EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP DRAW! The 32-player field and draw bracket for the 2023 Machineseeker European Championship has been confirmed. ➡️ bit.ly/EC23Draw
Preview European Championship 2023: Will an outsider strike again, or will a top favourite take victory?
PDCWednesday, 25 October 2023 at 08:00
From October 26 to 29, the sixteenth edition of the European Championship is on the program. The best 32 players of the European Tour 2023 will be in action during this tournament.
The European Championship, will once again take place at the Westfalenhallen in Dortmund. This venue also hosted this tournament in 2018 and 2022. This tournament has already worn out its fair share of venues, as the European Darts Championship was previously held in Frankfurt (2008), Hoofddorp (2009), Dinslaken (2010), Düsseldorf (2011), Mülheim (2012-2014), Hasselt (2015-2017), Göttingen (2019), Oberhausen (2020) and Salzburg (2021).
Honours List
The tournament has also seen quite a few different winners. The previous eight editions produced eight different winners. Phil Taylor dominated the tournament from 2008 through 2011, but final victories followed for Simon Whitlock (2012) and Adrian Lewis (2013).
Then came the era of Michael van Gerwen. 'Mighty Mike' grabbed four titles in a row from 2014 to 2017. The past five years have provided four different ones. James Wade was the best in 2018, while Rob Cross triumphed in 2019 and 2021. Peter Wright prevailed in 2020, while the biggest surprise winner came in 2022. Ross Smith stunned then by defeating Michael Smith in the final and capturing his first major title.
Nine darters sparse
During previous years, four players managed to throw a nine-darter at the European Championship. Adrian Lewis, Michael van Gerwen, Kyle Anderson and Jose de Sousa managed to achieve this feat.
Those nine darters fell during the 2011, 2014, 2017 and 2020 editions. Perhaps that bodes well for a perfect lay during the 2023 European Darts Championship in Dortmund this week.
Top favourites and outsiders
Among bookmakers, Michael van Gerwen is narrowly the top favorite. The four-time European Championship winner has had little fun at this tournament over the past five years. He lost the final in 2021, but in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2022, Van Gerwen was invariably eliminated before the quarter-finals.
Behind Van Gerwen, Gerwyn Price and Luke Humphries follow as the biggest favourites for the title. The two were most recently in the final of the World Grand Prix, with Humphries finally winning his first major title.
Dave Chisnall is seeded first at the European Darts Championship as he managed to win three Euro Tour tournaments this year. However, 'Chizzy' meets Chris Dobey in the first round, and also has Stephen Bunting, Michael Smith and Peter Wright in his quarter. So a quarter with many contenders to at least make it to the last four...
Where to watch the European Darts Championship?
In the UK, the tournament in full will be shown on ITV, with other territories being shown on a variety of platforms including Viaplay in the Netherlands, DAZN in Germany and PDCTV in those without TV coverage
Thursday's first round begins at 5:45pm and finishes at 10pm on ITV4. As ever due to football coverage, it will then shift onto ITV3 for Friday and also Saturday's evening session with a slightly later start time of 6pm on the latter. The afternoon session returns to ITV4 for 12pm start time.
For the Quarter-Finals (12pm) and Semi-Finals and Final (6pm), it will solely be on ITV4 until its conclusion.
How much prize money is up for grabs at the European Darts Championship?
The PDC has provided £500,000 in prize money for this event. All 32 participants are guaranteed a £6,000 starting premium.
With a win in the first round, the proceeds rise to £10,000. This eventually rises further to £120,000 in prize money for the winner of the European Darts Championship.
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- I completely agree with Vincent's comments on "whistlegate". It's great to have someone with Vincent's exprience address this issue, so hopefully clearer and stricter guidlelines can be given to referees, security and members of the crowd. No whistling during throws, and something like: whistlers evicted and fined a hefty sum.
UndartedWaters19-11-2024 - Luke Littler played incredible darts yesterday in the semi-final and the final, heralding a new era of darts (along with some of the other brilliant young players who are emerging). And yet, at Luke's celebration feast, de Decker's ghost is Banquo to Littler's Macbeth, mournfully looking on.UndartedWaters18-11-2024
- Am not outraged and as said above i dont like anyone from any country doing it to anyone from any country. Whoever is going for a double should have best of order.Mysstree17-11-2024
- Say what? It happens in other countries; Littler in January - this year (Holland), go and watch the evidence on YouTube. If it is going to be done to English players, then we are more than entitled to dish the same back when players face off in England. When it happened to Littler in Holland in January... where was your outrage then? ABE attitude.MrYnyslas197117-11-2024
- I dont like individuals or crowds trying to put any player off when they are trying to check out, how anyone can think its okay for the crowd to whistle or shout as someone is throwing for a double is beyond me but it does seem to have become part and parcel of the modern game. I no longer play now, darts is as good as dead at a local level round my way but when i did play many years ago, no matter how intense the rivalry you never shouted out or whistled when an opponent from the other team was throwing for a double.Mysstree17-11-2024