Austrian Darts Open 2026: Schedule, Field, Draw, and Predictions

The Austrian Darts Open is set to take place between 8-10 May 2026 at the Stadthalle Graz in Graz, Austria between 8-10 May 2026. It will be the sixth of fifteen PDC European Tour events on the ProTour.

It will feature a field of 48 players and £230,000 in prize money with £35,000 going to the winner. Martin Schindler will be the defending champion having defeated Ross Smith 8-4 in the 2025 final.

Field wise, Gian van Veen is top seed and he is also joined by Michael van Gerwen, James Wade, Josh Rock, Danny Noppert and Wessel Nijman among others. Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, Gary Anderson and Nathan Aspinall all won't appear in Graz.

With the Premier League still ongoing for a few more weeks, many of the big names have decided against playing with only really Van Veen, Van Gerwen, Rock involved.

The draw will be confirmed on Thursday 7 May at around 12pm BST/1pm CET.

The schedule is also confirmed soon after and both the draw and schedule will be here when confirmed. The ProTour players face the qualifiers on Day One with the big name top 16 stars coming in on the Saturday to face the winners designated by draw bracket playing all the way through to Sunday.

Samuel Gill, Head Editor for DartsNews.com sees Wessel Nijman scooping the title.

With the advent of big names continuing to skip the tournaments until the Premier League finishes or in Littler's case it seems due to it being a German speaking country, opportunity always knocks and for me, it will be Dutch players who will thrive again.

In particular, Wessel Nijman who will be the big name on the ProTour in Hildesheim on Monday and no doubt will be in the reckoning for his fifth title of the year. But now he has picked up a first European Tour also, I see him doing the same again.

I also don't see Martin Schindler being in the doldrums for too much longer and think he will be up there. While Zonneveld and Doets are consistently two of the best outside the big names and perhaps including those names too. Josh Rock and Gian van Veen I also see having good weekends.

*** Wessel Nijman

** Kevin Doets, Niels Zonneveld

* Martin Schindler, Josh Rock, Gian van Veen

Nicolas Gayer, Editor for DartsNews.DE is picking Danny Noppert for glory.

The highlight of the Austrian darts calendar is just around the corner, and I believe it is time for another first: in my view, the player who will lift the trophy into the Sunday night sky in Graz is someone who has long been part of the sport’s elite and is overdue a European Tour title — Danny Noppert.

Noppert has reached the final session of a European Tour event three times in a row recently and once again came agonisingly close to his first title in Munich, narrowly missing out in the final. Overall, he has now reached four European Tour finals — notably, the Dutchman also made the final of the Austrian Darts Open back in 2022. This time, I believe he will go one step further.

I also expect to see a familiar name deep in the latter stages of the tournament — one that hardly needs any introduction: Wessel Nijman. Alongside a strong run from Chris Dobey, I also anticipate Krzysztof Ratajski continuing his outstanding start to the season and featuring prominently in the final session in Austria as well.

*** Danny Noppert

** Wessel Nijman, Chris Dobey

* Krzysztof Ratajski, Jermaine Wattimena

Mats Leering, Editor for DartsNieuws.com picks a Welsh winner.

Several big names have decided not to travel to Austria. Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, Stephen Bunting, Gary Anderson and Nathan Aspinall will not be taking part. This is good news for Kevin Doets, Mike De Decker and Raymond van Barneveld, as these withdrawals mean they can now travel to Vienna.

With this wave of withdrawals, several other names are emerging as favourites. A contender for the title is Wessel Nijman. The Dutchman is perhaps the player in the best form of all and has already won one Euro Tour event and no fewer than four floor titles this year.

The numbers 1 and 2 in the seeding list are Gian van Veen and Michael van Gerwen. But unfortunately, as a Dutchman myself, I have little confidence that they will make a big impact here. Van Veen seems to be in a bit of a dip in form, whilst Van Gerwen’s performances are still too inconsistent.

The outsiders for the title are Chris Dobey, Krzysztof Ratajski, and Kevin Doets. One name that is highly unlikely to win but could go far with a favourable draw is the Spaniard Cristo Reyes.

Favourites

***Jonny Clayton

**Wessel Nijman, Chris Dobey

* Michael van Gerwen, Krzysztof Ratajski

Pieter Verbeek, Editor for DartsNieuws.com is picking Nijman to continue his form.

With a host of top names absent, it is hard to look beyond Wessel Nijman as the leading favourite for glory at the Austrian Darts Open. The Dutchman has already claimed five ranking titles this season, including a European Tour crown at the European Darts Trophy. In Graz, Nijman now has a golden opportunity to secure a second Euro Tour triumph of the year.

Nijman will still face competition from the likes of Michael van Gerwen, who has shown encouraging signs of improvement in recent weeks. Genuine consistency may still be missing from his game if he is to challenge regularly for the biggest honours again, but the weakened field in Graz also presents Van Gerwen with an excellent chance to add another title to his collection.

The same can be said for several other contenders. James Wade has already lifted silverware on the floor this season, while both Ross Smith and Ryan Searle have also collected Players Championship titles in 2026.

*** Wessel Nijman

** James Wade, Michael van Gerwen

* Josh Rock, Ross Smith, Ryan Searle

Bram Coenen, Writer for DartsNieuws.com sees Gian van Veen or Wessel Nijman sealing glory.

The Austrian Darts Open is already the sixth tournament of the European Tour season. Remarkably, the first five events produced five different winners, and that trend could easily continue in Graz. With the world’s top two players, Luke Littler and Luke Humphries, absent, alongside several other big names such as Jonny Clayton and Nathan Aspinall, the field is wide open.

One of the main contenders is Gian van Veen. The Dutchman enters the tournament as the top seed and will be eager to bounce back after a difficult spell, including a setback due to kidney stone surgery. Van Veen will be particularly motivated to reconnect with winning form, and his high-scoring power makes him a serious threat in any short-format event.

However, he is likely to face strong competition from fellow Dutchman Wessel Nijman. The 25-year-old is in outstanding form, having already claimed his fourth Players Championship title of the year, as well as a European Tour event earlier this season. With so much confidence behind him, Nijman will be extremely difficult to beat if he settles early in the tournament.

Another intriguing name is Martin Schindler. Although he is not enjoying his strongest season overall, the German begins the event as the defending champion and will be highly motivated to retain his title. His case highlights once again how unpredictable the European Tour can be, where past form does not always guarantee future results.

Ultimately, this unpredictability is exactly what makes the European Tour so compelling. With so many in-form players and the short match format, it is nearly impossible to confidently predict a winner in Graz.

*** Gian van Veen, Wessel Nijman

** Josh Rock, Chris Dobey

* Michael van Gerwen

Oliver Ried, Writer for DartsNews.DE sees Noppert sealing the title in Graz.

The Austrian Darts Open is usually marked by withdrawals, and this time is no different. Once again, several top stars are missing, which makes the field wide open and exciting. I’m going to make a very bold prediction – one that will either turn out brilliantly or fail spectacularly.

For me, Danny Noppert will finally claim his long-overdue first European Tour title. The Dutchman has been playing at a high and consistent level for years, but has often fallen short in the final. This time in Austria, he will come through a chaotic tournament and secure his first stage title since the UK Open.

Because I expect a wild tournament, I also see Kevin Doets as a strong contender. The Dutchman has been producing incredible darts on a regular basis for at least six months now and will reach his second European Tour semi-final. Somewhat surprisingly, Martin Schindler will also make it to his first European Tour semi-final in 2026. Germany’s number one seems to have lifted a lot of pressure off his shoulders in Sindelfingen and will return to the European Tour with renewed confidence – after all, he is the defending champion.

Other names I have on my list for a quarter-final run include Krzysztof Ratajski, who has been incredibly strong this year and should be back in the top 16 after the World Championship. Luke Woodhouse is also set to feature in the final session. The Englishman withdrew from Sindelfingen and will arrive fresh and motivated, pushing his way into the quarter-finals. And given his current form, Wessel Nijman simply cannot be overlooked.

I also predict that Gabriel Clemens will reach at least the last 16 on his European Tour comeback.

*** Danny Noppert

** Kevin Doets, Martin Schindler

* Krzysztof Ratajski, Luke Woodhouse, Wessel Nijman

Lucas Michael, Editor for DartsNews.com sees Danny Noppert also sealing the title.

There is a sense for many in Graz that an opportunity could arise for them. A large number of top names are not making the trip to Austria with those who are high in the rankings not on the best form.

Gian van Veen and Michael van Gerwen lead the field for Euro Tour glory. There have been signs by van Gerwen that his game is in a good place with some tremendous averages, but the inconsistency has cost him at times and possibly will again in this knockout format. The same for van Veen whose level is not the same outstanding level it had been when he became European champion and reached the PDC World Darts Championship final.

The likes of James Wade, Josh Rock and Danny Noppert will all be fancied to go deep in this tournament. Noppert especially will be hoping that this is the time he breaks his European Tour duct. His game is in a very good place, and he will be one of the favourites to clinch the title.

Other outsiders for the title include Chris Dobey and Ross Smith who, similar to Noppert, will be hoping to get a maiden Euro Tour title. Smith was close to this last time out but was bettered by Price in Sindelfingen. The ever-consistent Wessel Nijman will be expected to feature in the business end of the tournament, while the likes of Michael Smith, Peter Wright and Rob Cross will be desperate of a positive result, albeit I sense an early exit for the trio.

As for the winner, it is tough to call. No Littler, Humphries, Gerwyn Price, Stephen Bunting, Gary Anderson, Jonny Clayton and Nathan Aspinall among others opens the door for anyone who want to capitalise. I am going to hedge my bets with Noppert, who will finally get rewarded for the consistent showings on the oche.

*** Danny Noppert

** Michael van Gerwen, Josh Rock

* Gian van Veen, James Wade, Wessel Nijman