'Thank the PDC for the opportunity' – Mike De Decker returns from World Series debut Down Under £21k richer and with Finals place secured

Mike De Decker has returned home to Belgium with a new milestone in his career after an eye-catching stint in Australia and New Zealand.

The 28-year-old, nicknamed ‘The Real Deal’, impressed during his first taste of the World Series of Darts, reaching the final of the Australian Darts Masters on debut before bowing out at the quarter-final stage a week later in New Zealand. On both occasions, it was reigning World Champion Luke Littler who proved his undoing.

Despite falling short of silverware, De Decker can look back on a hugely successful trip. Not only did he bank £21,000 in prize money, he also soaked up the unique experience alongside close friend Ludovic Geeraerts.

“Two weeks of World Series in Wollongong and Auckland done,” he wrote on Instagram. “I really enjoyed it and want to thank the PDC for giving me the opportunity to play darts on the other side of the world. Now a week of rest and trying to get my rhythm back.”

Packed schedule ahead

That rest will be short-lived, with a double ProTour weekend in Milton Keynes next on the agenda, followed by the Flanders Darts Trophy in Antwerp, and then the big one: the World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam (12–14 September).

The Amsterdam showpiece is the culmination of the global invitational series, pitting eight elite PDC players against eight international qualifiers. With a major title and £80,000 top prize on the line, it represents another big opportunity in the career of De Decker.

Remarkably, it will also be his first-ever appearance at the World Series Finals — and he goes in as a seeded player. De Decker accumulated 11 points from just two events, matching Damon Heta’s tally but edging the Australian into ninth thanks to the PDC’s countback system. His run to the final in Australia gave him the edge over Heta, who failed to progress beyond the quarter-finals.