The European Tour is set to return with a new stop on the calendar in the Slovakian capital city of Bratislava. The Slovak Darts Open will take place from Friday, June 19, to Sunday, June 21 in the ninth edition of this year's Euro Tour.
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It will feature 48 players and £230,000 in prize money with £35,000 for the winner. There will be no Luke Littler or Luke Humphries for the inaugural edition of this tournament with a keen eye on the US Darts Masters, but a number of top names are still making the trip.
Gian van Veen will once more be the number one seed with Michael van Gerwen following close behind. Jonny Clayton, James Wade, Gerwyn Price, Stephen Bunting and even Gary Anderson will take to the oche. 'The Flying Scotsman' does not regularly compete on the European Tour, but senses an opportunity to become the first ever champion in Slovakia.
Winners on the European Tour in 2026 Nathan Aspinall, Ross Smith and Wessel Nijman would love to add another with Chris Dobey, Ryan Searle, Jermaine Wattimena and Kevin Doets all looking for their first. Luke Woodhouse broke new ground last time out in the Baltic Sea Darts Open as he targets back-to-back triumphs.
How is the prize money distributed?
Every player playing in the Slovak Darts Open earns a share of the prize money on offer with £35,000 going to the winner overall this year.
| Round | Prize money |
| Winner | £35,000 |
| Runner-up | £15,000 |
| Semi-finals | £10,000 |
| Quarter-finals | £8,000 |
| Third round | £5,000 |
| Second round | £3,500* |
| First round | £2,000* |
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An important detail at European Tour events concerns the seeded players: the top 16 directly qualify by right into the tournament, rather than having to earn their spot through the ProTour. However, if they lose their opening match, the associated prize money does not get added to their rankings. In other words: that amount does not count towards the various standings in that case.
This changes for qualifiers. Players who qualified through a qualifying event and, due to withdrawals, are subsequently designated as seeded players will see their earned prize money come up on the rankings at the end of play.
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The prize money distributed in Bratislava is also utilised for multiple ranking tables. It counts towards the PDC Order of Merit and the Pro Tour Order of Merit, but specifically in this case the European Tour Order of Merit. That goes to qualification later in the season for Dortmund.
Lucas MichaelDarts Journalist
Lucas Michael is a darts journalist and reporter based in Cambridge, UK, and has been part of the DartsNews team since 2025. He covers professional darts through reports, analysis, round-ups, and live coverage, with a focus on clear context and accurate reporting across the PDC calendar.
A key part of his work is liveblogging major tournaments throughout the year, providing real-time updates, match coverage, and contextual reporting across the professional circuit. He also reports regularly from events on site and has covered the PDC World Darts Championship from the venue, delivering first-hand insight throughout the tournament.
Within the newsroom, Lucas works closely with the editorial team and supports coverage alongside Chief Content Officer Samuel Gill and reporter Kieran Wood.
Lucas holds a BA (Hons) in Sports Journalism. In his work, he places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating content promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- Well,I suppose if you don't play the tournaments ,then why should any player qualify? There are players who enter every tournament,and if they don't win it,they carry on, spending money they haven't won,yet certain players seem to think they should qualify. Winners only I thinkrick6714-11-2026
- Everyone knows what a fantastic champion Taylor was,but his performances in the seniors were poor. He wouldn't throw littler off stage,as he'd miss these days!!rick6712-11-2026
- He produced some impressive numbers in that qualifying campaign. I'm excited to see him compete at the World Championship once again, even if it will be difficult to replicate last year's success even with an improved performance, with the draw playing a huge role in determining his fortunes.Deduce635811-11-2026
- I often think about this very question. I think they should revive the format. They could even invite representatives from MODUS Super Series, with four series winners from the past year, and the ADC, with finalists from the Global Championship and perhaps other events. Why not throw in eligible representatives from the JDC and even the soft-tip game too?Deduce635811-11-2026
- So what if littler missed out, he doesnt have to enter everythingant10-11-2026
- Good, absolutely no loss if we never see this dancing goof ever again......no that is not fair. He absolutely cannot and has never been remotely able to dance!richieburnettrocks10-11-2026
- Yes Phil,now the money in the game is bigger than ever,you'd play littler. Well so would I! Retire on your memory Phil,and your successful careerrick6709-11-2026
- And why should he listen to you?Deduce635807-11-2026
- Ultimately it is a bye for whoever draws Barney. It will be another stroppy and sulky performance once he goes behind. Barney was excellent but really must completely call it a day now.richieburnettrocks07-11-2026
- I'm disappointed he was not able to secure a spot at the Grand Slam. With Carl Sneyd taking care of Daryl Gurney, he would have had to beat Andy Boulton before facing the winner of Sneyd vs Mensur Suljović for a Grand Slam spot. Unfortunately, after beating Filip Bereza comfortably, he succumbed to Boulton, and the board would ultimately be won by the highly inconsistent Carl Sneyd. Since he could instead have been drawn against the likes of Cristo Reyes, Dirk van Duijvenbode and Stephen Bunting, I think once Gurney was out of the picture he would have been favourite to win his board, and it seems like a massive missed opportunity to put 5 grand on his ranking and seal another major TV appearance ahead of the Worlds. The highs and lows of following Raymond van Barneveld!Deduce635806-11-2026