Dortmund’s Westfalenhalle is once again hosting the big event of the autumn. From Thursday 22nd to Sunday 25th October, the 2026 European Championship will bring together the top 32 players from the European Tour Order of Merit for four days of intense action, with total prize money rising to £750,000 and £150,000 for the winner.
The schedule has now been finalised, session by session, and promises a packed start: on Thursday evening, eight first-round matches will take place back-to-back from 7.15 pm, with Gerwyn Price versus Rob Cross featuring in the middle of the programme. On Friday, the evening’s fixtures are even tougher for the favourites, with Luke Littler taking on William O’Connor and Michael van Gerwen facing Kevin Doets. Here’s everything you need to know to follow the tournament.
| Edition | 2026 European Championship |
|---|---|
| Dates | 22–25 October 2026 |
| Venue | Westfalenhalle, Dortmund (Germany) |
| Field | 32 players, all seeded |
| Format | Best of 11 / 19 / 21 legs depending on the round |
| Prize money | 750,000 pounds |
| Defending champion | Gian van Veen |
The full programme, day by day
The times below are for Dortmund, which is the same as Paris and Brussels, namely UTC+2. Each session is played in one go, without a break, and matches start every thirty minutes.
Thursday 22 October: first round, evening
| Time | Match |
|---|---|
| 7.15 pm | Luke Woodhouse v Dirk van Duijvenbode |
| 7.45 pm | Danny Noppert v Stephen Bunting |
| 8.15 pm | Niels Zonneveld v Cameron Menzies |
| 8.45 pm | Gerwyn Price v Rob Cross |
| 9.15 pm | James Wade v Damon Heta |
| 9.45 pm | Luke Humphries v Ryan Searle |
| 10.15 pm | Gian van Veen v Andrew Gilding |
| 10.45 pm | Ross Smith v Karel Sedlacek |
Friday 23 October: first round, evening session
| Time | Match |
|---|---|
| 7.15 pm | Ryan Joyce v Jermaine Wattimena |
| 7.45 pm | Krzysztof Ratajski v Dave Chisnall |
| 8.15 pm | Nathan Aspinall v Cristo Reyes |
| 8.45 pm | Jonny Clayton v Niko Springer |
| 9.15 pm | Luke Littler v William O’Connor |
| 9.45 pm | Wessel Nijman v Martin Schindler |
| 10.15 pm | Kevin Doets v Michael van Gerwen |
| 10.45 pm | Josh Rock v Chris Dobey |
Saturday 24 October: Round of 16
Two sessions, four matches in each. The afternoon session starts at 1.15 pm and the evening session at 7.15 pm.
| Time | Possible fixtures |
|---|---|
| 1.15 pm | Ross Smith or Karel Sedlacek v James Wade or Damon Heta |
| 2.15 pm | Gian van Veen or Andrew Gilding v Luke Woodhouse or Dirk van Duijvenbode |
| 3.15 pm | Niels Zonneveld or Cameron Menzies v Gerwyn Price or Rob Cross |
| 4.15 pm | Danny Noppert or Stephen Bunting – Luke Humphries or Ryan Searle |
| 7.15 pm | Wessel Nijman or Martin Schindler v Ryan Joyce or Jermaine Wattimena |
| 8.15 pm | Jonny Clayton or Niko Springer v Josh Rock or Chris Dobey |
| 9.15 pm | Krzysztof Ratajski or Dave Chisnall v Kevin Doets or Michael van Gerwen |
| 10.15 pm | Nathan Aspinall or Cristo Reyes v Luke Littler or William O’Connor |
Sunday 25 October: quarter-finals, semi-finals and final
The longest day of the tournament. The four quarter-finals will be played in the afternoon from 1.15 pm to 4.15 pm, the semi-finals at 7.15 pm and 8.15 pm, and the final at 9.25 pm.
A format with no draw, from the first round to the final
A distinctive feature of the European Championship is that there is no draw. The 32 qualifiers are all seeded, ranked according to the European Tour Order of Merit, and the draw is generated automatically, with the number one seed facing the number 32 seed, the number two seed facing the number 31 seed, and so on. This is what produced the two high-profile first-round clashes – Price v Cross and Van Gerwen v Doets – which the draw delivered right from the start.
The match formats change with each round:
- First round: best of 11 legs, so 6 legs to win.
- Round of 16 and quarter-finals: best of 19 legs, 10 legs to win.
- Semi-finals and final: best of 21 legs, 11 legs to win.
In such a short format in the first round, a single poor run can cost you the week. The seeded players know this: in Dortmund, all 32 players are capable of averaging 100 over a session.
Prize money up sharply
The prize fund has increased significantly compared to the 2025 edition. It has risen from 600,000 to 750,000 pounds, and the winner’s cheque is now 30,000 pounds higher.
| Result | Prize money |
|---|---|
| Winner | £150,000 |
| Runner-up | £80,000 |
| Semi-finalists | £50,000 |
| Quarter-finalists | £35,000 |
| Round of 16 | £20,000 |
| First round | £7,500 |
| Total | £750,000 |
In other words, simply qualifying guarantees £7,500, and a win in the first round almost doubles that amount to a guaranteed £20,000.
What to watch out for over the four days
Gian van Veen is defending his title. The Dutchman clinched his first major last year by beating Luke Humphries in the deciding leg. This time round, he’s one of the headline acts, under pressure to defend his title whilst seeded only eighth, which places him in the same half of the draw as Price, Cross and Humphries.
Luke Littler is chasing the only major title missing from his collection. The European Championship remains a blank spot on his list of honours, and the draw has not handed him an easy start, pitting him against William O’Connor, before a potential round of 16 clash with either Nathan Aspinall or Cristo Reyes.
Niels Zonneveld is in fine form. Having won the Dutch Darts Championship in Maastricht on Sunday, the Dutchman has seen his status change in the space of a few days and has been awarded the No. 4 seed, meaning he’s in a section of the draw that is, in theory, more wide open. His first-round match against Cameron Menzies will immediately reveal whether his momentum holds.
Michael van Gerwen is under scrutiny. Facing his compatriot Kevin Doets, he has a lot at stake in a short-format match, in a season where his early exits have weighed more heavily than his runs.
Where to watch the sessions
The tournament is broadcast in full on PDC TV, the PDC’s official streaming service, and in the UK on Sky Sports. Evening sessions start at 7.15 pm Central European Time, with the final scheduled for Sunday at 9.25 pm.
With 32 seeded players, an increased prize fund and a draw featuring two high-profile clashes as early as Thursday, Dortmund hosts the final major event of the European tour ahead of the World Championship. There are four days left to find out who will succeed Gian van Veen.
