The 2026 Flanders Darts Trophy shifted on Saturday night in Antwerp: Michael van Gerwen went out in his opening match, beaten 6-5 by Damon Heta, while Nathan Aspinall produced the clearest performance of the day. The tournament now reaches Finals Day with a more open draw, and with real pressure still attached to the World Grand Prix race.
According to the PDC official report, Aspinall and Gian van Veen were the two major markers of the night. Sky Sports also highlighted Van Gerwen’s exit and Aspinall’s level, while DartsNews focused on the high averages from the session. This is where the weekend gets serious: sixteen players remain for Sunday, then everything runs through to the title.
| Tournament | 2026 Flanders Darts Trophy |
| Venue | Antwerp Expo, Antwerp |
| Dates | 11 to 13 September 2026 |
| Stakes | 13th European Tour event of 2026 and the final qualifying weekend for the World Grand Prix |
Heta knocks out Van Gerwen in a decider
The result that changes the shape of the draw is Damon Heta’s win over Michael van Gerwen. The Australian took it 6-5 in a match with no breaks of throw, after winning the opening bull and holding all the way through. That detail matters: across eleven legs, neither player truly gave the other a way in, and Heta simply had the final turn.
It extends a revealing run for him. On Friday, Heta had already beaten Beau Greaves 6-5, one week after her historic win in Prague. On Saturday, he repeated the same type of scenario against Van Gerwen. No huge margin, no scoreline blowout, but two deciding legs won in two nights against two heavily watched opponents. That is exactly the kind of stretch that can settle a player into a weekend.
Aspinall sends the clearest signal
The cleanest display of the night came from Nathan Aspinall. Against Niko Springer, the Englishman dominated 6-1 with an average reported just below 106. He scored well, finished sharply and barely allowed the match to breathe.
Aspinall summed it up simply to Sky Sports: he wanted to enjoy it, avoid piling pressure on himself and give the crowd something to cheer. The performance matched that reading. In a tournament missing Luke Littler and Luke Humphries, that kind of display carries extra weight. Aspinall is not just through to Sunday, he arrives with a genuine title route.
Van Veen moves on as Clemens and Dolan lose ground
Gian van Veen, the number one seed in Antwerp, also did his job. His 6-3 win over Gabriel Clemens sends him into the last 16 and ends the German’s hopes in the World Grand Prix race. At this stage of the season, that is not a small detail. Antwerp is the final window to lock places down, and every defeat closes the equation quickly.
Stephen Bunting also played his part in that squeeze. His 6-5 win over Brendan Dolan ended the Northern Irishman’s hopes. Earlier in the day, Rob Cross had already stopped Martin Schindler 6-4. The Flanders Darts Trophy is not just another European Tour weekend, it is also acting as a cut-off point for Leicester.
Second-round results in Antwerp
| Session | Results |
| Saturday afternoon | Kevin Doets 6-5 Krzysztof Ratajski, Jermaine Wattimena 6-3 Karel Sedlacek, Rob Cross 6-4 Martin Schindler, Danny Noppert 6-2 Chris Landman, Ryan Searle 6-2 Andy Baetens, Chris Dobey 6-1 Niels Zonneveld, Luke Woodhouse 6-3 William O’Connor, Ross Smith 6-2 Jeffrey de Graaf |
| Saturday evening | Ryan Joyce 6-3 Josh Rock, Gerwyn Price 6-3 Bradley Brooks, James Wade 6-2 Jim Long, Gian van Veen 6-3 Gabriel Clemens, Damon Heta 6-5 Michael van Gerwen, Nathan Aspinall 6-1 Niko Springer, Stephen Bunting 6-5 Brendan Dolan, Wessel Nijman 6-4 Sebastian Bialecki |
A wide-open Finals Day
Sunday’s programme starts with Gian van Veen v Kevin Doets, followed by Ryan Searle v Chris Dobey, Ryan Joyce v Jermaine Wattimena, Gerwyn Price v Ross Smith, James Wade v Rob Cross, Danny Noppert v Wessel Nijman, Damon Heta v Luke Woodhouse and Stephen Bunting v Nathan Aspinall. The quarter-finals, semi-finals and final then follow in the evening.
The main point is simple: Antwerp has lost Van Gerwen before Finals Day, but gained several strong storylines. Heta is surviving on the edge, Aspinall is rolling, Van Veen is holding his seed, Price and Wade remain in the hunt. For a European Tour event without Littler or Humphries, the weekend now has a clear shape: a tight draw, World Grand Prix places being settled in real time, and a Sunday where nobody has fully taken control yet.
