European Darts Trophy 2026: Schedule, Field, Draw, and Predictions

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

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 Luke Humphries, 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. Nathan Aspinall though will be the defending champion having defeated Ryan Joyce 8-4 in the 2025 final.

The draw will be confirmed on Thursday, March 12 (at around 12pm) and will be confirmed here when announced.

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.

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

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