From Friday 4th - Sunday 6th September, the
Czech Darts Open is en route as the 12th
European Tour event on the season with sojourns to Antwerp, Basel and Maastricht also before the European Championship.
The field comprises 48 players competing for £230,000 in
prize money. The winner pockets £35,000 with the
Czech Darts Open being staged since 2019 on and off. It was won by Jamie Hughes in the opening year before it took a small hiatus.
When it returned, it was won by Luke Humphries three out of the last four years with only Jonny Clayton snapping that dominance. But Humphries returns this year. Luke Littler is also involved for the first time for a long while on the European Tour. Gian van Veen, Michael van Gerwen, Gerwyn Price among others also play this next weekend subject to late withdrawals.
How is the prize money distributed?
Every player competing at the Czech Darts Open receives a share of the prize fund, with £35,000 going to the outright winner this year.
| Round | Prize money |
| Winner | £35,000 |
| Runner-up | £15,000 |
| Semi-finals | £10,000 |
| Quarter-finals | £8,000 |
| Third round | £5,000 |
| Second round | £3,500* |
| First round | £2,000* |
A crucial element of the European Tour in recent years in regards to changes concerning the seeded players. The top 16 on the seeding list are guaranteed entry and do not need to qualify via the ProTour events. There is, however, a clear caveat: if a seed loses their opening match, the corresponding prize money does not count towards the rankings. In other words, that amount will not be added to any Order of Merit.
It works differently for qualifiers. Players who came through a qualifier and then move into a seeded position due to withdrawals still retain the right to ranking money. Their earnings are fully included in the various Orders of Merit.
The prize money on offer in Prague at the Czech Darts Open also impacts multiple rankings. It counts towards the PDC Order of Merit and the Pro Tour Order of Merit, but most notably the
European Tour Order of Merit. That list is decisive for qualification for the European Championship in Dortmund later this season.
In addition, a player’s position on that European Tour ranking also determines seeding for the season finale. The higher you are, the more favourable the European Championship draw. At the same time, there is a risk: big names can miss out if they skip events or underperform on the European Tour.