The 2026 European Darts Trophy is the second tournament on this year's European Tour and takes place at Lokhalle in Gottingen between 13-15 March, 2026
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It is the second of fifteen European Tour events on the 2026 PDC ProTour and is the first European Tour event to visit Germany.
It will feature a field of 48 players led by Michael van Gerwen, Gian van Veen, and Gerwyn Price, among others. Luke Littler continues his boycott of the European Tour in Germany after his issues with the crowd last year. Luke Humphries, Jonny Clayton and defending champion Nathan Aspinall have since withdrawn though. Aspinall beat Ryan Joyce 8-4 in the 2025 final.
Preview Sunday evening European Darts Trophy 2026
The final session is here at the European Darts Trophy with a top tie in the Quarter-Finals of a testosterone tungsten tussle between Gerwyn Price and Dirk van Duijvenbode.
Also we see Josh Rock face off against Wessel Nijman while Niko Springer continues his home run against Damon Heta in the Quarter-Finals.
Finally Niels Zonneveld faces off against Richard Veenstra in the first Quarter-Final. A champion will be crowned later this evening but will it be one of the established names left ala Rock, Price or even Heta or will it be a potential new winner.
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Gerwyn Price faces Danny Noppert in the third round
Schedule European Darts Trophy 2026
Friday March 13 - Afternoon Session (from 12pm GMT)
| Time | Player 1 | RESULT | Player 2 | Round |
| 12:00 | Andrew Gilding | (94.49) 3-6 (98.16) | Darius Labanauskas | R1 |
| 12:30 | Kevin Doets | (117.12) 6-0 (75.5) | Jonas Masalin | R1 |
| 13:00 | Ricky Evans | (88.41) 6-0 (83.44) | Florian Preis | R1 |
| 13:30 | Niels Zonneveld | (89.61) 6-1 (85.56) | Keane Barry | R1 |
| 14:00 | Cameron Menzies | (93.52) 4-6 (90.88) | Paul Krohne | R1 |
| 14:30 | Richard Veenstra | (89.05) 6-3 (82.7) | Florian Hempel | R1 |
| 15:00 | Krzysztof Ratajski | (97.86) 6-4 (96.27) | Shane McGuirk | R1 |
| 15:30 | Ryan Joyce | (81.17) 3-6 (80.33) | Lukas Wenig | R1 |
Friday Evening session (from 6pm GMT)
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| Time | Player 1 | RESULT | Player 2 | Round |
| 18:00 | Dave Chisnall | (86.78) 6-5 (90.37) | Jeffrey de Zwaan | R1 |
| 18:30 | Dirk van Duijvenbode | (85.83) 6-2 (80.64) | Mario Vandenbogaerde | R1 |
| 19:00 | Luke Woodhouse | (90.18) 6-0 (77.72) | Dragutin Horvat | R1 |
| 19:30 | Daryl Gurney | (87.77) 6-4 (84.94) | Sebastian Bialecki | R1 |
| 20:00 | Joe Cullen | (95.27) 6-3 (84.57) | Wojciech Brulinski | R1 |
| 20:30 | Niko Springer | (87.19) 6-5 (89.65) | Kai Gotthardt | R1 |
| 21:00 | William O'Connor | (89.26) 2-6 (94.85) | Mensur Suljovic | R1 |
| 21:30 | Wessel Nijman | (91.11) 6-5 (84.36) | Cristo Reyes | R1 |
Saturday March 14 - Afternoon session (from 12pm GMT)
| Time | Player 1 | RESULT | Player 2 | Round |
| 12:00 | Jermaine Wattimena | (99.19) 6-5 (93.91) | Lukas Wenig | R2 |
| 12:30 | Damon Heta | (101.42) 6-3 (95.5) | Darius Labanauskas | R2 |
| 13:00 | Danny Noppert | (85.85) 6-1 (83.92) | Ricky Evans | R2 |
| 13:30 | Ross Smith | (93.08) 6-4 (88.98) | Dave Chisnall | R2 |
| 14:00 | Rob Cross | (94.57) 5-6 (94.65) | Dirk Van Duijvenbode | R2 |
| 14:30 | Mike De Decker | (93.47) 2-6 (100.42) | Wessel Nijman | R2 |
| 15:00 | Chris Dobey | (98.35) 6-1 (95.48) | Luke Woodhouse | R2 |
| 15:30 | Ryan Searle | (99.47) 6-3 (94.09) | Daryl Gurney | R2 |
Evening Session (from 6pm GMT)
| Time | Player 1 | RESULT | Player 2 | Round |
| 18:00 | Josh Rock | (90.78) 6-4 (86.82) | Paul Krohne | R2 |
| 18:30 | Gerwyn Price | (106.70) 6-2 (90.69) | Joe Cullen | R2 |
| 19:00 | Martin Schindler | (92.19) 4-6 (97.11) | Richard Veenstra | R2 |
| 19:30 | Michael van Gerwen | (107) 2-6 (104.46) | Niels Zonneveld | R2 |
| 20:00 | Karel Sedlacek | (81.91) 4-6 (90.09) | Mensur Suljovic | R2 |
| 20:30 | Gian van Veen | (94.18) 6-1 (89.29) | Krzysztof Ratajski | R2 |
| 21:00 | Stephen Bunting | (95.94) 5-6 (96.84) | Niko Springer | R2 |
| 21:30 | Cam Crabtree | (84.55) 4-6 (95.58) | Kevin Doets | R2 |
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Sunday March 15 - Afternoon session (from 11am GMT)
| Time | Player 1 | RESULT | Player 2 | Round |
| 11:00 | Ryan Searle | (85.74) 3-6 (83.03) | Richard Veenstra | R3 |
| 11:30 | Niels Zonneveld | (98.19) 6-4 (98.64) | Jermaine Wattimena | R3 |
| 12:00 | Josh Rock | (92.33) 6-5 (90.60) | Chris Dobey | R3 |
| 12:30 | Gian van Veen | (90.60) 1-6 (112.87) | Wessel Nijman | R3 |
| 13:00 | Niko Springer | (95.03) 6-5 (97.42) | Ross Smith | R3 |
| 13:30 | Kevin Doets | (95.24) 3-6 (93.46) | Damon Heta | R3 |
| 14:00 | Danny Noppert | (98.14) 5-6 (99.13) | Gerwyn Price | R3 |
| 14:30 | Mensur Suljovic | (84.19) 1-6 (99.69) | Dirk van Duijvenbode | R3 |
Evening session (from 5pm GMT)
| Time | Player 1 | RESULT | Player 2 | Round |
| 17:00 | Richard Veenstra | (96.00) 2-6 (98.20) | Niels Zonneveld | QF |
| 17:30 | Josh Rock | (95.19) 2-6 (109.14) | Wessel Nijman | QF |
| 18:00 | Niko Springer | (95.53) 5-6 (100.66) | Damon Heta | QF |
| 18:30 | Gerwyn Price | (98.61) 6-3 (98.54) | Dirk van Duijvenbode | QF |
| 19:00 | Niels Zonneveld | (96.85) 1-7 (110.41) | Wessel Nijman | SF |
| 19:45 | Damon Heta | (97.51) 5-7 (96.68) | Gerwyn Price | SF |
| 20:30 | Wessel Nijman | (100.8) 8-3 (92.38) | Gerwyn Price | Final |
Draw European Darts Trophy 2026
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| Seed / Player 1 | v | Player 2 |
| (6) Ryan Searle | v | Daryl Gurney / Sebastian Bialecki |
| (11) Martin Schindler | v | Richard Veenstra / Florian Hempel |
| (3) Michael van Gerwen | v | Niels Zonneveld / Keane Barry |
| (14) Jermaine Wattimena | v | Ryan Joyce / Lukas Wenig |
| (7) Josh Rock | v | Cameron Menzies / Paul Krohne |
| (10) Chris Dobey | v | Luke Woodhouse / Dragutin Horvat |
| (2) Gian van Veen | v | Krzysztof Ratajski / Shane McGuirk |
| (15) Mike De Decker | v | Wessel Nijman / Cristo Reyes |
| (5) Stephen Bunting | v | Niko Springer / Kai Gotthardt |
| (12) Ross Smith | v | Dave Chisnall / Jeffrey de Zwaan |
| Cam Crabtree | v | Kevin Doets / Jonas Masalin |
| (13) Damon Heta | v | Andrew Gilding / Darius Labanauskas |
| (8) Danny Noppert | v | Ricky Evans / Florian Preis |
| (9) Gerwyn Price | v | Joe Cullen / Wojciech Brulinski |
| Karel Sedlacek | v | William O'Connor / Mensur Suljovic |
| (16) Rob Cross | v | Dirk van Duijvenbode / Mario Vandenbogaerde |
European Darts Trophy 2026 Field
Seeded Players
| Seed | Player |
| 1 | Luke Humphries |
| 2 | Gian van Veen |
| 3 | Michael van Gerwen |
| 4 | Jonny Clayton |
| 5 | Gary Anderson |
| 6 | Stephen Bunting |
| 7 | Ryan Searle |
| 8 | Josh Rock |
| 9 | Danny Noppert |
| 10 | James Wade |
| 11 | Gerwyn Price |
| 12 | Chris Dobey |
| 13 | Nathan Aspinall |
| 14 | Martin Schindler |
| 15 | Ross Smith |
| 16 | Damon Heta |
PDC Pro Tour Order of Merit Qualifiers
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| Player |
| Wessel Nijman |
| Jermaine Wattimena |
| Cameron Menzies |
| Dirk van Duijvenbode |
| Luke Woodhouse |
| Niko Springer |
| Ryan Joyce |
| William O'Connor |
| Mike De Decker |
| Joe Cullen |
| Krzysztof Ratajski |
| Dave Chisnall |
| Niels Zonneveld |
| Daryl Gurney |
| Andrew Gilding |
| Rob Cross |
Tour Card Qualifiers
| Player |
| Mario Vandenbogaerde |
| Cristo Reyes |
| Darius Labanauskas |
| Kai Gotthardt |
| Jeffrey de Zwaan |
| Shane McGuirk |
| Kevin Doets |
| Richard Veenstra |
| Ricky Evans |
| Sebastian Białecki |
Host Nation Qualifiers
| Player |
| Florian Preis |
| Florian Hempel |
| Dragutin Horvat |
| Paul Krohne |
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Nordic & Baltic Qualifier
| Player |
| Jonas Masalin |
East European Qualifier
| Player |
| Wojciech Bruliński |
When is the confirmed draw for the European Darts Trophy?
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The draw will be confirmed on Thursday, March 12 (at around 12pm) and will be confirmed here when announced.
When is the confirmed schedule for the European Darts Trophy?
The schedule is usually confirmed on the day the draw, but ordinarily sees the Qualifiers play the ProTour names before the top 16 enter the draw the day after.
Predictions
Samuel Gill, Head Editor of DartsNews.com sees Luke Humphries sealing the title
Gary Anderson always seems to crop up and win one so I think he will be up there but Luke Humphries for me will win the title.
Humphries for the title for me followed by Gary Anderson and Gerwyn Price. A bit cliche but all are very likely.
I also see Michael van Gerwen as a potential winner, while Nathan Aspinall cannot be counted out. Alongside Danny Noppert, they will want to prove a point, and Aspinall was the best player on the European Tour at the back end of 2025. So I struggle to see past those names.
*** Luke Humphries
** Gary Anderson, Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen
* Gerwyn Price, Nathan Aspinall, Danny Noppert
Nicolas Gayer, Editor for DartsNews.DE sees a Jonny Clayton triumph in his home country.
With the return to the legendary Lokhalle in Göttingen, it truly feels as though the new PDC season has properly gathered momentum. Speaking of momentum, I expect a player who has started the year in excellent form to come out on top in Lower Saxony: Jonny Clayton.
Clayton not only currently leads the table in the Premier League Darts, but has also already reached a quarter-final and a semi-final on the floor this season, while generally producing a level of form reminiscent of his very best years. Everything therefore appears to be in place for a fourth PDC European Tour title for “The Ferret”.
Alongside the usual suspects such as Luke Humphries and Gian van Veen, top players like Michael van Gerwen, Gary Anderson, and Gerwyn Price will naturally be among the Welshman’s main challengers. I also expect a strong performance in Göttingen from Danny Noppert, who once again demonstrated outstanding form at the UK Open in Minehead, producing a nine-darter and securing dominant victories in trademark “The Freeze” fashion.
From a German perspective, I am also excited to see the European Tour debut of Florian Preis. Preis, who has so far primarily developed his career on the WDF circuit, is widely regarded as one of the country’s most promising darts talents. Over recent weeks and months, the 18-year-old has been drawing attention with consistently strong performances at a remarkably high level — very close to what one would expect from a Tour Card holder.
*** Jonny Clayton
** Danny Noppert, Luke Humphries
* Gian van Veen, Gary Anderson, Gerwyn Price
Jonny Clayton seen as a potential champion by our editors.
Lucas Michael, Editor for DartsNews.com also sees Jonny Clayton as being up there in the running.
The Euro Tour returned with a bang a couple of weeks ago in Poland, but the highly anticipated return to Germany is near with darts bracing for a thrilling three days in Gottingen.
It was the location where Nathan Aspinall broke his duct and won a maiden Euro Tour title. It was the catalyst for him to go and reach another three final, clinch two more triumphs and finish first on the Euro Tour Order of Merit. He will be back to defend his title but will face a huge number of challengers also wanting to clinch that success.
However, that list does not include the Poland Darts Open champion Luke Littler who continues his trend of dodging any form of darting action on the Euro Tour in Germany. This opens the field up to a great extent, albeit the favourites will still be lurking. Luke Humphries will return to having a number one next to his name, and possibly most relieving the fact that he will not need to face Gian van Veen until the final if they both make it that far. He is eager for revenge after Krakow was the latest instalment in their one-sided rivalry in recent times.
On the topic of Dutchman, Michael van Gerwen could throw his name in the hat if at his best. However, his inconsistent form could see him succumb to an early exit if not at the races. An inform Jonny Clayton is a much more reliable pick for the title, as well is a much improving Stephen Bunting who looks to be closing in on his best form, and at a crucial time.
It does not matter who is on stage, they will likely be second favourite to German number one Martin Schindler, who is already a three-time Euro Tour champion, and the champion in Budapest last year Niko Springer. While I do not believe they will be challenging at for the prize at the end, it would be a nice surprise to see one of them succeed once more on the Euro Tour.
As for my pick for the champion, I am going to edge a consistent and clinical Clayton for a fourth title in Europe.
*** Jonny Clayton
** Stephen Bunting, Nathan Aspinall
* Luke Humphries, Gian van Veen, Martin Schindler
Pieter Verbeek, Editor for DartsNieuws.com sees Gerwyn Price as the champion in Gottingen.
Luke Littler’s absence immediately makes the weekend in Göttingen a lot more interesting. There is no clear standout favourite this time, and without Littler in the field the door is wide open for the rest of the players to fight for the Euro Tour title.
Luke Humphries is the player who, after Littler, most consistently shows the level needed to win titles, but “Cool Hand Luke” has also produced a number of inconsistent performances in recent weeks. Gerwyn Price regularly fires in 110+ averages on the floor, yet he almost always has one match in a tournament where things simply do not click, and those are the games “The Iceman” often ends up losing.
This could well be the perfect opportunity for Gian van Veen to claim his first Euro Tour title. The Dutchman reached the final earlier this year in Poland, where he was beaten by Littler. Alongside him, the likes of Michael van Gerwen, Jonny Clayton, Nathan Aspinall, James Wade and Wessel Nijman can also be expected to be firmly in the mix for the title.
*** Gerwyn Price
** Luke Humphries, Gian van Veen
* Jonny Clayton, Michael van Gerwen, Nathan Aspinall, James Wade, Wessel Nijman
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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- Ultimately it is a bye for whoever draws Barney. It will be another stroppy and sulky performance once he goes behind. Barney was excellent but really must completely call it a day now.richieburnettrocks07-11-2026
- I'm disappointed he was not able to secure a spot at the Grand Slam. With Carl Sneyd taking care of Daryl Gurney, he would have had to beat Andy Boulton before facing the winner of Sneyd vs Mensur Suljović for a Grand Slam spot. Unfortunately, after beating Filip Bereza comfortably, he succumbed to Boulton, and the board would ultimately be won by the highly inconsistent Carl Sneyd. Since he could instead have been drawn against the likes of Cristo Reyes, Dirk van Duijvenbode and Stephen Bunting, I think once Gurney was out of the picture he would have been favourite to win his board, and it seems like a massive missed opportunity to put 5 grand on his ranking and seal another major TV appearance ahead of the Worlds. The highs and lows of following Raymond van Barneveld!Deduce635806-11-2026
- Probably i will receive a lot of backlash and hate for this reaction, but well, so be it. I am more than sick and tired of those lies of you Barry Hearn. How dare you defend yourself over the back of Fallon’s son! He has a disability and not an illness, so let me correct that for you! I know because I have the exact same disability. I have tried to reach out to Fallon in the past, and offered her to help her and her son, because I was struggling with the same problems, and I understood the boy. I wanted him to have finally someone who understood him. However she told me that she did not want my help, and I have respected Fallon’s choice. I have never asked Fallon for money. They don’t need money in that case. I only ever wanted the best for Fallon and Rory, but I have to be honest about the situation. Fallon should tell the true story and not be forced to tell lies. I don’t hate Fallon, and I don’t begrudge or envy a single penny that she gets, but this situation/case is just not fair. I hate the lies and the dishonesty and injustice. I don’t want Fallon to be hated because there is an unfair disadvantage created. Don’t proclaim your false lies over the back of Rory! I only stand for integrity and justice. I am precisely the one who always sticks up for Fallon. And you don't, you don't give a damn about them. You were never there for them, and now you only want to save your own position! You are just trying to talk your way out of your own bad behavior at the expense of someone with a disability. And to Fallon, I don’t know if this may ever reach you, and you read it, but I want you to know I love you and I love your son Rory very much, I am sorry how things developed and went. I hope you and Harriet are still friends. I am sorry if I were too persistent to you, or you experienced it that way, but it was never my intention. Please understand I have autism as well. As Barry Hearn would say, I am only just a human being too, and I also make mistakes and misjudge things sometimes. I promise you I did everything out of the deepest love and care for you and Rory. If I were you, I should just keep all the money, only please never be dishonest or tell lies anymore for Barry Hearn, or anyone else. I hope you have the best life, and I wish nothing more than the best for you. I have always loved the two of you. Farewell.Hiddo05-11-2026
- She is a professional. If darts is her income, she is a professional. Same as Adrian Lewis, Martin Adams. A tour card just means someone can play on the PDC tour. You could even make a case that Clayton wasn't a professional (until recently I believe) because he had employment elsewhere.BandB04-11-2026
- She's technically not a professional though as she doesn't hold a pro tour card.mr-pablo04-11-2026
- Such a shame that lakeside has been reduced to this. Fantastic venue,and previously a great tournament. Not any morerick6703-11-2026
- Seems to me that the top 16 players pick and choose whatever they want to play. Good,all the money will get spread out more. They get more money from exhibitions than tournaments so let them all withdrawrick6703-11-2026
- Play all legs and the winners split the pot. Luke gets the lot of he wins them all. If your occupation is darts player you can't enter, regardless of ability.BandB01-11-2026
- I'm quite a jaded person all things considered, but to be honest I found Beat Luke Littler to be pretty entertaining. It certainly wasn't seamless, which is to be expected given the lack of precedence, but I actually think the pacing was pretty good, the production was impressive, and there was a good sense of humour and levity to it. I think it was a very ambitious undertaking but one that, for the most part, paid off. I liked the system with the four pots and I think it added to the drama and intrigue. I enjoyed seeing the diverse range of entrants and learning about their backstories. I think the interactivity was pretty clever and well-integrated. The panel was a little incoherent at times; Lee Mack shone however, and his improvisational skills were appreciated during some more awkward interstitial moments. As far as the darts is concerned, it was a shame that the format didn't allow Littler to get into full flow. You obviously don't want him to steamroll everyone but you want to feel like you're getting the full Littler package rather than seeing him struggling to get out of first gear. I will say that his leg against Jayden Walker was very impressive, but it was mostly downhill from there. The attraction revolves around Littler being this untouchable, indomitable force, yet the format doesn't really allow him to fulfil that characterisation. As for Fallon Sherrock, she was mightily impressive and deserved the victory. It is a testament to her unshakeable character that she was able to bang in a 14-darter under such mind-bending pressure. Everything that has been said about the misleading marketing is valid, though they were clear about their eligibility criteria and were able to offload the responsibility somewhat by bringing the viewers into the decision-making process in real time. What is clear though, is that Fallon played the game according to the rules, and she should not be criticised for that, much less abused. I will admit though that it is a kick in the teeth for those true amateurs who committed time and money to the course, and I would also question those who think pub players would have no chance, given that some of Littler's winning legs were dispatched in 7 visits to the board! The great thing about darts is that it isn't so much that amateurs cannot replicate the feats of brilliance pulled off by professionals of the sport, than it is that they simply cannot replicate the consistency of their output, something that this format almost entirely removes from the equation. It should also be noted that, financially, Fallon certainly stands to benefit much less in relative terms from the paycheque than would your average pub thrower, as I'm sure she nets a fair income from the lucrative exhibition circuit alone. What I do hope is that she might use this as an opportunity to really build up a head of steam heading into the new season, as it seems long overdue that she come through Q-School and really take it to the pros on a week-in week-out basis, but whatever she chooses to do, she has certainly achieved enough already for one if not several lifetimes, so who am I to dictate terms? To conclude though, I will state once again that I found Beat Luke Littler to be a pretty enjoyable evening of entertainment. I do feel for the contestants who never actually had the chance to try their luck against the world #1, although I suppose it comes with the format, but all which inevitably raises the question: will Netflix be tempted to do it all again next year? It's hard to say. Whether it would be financially viable, I can't weigh in there. One point I have been making though, and which I touched on earlier, is that the entire concept relies on a public perception that Littler is more or less unbeatable, and that certainly hasn't been the case of late. If the execs had been trying to pitch the show in recent months while Littler has seemed vulnerable, rather than when he was mopping up almost every major title on the calendar, it would certainly be a tougher sell. We will have to see in about 6 months' time whether Littler can still reliably command perception as a near-unstoppable force in darts, and then we'll have a clearer idea about whether we should expect a second helping. Even as a one-off experiment though, and with all the controversy taken into account, I still don't think they disgraced themselves by any means, and that will probably be my lingering assessment of the event when all is said and done.Deduce635801-11-2026
- Fair play to Fallon. But...shows the mockery when a professional players wins what was meant to be an amateur v Pro event, Littlers performance was poor, and what about the players who didn't get a game? Would have been better if the pot was split amoungst all the winners and they all got a leg.BandB31-10-2026