Schedule Sunday afternoon European Darts Trophy 2025 featuring Luke Humphries v Michael Smith as standout clash
PDC
Big names remain in their droves at the European Darts Trophy. No Luke Littler, no problem as Sunday provides an ample darting feast with the schedule now set in Gottingen for the third round.
ADVERTISEMENT
Spots in the Quarter-Finals up for grabs with Luke Humphries v Michael Smith among the top offerings. While Michael van Gerwen and Gerwyn Price take on two Dutch future stars. Gary Anderson also aims to battle both Martin Schindler and his Wall of German fans making vociferous noise all over the Lokhalle. A return to savour so far after seven years away, can Van Gerwen defend his title (technically)?
The European Darts Trophy first took place in 2013, when it was won by Wes Newton. Michael Smith then managed to win the 2014 and 2015 editions by beating Michael van Gerwen in the final each time. However, it turned out to be third time lucky for the Dutchman, who did take the title in 2016 after losing two finals. Van Gerwen then won the tournament in 2017 and 2018 as well. So after seven years, 'Mighty Mike' may try to defend his title.
Follow the European Darts Trophy 2025 also via our live scores!
Follow the European Darts Trophy 2025 also via our live scores!
Van Gerwen aims to topple potential Dutch king
It is Smith and Van Gerwen who take centre stage in two of the main ties on Sunday afternoon. 'MVG" survived a real scare in his opener against Niko Springer.
He had to produce some of his best and silence a ravenous home contingent baying for their rising star Niko Springer to seal the win. But the German was crestfallen as Van Gerwen took him down in the decider which he has often been the master at.
He stood on the stage for a good two minutes afterwards taking in the applause as MVG called him a future German Number One. But Van Gerwen is facing a player who could take his mantle eventually in his home country of Holland in Gian van Veen. He forms part of a superb double header of Dutch talents trying to topple the current leading lights.
ADVERTISEMENT
Statistics - Van Gerwen v Springer
| Michael Van Gerwen | VS | Niko Springer |
|---|---|---|
| 101.23 | Average (3 Darts) | 98.9 |
| 7 | 100+ Thrown | 14 |
| 7 | 140+ Thrown | 7 |
| 4 | 180 Thrown | 3 |
| 86 | Highest Checkout | 96 |
| 0 | Checkout 100+ | 0 |
| 40 | Checkout percentage | 38.5 |
| 6 / 15 | Checkout | 5 / 13 |
Price zones in on title success?
The first being Gerwyn Price who faces off against Wessel Nijman in the game before. Albeit unlike MVG, Price looks less vulnerable. 'The Iceman' is seemingly back towards his rampant best as he produced epic finishes including a 167 and 136 to see off Ryan Searle 6-4. A player who will be sick of the sight of him having not beaten him ironically since Price's pomp in 2021.
But NIjman has been often touted as the next cab off the rank in Dutch darts but has yet to put a statement together on the European Tour. That will be his aim when he faces Price who as alluded to is one of the men of the moment.
ADVERTISEMENT
For Van Gerwen, it is a first title of the year he will crave and much needed after a 2025 where wins over MVG are surprisingly easier than ever to accrue. Van Veen will hope that but MVG will hope for a much needed shot in the arm on Sunday.
Is Gerwyn Price due a title this weekend?
Anderson battles physical and metaphorical wall in Schindler
Opening the show is in fact Cameron Menzies who has a superb record against Mike de Decker with the frenetic Scot a player that has 'The Real Deal's number.
But De Decker continues to grow and saw off Peter Wright on Saturday night. He is getting used to new equipment but has shown on the European Tour that when it starts fully firing, he will be back in World Grand Prix form.
ADVERTISEMENT
Menzies on the otherhand as his livewire persona shows is a bit of a mystery when it comes to what Cammy will turn up but it will be an entertaining start to Sunday either way.
Onto Match Two and it is Rob Cross who saw off Andrew Gilding facing Ryan Joyce who followed up his battering of Joe Cullen with a comprehensive win over Dimitri van den Bergh. Like Woodhouse on Saturday for Anderson, he is one of the most tricky customers on the tour and is very much a banana skin for the big names while becoming a man to be feared in his own right.
So Cross will have to watch out in this second match. Following the two darting kings v Dutch princes affairs is a battle of power scoring giants as Dave Chisnall who was poor against Ricky Evans but did enough faces off against Ross Smith.
A player you can write down as unlucky at times as he throws the kitchen sink at players then loses in last leg deciders. He followed up Friday's standout excellence with a superb 6-2 win over James Wade on Saturday afternoon and seemingly has a big run in him. Will that come in Gottingen.
ADVERTISEMENT
A man who hopes it will is Martin Schindler who lived up to his billing as the German European Tour king on Saturday. He sent the crowd away with their money's worth as he swept aside Jonny Clayton averaging nearly 107. The Wall has been an immovable force in these tournaments and seems to turn everything to gold.
Gary Anderson will be used to crowd hostility but how he is able to turn up against a Schindler with the crowd screaming his name to hysteric fever pitch is another matter. One to watch.
Statistics - Martin Schindler v Jonny Clayton
| Jonny Clayton | VS | Martin Schindler |
|---|---|---|
| 89.93 | Average (3 Darts) | 106.78 |
| 7 | 100+ Thrown | 5 |
| 5 | 140+ Thrown | 8 |
| 2 | 180 Thrown | 3 |
| 16 | Highest Checkout | 121 |
| 0 | Checkout 100+ | 1 |
| 20 | Checkout percentage | 60 |
| 1 / 5 | Checkout | 6 / 10 |
Aspinall vows revenge for best friend as Humphries battles Smith
ADVERTISEMENT
As is Nathan Aspinall v Jermaine Wattimena who vowed to get revenge for his mate Chris Dobey who was beaten with ease by the Machine Gun who continues to show he is a darting force. He has a great record but most of the meetings were before the emergence of Machine Gun II, similar to the Terminator but he throws incredible darts and he will be back to attempt to vanquish Nathan Aspinall.
Before we get the main course as Luke Humphries faces Michael Smith. 'Bully Boy' eased past Ricardo Pietreczko on Saturday but as Humphries admitted himself he hasn't been himself and has a point to prove.
While Humphries has one too after failing on the European Tour stage last time out he sealed his opener against Big Boris Krcmar amid a darting enslaught but if both catch alight. We could be in for a masterclass, stay tuned.
A darting day of epic proportions awaits but can Luke Humphries vanquish a familiar foe?
TV Guide
ADVERTISEMENT
The tournament will be broadcast by PDC TV. As usual with Euro Tour tournaments, the European Darts Trophy consists of three tournament days. The afternoon sessions will start daily at 12 p.m., while the evening sessions will start at 6 p.m.
The first round will take place on Friday, where the 16 Pro Tour players will face 16 players who emerged from the various qualifying tournaments. The winners of these matches will face a player from the top-16 of the world rankings in the second round on Saturday. The third round will be played on Sunday afternoon, before the quarterfinals, semifinals and final are completed on Sunday evening.
Distribution of prize money
All participants starting from the first round are guaranteed £1250 in prize money, while the top-16 enter from the second round and receive £2,500 anyway. This amount eventually rises to the grand prize of £30,000 for the winner.
ADVERTISEMENT
An important detail is that players who are automatically seeded via the Order of Merit and lose their first match will not be awarded prize money on the various rankings. This does apply to qualifiers who are later designated as seeded by the withdrawal of others.
Schedule European Darts Trophy 2025
Sunday, March 23
Afternoon session (from 12 p.m.)
Third Round
Cameron Menzies v Mike de Decker
Rob Cross v Ryan Joyce
Gerwyn Price v Wessel Nijman
Michael van Gerwen v Gian van Veen
Dave Chisnall v Ross Smith
Martin Schindler v Gary Anderson
Nathan Aspinall v Jermaine Wattimena
Luke Humphries v Michael Smith
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.
claps 1visitors 1
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- 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
- Not even slightly interestedrick6730-10-2026
- And yet the PDC has decided to aggravate this problem by doubling the Players Championship Finals field from 2027. I can't imagine there will be fewer withdrawals next year with even less reason to turn up. I can only hope that a whole slew of Challenge Tour top-up players receive enough prize money in the absence of much of the elite, that some of the more complacent among them struggle to scrape into even a heavily diluted field! More semi-pro players will get to test their mettle, but the standard of competition will be much inferior. It could hardly be said that the Players Championship series will provide an opportunity for darts' second string to test their Tour Card credentials anymore, but at least it will underscore the achievements of those Challenge Tour players of current and previous years, who were able to prove themselves as more than capable of competing with, and beating, the elite of the sport on a consistent basis, and reaping the due rewards.Deduce635828-10-2026
- No point in being there? Champions want to win.Deduce635828-10-2026
- Littler lost to crabtree in the youth/junior/whatever you call it. He had no point in being there. He's unfortunately now got to the stage,he feels all he has to do is get on the stage to win. Well,I hope he realises part of his fear factor has gone. Happened to Taylor,then van gerwen,and it's causing him to realise pretty sharp,he isn't unstoppable. It's good for the sport,not 1 single player in my 60 years has ever,or will ever be, unbeatable.rick6725-10-2026
- I think it's great to see Mark Webster looking good,good ladrick6725-10-2026
- I agree,I can't believe the lack of coverage of this sad loss. Always enjoyed watching him,but I guess now it's all about littler,well it seems that way. Darts has sadly lost a good manrick6717-10-2026
- In the absence of a report regarding the death of Stefan Lord, I'll assist. An excellent player in the late 70s and early 80s, he actually won the now defunct 3rd place match at two World Championships and a couple of the News of the World Championships. A fabulous player and easily the best Swedish player ever. Rest peacefully Stefan.richieburnettrocks16-10-2026