2020, when he beat James Wade 16-12 in the final.

Speaking after the match, Pietreczko said: "It was a difficult game. In the first two sets it went to the decider. In the first set I was 2–0 down, but in the end it was okay for me to get the win. I’m in the second round now.

"Jose fought well. But in the deciders he didn’t play so well. I played well in the right moments, and that makes the difference."

When asked about De Sousa's future, 'Pikachu' stated that he hopes the Portuguese can regain his tour card next year.

He added: "I hope for Jose. But it’s not good for me to think about that during the game — about him losing his Tour Card. I have to think about myself, and that’s sometimes difficult."

Looking ahead, Pietreczko will take on either Dave Chisnall or Fallon Sherrock in the second round.