European Darts Championship 2026 | Day One Preview and Order of Play

The 2026 European Darts Championship commences on Thursday as a host of big names look to hit the ground running in Dortmund.

The withdrawal of Luke Humphries has drastically altered the dynamic of the top half of the draw, and a number of lower-ranked players housed in that section of the bracket will now look to seize their opportunity.

All eyes will be on reigning champion Gian van Veen as he launches the defence of his title with a clash against former UK Open champion Andrew Gilding.

Van Veen, who smashed the European Tour record average in Maastricht last weekend, is bidding to become only the third player to successfully defend the European Championship title since the event began in 2008.

Gilding, meanwhile, is no stranger to pulling off an upset on this stage, having famously dumped out Luke Littler in the opening round two years ago.

One of the stand-out ties of the first round sees two-time European Champion Rob Cross take on Gerwyn Price in a repeat of the 2019 final.

Cross prevailed 11-6 on that occasion before going on to regain the title in 2021, though Price comfortably won their most recent encounter 11-5 in July’s World Matchplay.

Price has finished runner-up in the last three major tournaments but is vying to avoid a third consecutive first round exit at the European Championship.

James Wade, the 2018 European Champion, starts out against Aussie number one Damon Heta.

Wade has featured in all but one of the 18 previous stagings of the European Championship, also finishing runner-up in 2020 and 2023.

A beaten finalist at the UK Open and a semi-finalist at the World Grand Prix this season, Wade ended a decade-long wait for European Tour silverware and also claimed his first World Series title at the Australian Masters in August.

Heta has enjoyed a terrific European Tour campaign which has seen him reach four semi-finals, but he has ominously lost in the opening round of his last five major tournaments.

Fresh from his landmark Dutch Darts Championship triumph on Sunday, Niels Zonneveld marks his European Championship debut with a tie against Cameron Menzies.

Zonneveld enjoyed a fairy-tale triumph on home soil in Maastricht and subsequently heads to Germany as the number four seed bidding to make an instant impact.

Menzies, who reached the semi-finals of the International Open in May, looks to bounce back from last weekend’s disastrous display against Stephen Bunting on the European Tour by reaching the Last 16 here for the second successive year.

The opening match of the tournament sees 2022 semi-finalist Dirk van Duijvenbode take on 2024 semi-finalist Luke Woodhouse.

Van Duijvenbode enjoyed a superb run to the semi-finals of July’s World Matchplay, but faces an opponent in the form of his life this season, having picked up a maiden European Tour title and a Players Championship title to close in on a place in the world’s top 16.

Danny Noppert, runner-up in last week’s Dutch Darts Championship, looks to continue his resurgent run of form when he faces Premier League star Stephen Bunting.

Noppert’s defeat to Zonneveld marked his fifth consecutive loss in a European Tour final, though he heads to Dortmund with a terrific recent record, having reached the semi-finals in each of his last three European Championship appearances.

Bunting may be counting his blessings to be involved in this tournament, with his run to the semi-finals of the Dutch Championship marking his best European Tour performance of the campaign and resulting in a 28th place finish on the European Order of Merit.

Ross Smith, who secured his maiden major title here in 2022, faces a tricky opener against in-form Czech star Karel Sedlacek.

Smith has gone on to add the World Series Finals to his major title haul in 2026 and is the number one seed in the draw after landing two European Tour titles and reaching a further two finals this year.

Sedlacek secured the 32nd and final qualification spot by reaching the quarter-finals of the Swiss Darts Trophy and the second round in Masstricht last weekend, and has also enjoyed a landmark year which has recently seen him clinch a first Players Championship title.

Kim Huybrechts, who replaces Humphries in the draw as the next highest non-qualified player from the European rankings, looks to capitalise on his unexpected call-up when he meets Ryan Searle.

Huybrechts initially suffered heartbreak after squandering match darts against Sebastian Bialecki in Basel but is back for a first European Championship appearance since 2021 and eyeing his first win in this event since 2015.

Searle has enjoyed a solid season away from the televised stage since reaching the semi-finals of the World Championship, finishing runner-up at the International Open and picking up another ProTour title.

The action gets under way from 6pm BST, with first round ties to be contested over the best of 11 legs.

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European Darts Championship 2026 Day One Schedule

All times BST (local time +1 hour)

Thursday October 22

Round One

6pm-1opm
Luke Woodhouse v Dirk van Duijvenbode
Danny Noppert v Stephen Bunting
Niels Zonneveld v Cameron Menzies
Gerwyn Price v Rob Cross
James Wade v Damon Heta
Kim Huybrechts v Ryan Searle
Gian van Veen v Andrew Gilding
Ross Smith v Karel Sedlacek