“I’m going to give it my damnedest” – Gary Anderson goes all-in on European Championship qualification bid after final run in Hungary

Gary Anderson fell short of lifting the Hungarian Darts Trophy on Sunday evening, but the two-time world champion could still look back on a highly successful weekend in Budapest. The Scot reached his first European Tour final since July last year, where Ross Smith ultimately proved a class apart with an 8-2 win.

Anderson was able to smile about his unexpected surge to the decider. “I ran out of steam a long time ago!” joked the Scot, who was playing only his third European Tour event of the season in Hungary. “Making the final was sheer luck, it was a gift from the gods I got this far.”

That might sell Anderson a touch short. The Scottish darting legend claimed his first four European Tour wins of 2026 in Budapest and, in doing so, took a significant step towards qualifying for the European Darts Championship.

His campaign began with an excellent 6-2 victory over Krzysztof Ratajski. Anderson showed immediately what he still has in the locker, averaging a superb 105.27. Next came Stephen Bunting, who was only edged out in a deciding 11th leg.

The drama kept coming. In the quarter-finals against Gian van Veen, Anderson again needed a ton-plus average to finally see off the Dutchman in a last-leg shoot-out. His run looked over in the semi-finals against Nathan Aspinall, but Anderson survived five match darts and battled through to the final.

There he ran into a rampant Smith. The Englishman, helped by 103 and 124 finishes, moved 2-1 up and then pulled away from Anderson. Smith sealed it with an 11-darter for an 8-2 victory. With a 101 average and a 73 percent checkout rate, he underlined his dominance.

Anderson had nothing but praise for his opponent. “Ross has been brilliant throughout the day. We watched him during the second game, he was fantastic.”

For Smith, the win was his second European Tour title of 2026, after taking the International Darts Open in May. Remarkably, Anderson was also the beaten finalist against Smith in his previous European Tour final in July last year.

Despite the heavy defeat in the final, the weekend in Budapest could prove hugely valuable for Anderson. With four wins banked, he has greatly boosted his chances of making the European Championship. The Scot is determined to lock in qualification over the remaining events. “We’ve got a few tournaments left to get into the Finals, so I’m going to give it my damnedest.”