Last weekend, the first tournament of the 2026 European Tour was on the schedule in Krakow. The title at the Poland Darts Open went to Luke Littler, who proved too strong for Gian van Veen in the final with an 8-4 win.
ADVERTISEMENT
The triumph at the inaugural Poland Darts Open was Littler’s fifth European Tour title. The 19-year-old Englishman was hugely impressive in Krakow and finished with a tournament average of no less than 105.37.
Only two players have ever managed a higher tournament average on the European Tour. Michael van Gerwen, who has an astonishing 37 European Tour titles to his name, did so three times. In 2018 he won the European Darts Grand Prix and ended with a tournament average of 107.58.
In 2017, ‘Mighty Mike’ won the German Darts Masters with a 106.67 tournament average, and in 2018 he posted a 105.82 tournament average at the European Darts Trophy.
Michael van Gerwen is ‘the king of the European Tour’
Humphries also in illustrious company
Alongside Van Gerwen and Littler, Luke Humphries also managed to register a tournament average above 105 twice on the European Tour. ‘Cool Hand Luke’ won the German Darts Grand Prix in 2024 and recorded a tournament average of 107.51, just a fraction shy of Van Gerwen’s record mark.
ADVERTISEMENT
In 2024 Humphries won the Czech Darts Open. He then finished with a tournament average of 105.42.
The European Tour continues on the weekend of 03/13/2026, 03/14/2026 and 03/15/2026. The European Darts Trophy will then take place in Göttingen. Nathan Aspinall will start that tournament as defending champion, after beating Ryan Joyce 8-4 in last year’s final. A week later the European Tour moves to Wieze for the Belgian Darts Open, where Littler will begin the event as the defending champion.
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.