There are eight players left in Maastricht, four of whom speak Dutch. The 2026 Dutch Darts Championship saw the round of 16 take place on Sunday afternoon at the MECC, and the draw produced some big names: Gian van Veen, Danny Noppert, Wessel Nijman and Niels Zonneveld are through to the quarter-finals, whilst Gerwyn Price and Nathan Aspinall have been knocked out.
The standout performance of the session came from Niels Zonneveld, who beat Price 6-4. Stephen Bunting showed no mercy against Aspinall, sweeping him aside 6-1. Three of the evening’s four quarter-finals feature a Dutch player, including an all-Dutch clash between Zonneveld and Nijman.
The tournament is the fifteenth and final leg of the 2026 European Tour, with a prize fund of 230,000 pounds and 35,000 for the winner. The quarter-finals, semi-finals and final will all take place on the same evening, starting at 7.00 pm local time.
Results of the round of 16
| Match | Score | Averages |
|---|---|---|
| Gian van Veen v Brendan Dolan | 6-1 | 96.72 / 86.35 |
| Ryan Searle - Ross Smith | 6-4 | 92.70 / 91.14 |
| Luke Woodhouse - William O’Connor | 6-4 | 98.01 / 94.20 |
| Danny Noppert v Jermaine Wattimena | 6-3 | 100.44 / 99.18 |
| Niels Zonneveld v Gerwyn Price | 6-4 | 95.59 / 94.87 |
| Wessel Nijman v Cristo Reyes | 6-3 | 97.04 / 89.93 |
| Damon Heta - Martin Schindler | 6-4 | 102.50 / 104.09 |
| Stephen Bunting - Nathan Aspinall | 6-1 | 92.30 / 90.98 |
Relive the highlights of the session:
Video: PDC’s official YouTube channel.
Zonneveld defeats Price
On paper, it was a close contest: an average of 95.59 versus 94.87. But Zonneveld held his nerve in the decisive moments, whilst the Welshman let his chances slip on his own throws. The Dutchman has now secured three wins in three days on home soil, having beaten Mike De Decker in the first round and Krzysztof Ratajski 6-5 in the second.
For Price, the week ends before the quarter-finals, and the title race remains wide open in a draw missing several top seeds.
Heta knocks Schindler out with an average of 104
Martin Schindler left Maastricht with the best average of the last 16, 104.09, and a suitcase in hand. The German, seeded 14th, lost 6-4 to Damon Heta, who posted an average of 102.50 and, crucially, was more consistent in the finishes. The day served as a reminder of a fundamental truth on the circuit: average alone does not guarantee victory.
Van Veen and Noppert cruise through
The day before, Gian van Veen had smashed the European Tour average record with 120.24 against Sebastian Bialecki. This time, the Dutch number one did not need to produce an extraordinary performance against Brendan Dolan, who had been called up as an alternate: 6-1, an average of 96.72, and a match he controlled from start to finish.
Danny Noppert, meanwhile, won the all-Dutch clash against Jermaine Wattimena 6-3, with an average of 100.44, the second-best on the winners’ side in the session. He will now face Luke Woodhouse for a place in the semi-finals.
O’Connor fails to build on his feat
Having beaten Michael van Gerwen the previous day with a 121 on the bullseye, William O’Connor was unable to build on that success. Luke Woodhouse knocked him out 6-4 with an average of 98.01, the best of their match, bringing the Irish fairy tale of the weekend to an end.
The quarter-final line-up
| Quarter-final |
|---|
| Gian van Veen v Ryan Searle |
| Luke Woodhouse - Danny Noppert |
| Niels Zonneveld v Wessel Nijman |
| Damon Heta v Stephen Bunting |
The quarter-finals begin at 7.00 pm local time (5.00 pm UTC), in the order shown on the draw, and the evening continues with the semi-finals followed by the final.
With Clayton already out, the title race remains wide open
The draw lost its defending champion as early as Saturday: Jonny Clayton, who won the title in 2025, was swept aside 6-1 by Damon Heta in the second round, with the Australian averaging 103.57. Add to that the exits of Price, Aspinall, van Gerwen and Schindler, and Maastricht offers a rare opportunity for an outsider.
For van Veen, there is a double incentive: a home title at the final European leg of the season, just a few days before the European Championship in Dortmund.
