Naar hoofdinhoud gaan

Luke Humphries pulls out of European Darts Championship due to illness

Luke Humphries in action
Luke Humphries in actionKieran Cleeves/PDC

Former world champion and last year's runner-up Luke Humphries has pulled out of the 2026 European Darts Championship at short notice, with Belgian Kim Huybrechts taking his place.

Humphries is suffering from gastroenteritis, commonly referred to as stomach flu. He will therefore be unable to compete or face Ryan Searle in the first round.

Cool Hand Luke has already won two major titles this year, the World Grand Prix and the World Cup of Darts, while he lost the finals of the World Masters and the Premier League.

Under PDC rules, Huybrechts takes his place in the field.

The Belgian narrowly missed out on qualification after finishing 33rd in the European Tour Rankings and now gets a second chance.

Level on points with Karel Sedlacek in 32nd, Huybrechts had won less prize money over the previous four tournaments and had also come off second best in their head-to-head record.

Follow the European Darts Championship with Flashscore.

Prefer Flashscore on GoogleSee our stories more often
AddAdd on Google
Wil jij jouw toestemming voor het tonen van reclames voor weddenschappen intrekken?
Ja, verander instellingen