The Westfalenhalle will once again be the
loudest room in darts between October 22 and 25 when the top 32 players in the
European Tour Order of Merit assemble in Dortmund for the 2026 European
Championship. The total prize purse is £600,000 and there are set to be 30,000+
fans going to the four-day event.
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Two qualifying events still remain to decide
the final rankings, with the Swiss Darts Trophy and the Dutch Darts
Championship the final events for players to earn their place. It’s only after
these tournaments that the odds will start to settle. However, the main players
are already known and trends from previous iterations should stay steady for
anyone having a flutter.
It’s worth noting that picking a winner at a
darts major is a little like picking the winner at Cheltenham. Like when you bet on horse racing, the form book gets you most of the way, but a single stumble at the
wrong moment can undo everything.
Both sports reward people who respect the
favourite and still leave room for an upset. This was a case in point last year
in Dortmund when Luke Littler was the clear favourite before getting knocked
out by James Wade. Gian van Veen at a double-digit price went on to win the
whole thing. Here’s how the 2026 renewal is shaping up with favourites:
Luke
Littler
The world number 1 is the natural starting
favourite, as he is almost everywhere he goes these days. He started the year
by beating Van Veen 7-1 in the World Championship final and has piled up 9
major titles since then.
He returned to the European
Tour last month to beat Humphries 8-6 in the Czech
Darts Open final in Prague. This was his 6th European Tour title and brought
him from 20th to 4th in the Order of Merit in one weekend.
The European Championship is one of the few
prizes in darts that Littler hasn’t yet won. He’s also been in up and down form
in recent weeks. He lost at the World Series finals in Amsterdam, 10-4 to Jonny
Clayton, which denied him a clean sweep of majors. Then the defending champ at
the World Grand Prix in Leicester lost in the first round to Luke Woodhouse.
Neither of these results changes that a fully
focused Luke Littler is the world’s best player. The tighter legs format in
Dortmund adds risk to every favourite, but he’ll be hard to stop if he emerges
from the opening rounds.
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Luke
Humphries
Humphries will be arriving in Dortmund with
great momentum. He came from three sets down in the World Grand Prix final to
beat Gerwyn Price 6-4, which was his second Grand Prix and his first major of
the year.
The result will be massive for his confidence
as he had become the nearly man over the past 12 months, where he finished
runner-up at the 2025 World Grand Prix, European Championship and Grand Slam,
as well as this year’s World Masters and Premier League. He described his
relief at lifting the trophy and he could be a new man in the coming weeks.
The European Championship is a title that
Humphries has never won in the past, despite reaching the final last year. He’s
a player who knows his way around the biggest of stages and is the most obvious
threat to Littler, offering good each-way value.
Gian van
Veen
The defending champion’s record over the past
12 months has been quite stunning. His win in Dortmund last October was his
first-ever major title and he backed it up by getting to the World Championship
final at Alexandra Palace.
Veen is now the world number three, has made
his Premier League debut and hit a nine-dart finish during the Poland Darts
Open final this year.
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The issue for him is his recent form, exiting
the World Grand Prix in the quarterfinals to James Wade. His peaks can be as
high as anyone, except maybe Littler, and he likes playing in front of the
German crowd, so retaining his title could be a realistic target.
Gerwyn
Price
Price has been unfortunate this year, as he
has been playing some of the best darts of his career without having any
silverware to show for his efforts. He got to the final of the World Series
Finals in Amsterdam, but lost to Ross Smith.
The Welshman also took a 3-0 lead in the World
Grand Prix final before Luke Humphries staged a comeback. He has been without a
major title since the 2022 World Series Finals.
There are certain indications that Price is
well-positioned to do well in a few weeks' time. He won the European Darts
Grand Prix in Sindelfingen in April. He also came out victorious in a battle
against Jonny Clayton in the Grand Prix quarterfinal. Price is still one of the
game’s biggest competitors, it’s just a question about whether recent losses
will have left their mark.
Dark Horses
There’s a history in the European
Championships of players outside of the top three standings going out. Ross
Smith is one such contender. He won the 2022 European Championship and is in
the best form of his career. He won the World Series Finals last month and has
two European Tour titles to his name also this year. He’s dominated the Order
of Merit for most of the time.
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James Wade is known as a giant killer, having
knocked Littler out last year and ending his decade-long pursuit of a European
title in Antwerp last month. Another notable win was getting to the World Grand
Prix semi-finals, beating Van Veen earlier in the year. Not many other players
are as well-suited to the legs format.
Finally, Wessel Nijman is one of darts’ most
prolific winners this year, having won two European Tour titles and had a
number of Players Championship wins. He hasn’t converted that yet into a deep
run at a major, but Dortmund could be the perfect place to do so.
On paper, this is still Littler’s tournament
to win and he’ll be desperate to tick off one of the few gaps on his CV.
However, his two defeats in recent weeks remind people that even the best
player in the world is vulnerable in a shorter format.
The draw could change everything, so taking
current prices comes with extra risks. Whatever happens, the action in Dortmund
will likely be unforgettable once again.
Samuel GillChief Content Officer
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
In his current role, Samuel works closely with editors and writers to ensure content meets clear journalistic standards, with a focus on source verification, editorial consistency, and timely updates when new, confirmed information becomes available.
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- Joking aside, it is the second most watched sport on sky (more than golf, F1 etc) behind football only, and in participation is second to only football and swimming. It doesn't get the attention or sponsorship of "bigger" sports because it's not as sexy, but it's right up there.BandB13-10-2026
- i love darts but you can't seriously believe it's the second most popular sport in the uk. even top five is pushing it. it may be the fastest growing, though.colt13-10-2026
- I'm a big Clayton fan, but he's got this completely wrong. Qualification criteria exists for a reason - so just as failing to make the top 32/64 for the Euro championships/PT Finals means you miss out, so does not lifting a title for this one.26sForFun12-10-2026
- The players who deliberately slow the game down are usually boring and win very little in the way of silverware. Horrible to watch.MrYnyslas197112-10-2026
- [“The Gentle” then used a sweeping and questionable phrase...] You anglocucks are hilariously finished in every sense of the word.Critical99911-10-2026
- I love Jonny but I disagree. The Grand Slam was always supposed to be "champion of champions" type competition. If the top 16 are guaranteed participation in everything there will be so much less jeopardy involved in qualifying and each major tournament will lose its unique flavour which the PDC has worked hard trying to develop. I enjoy following the qualification races towards the end of the year, and while consistency should have its rewards, the truth is Jonny hasn't reached a major final all year or won a single event on the Pro Tour. Being consistent is one thing, but that alone should have consequences as the sport's elite should not be prepared to accept consistently strong performances, their foremost motivation should be to win and this should be what separates them from the rest, not the consistency of their performances. Jonny is expecting that losing should be enough; it shouldn't be, at least not as far as the Grand Slam is concerned.Deduce635811-10-2026
- Well being honest,it doesn't matter what level you play at, there's always someone who slows it down to suit themselves,and extra swig of water, replacing flights, asking the ref what the score is. It happens wherever. I'm not saying it's professional,but I'm sure we've all seen it beforerick6711-10-2026
- Agree completely. Not sure how a ranking event can have a criteria not based on rankings. And he right on popularity. In the UK second only to football.BandB11-10-2026
- Doesn't matter who's in it,it's boringrick6710-10-2026
- Assuming you qualify as one of the "muppets" in question. Classist too. And since you're so clearly interested in academia, look up "linguistic descriptivism" while you're at it. Oh, and better stay away from the working class sport of darts and maybe offer your insightful analysis to, let's say, croquet instead?Deduce635806-10-2026
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