The PDC European Tour is heading to Slovakia for the first time in its history.
Luke Littler and Luke Humphries are missing from the line-up, but the field remains strong, led by Gian van Veen, Michael van Gerwen, Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton. Here’s everything you need to know to follow this historic tournament.
This is the very first time a PDC event has been held on Slovakian soil. Until now, fans in the region had to travel to Prague or Budapest. Bratislava is now set to become a major hub for the world of darts.
A historic occasion for Slovakia
The European Tour is celebrating its debut in Slovakia. Where Bratislava Castle usually overlooks the Danube, all eyes will now be on the dartboards. PDC Europe is opening a new chapter by bringing the elite of darts to the Slovak capital.
The groundwork has been laid in advance. The Nike Darts Night held earlier in the region demonstrated the local public’s appetite for the sport. This full-scale European Tour event, bringing the world’s best players live to the stage, is expected to build on that initial success. The atmosphere at the Incheba Expo is set to be electric.
The question remains: which champion will go down in history as the first winner on Slovak soil?
The day-by-day schedule
The tournament takes place over three days with two sessions each day, one in the afternoon and one in the evening.
Friday 19 June 2026 Afternoon session (from 1pm): first round Evening session (from 7pm): first round
Saturday 20 June 2026 Afternoon session (from 1 pm): second round Evening session (from 7 pm): second round
Sunday 21 June 2026 Afternoon session (from 1 pm): round of 16 Evening session (from 7 pm): quarter-finals, semi-finals and final
The highest-ranked seeds enter the competition in the second round, on Saturday. The other players begin in the first round on Friday.
Opening times Afternoon: doors open at 12 noon, play from 1 pm to 5 pm. Evening: doors open at 6 pm, play from 7 pm to 11 pm.
Please note: after the afternoon session, all spectators must leave the arena before the evening session begins.
Tournament format
The Slovak Darts Open is played under the classic knockout system. The format changes as the tournament progresses.
The first four rounds are played as best of 11 legs.
The semi-finals are played as best of 13 legs.
The final is played as a best-of-15 legs match.
All legs are played as double-out. A player must finish their leg on a double to win it.
Prize money: £230,000 up for grabs
In 2026, the PDC significantly increased the prize money on the European Tour. The total prize fund stands at £230,000 for each tournament, distributed as follows.
Prize money by finishing position | Prize |
|---|---|
Winner | £35,000 |
Runner-up | £15,000 |
Semi-finalists | £10,000 |
Quarter-finalists | £8,000 |
Round of 16 | £5,000 |
Second round | £3,500 |
First round | £2,000 |
These prize money figures count towards three rankings: the PDC Order of Merit, the ProTour Order of Merit and the European Tour Order of Merit. The latter serves as a qualifier for the European Championship in Dortmund.
An important clarification regarding the rules. Players who have pre-qualified via the Orders of Merit and lose their first match will not be credited with prize money for the rankings. However, a player who has qualified via a qualifying tournament and becomes a seeded player following a withdrawal will retain their prize money, regardless of how far they progress in the tournament.
The qualification system
The field of 48 players combines world stars and regional talents. There are several qualification routes.
The top 16 in the PDC Order of Merit: automatically qualified for the second round on Saturday. These are the seeded players.
Top 16 of the ProTour Order of Merit: the highest-ranked players below the top 16, who qualify for the first round.
Tour Card Holder Qualifier (10 places): Merwyn King, Owen Bates, Benjamin Pratnemer, Jim Long, Keane Barry, Tyler Thorpe, Justin Hood, Tom Sykes, Jeffrey De Graaf and Cristo Reyes.
Host Nation Qualifier: 4 places reserved for Slovak players, via a tournament held on 18 June at the Pole Pole club in Bratislava.
Nordic & Baltic Qualifier: Johan Engström.
East Europe Qualifier: Péter Kelemen.
The 16 seeded players
The top 16 players in the PDC Order of Merit are exempt from the first round. They enter directly into the second round on Saturday, where they face the winners of Friday’s matches.
Notable absentees
Two big names are missing from the line-up. World champion Luke Littler and world number one Luke Humphries have given Bratislava a miss.
The reason is logistical. Both Englishmen are competing in the Darts World Cup before heading straight to New York. Humphries explained on X that travelling directly to New York presented a logistical headache. He believes Littler would also have played had the tournament been better timed in the calendar.
Their absence opens up the draw. Gian van Veen, the number one seed, is the favourite on paper, ahead of an ever-formidable Michael van Gerwen and Gerwyn Price, who will have the home crowd behind him.
Where to watch the 2026 Slovak Darts Open
The tournament is being broadcast in full. There are several options available depending on your location.
PDC TV: the international live stream for subscribers, with the original commentary. This is the go-to option for following all sessions wherever you are.
DAZN: broadcasts all sessions live in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, in German.
Social media: live scores and highlights are available on PDC Europe’s channels, particularly Instagram.
Ticketing and practical information
Tickets are on sale via Ticketportal. Tickets are sold per session – afternoon or evening – with a separate ticket required for each day as the arena clears between sessions.
The Incheba Expo is located in Bratislava, the Slovak capital, which is easily accessible from Vienna or Budapest. The city offers the ideal setting to combine a weekend of top-level darts with a sightseeing tour of the old town and the banks of the Danube.
Update 19 June: the official draw reveals the big match-ups
With just a few hours to go before the start of play at the Incheba Expo, the PDC has confirmed the full draw for the 2026 Slovak Darts Open. The tournament is now entering its most decisive phase: 16 first-round matches are spread across Friday’s two sessions, before the top seeds enter the fray on Saturday. This draw immediately provides a clearer picture of the weekend’s key match-ups, particularly those involving Michael van Gerwen, Gian van Veen, Gerwyn Price and Wessel Nijman.
| First-round fixtures | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Krzysztof Ratajski vs Cristo Reyes | The winner earns the right to face Michael van Gerwen in the second round. |
| Dirk van Duijvenbode vs Madars Razma | A tough opening clash, with a place against Danny Noppert at stake. |
| William O’Connor vs Jeffrey De Graaf | Two players well suited to a short format, in an open section of the draw. |
| Joe Cullen vs Peter Kelemen | Cullen begins his quest for a fourth Euro Tour title against the Hungarian qualifier. |
| Cameron Menzies vs Gabriel Varaljay | Menzies has a lot at stake in the race for the World Matchplay, facing a local favourite who is sure to have the crowd behind him. |
Saturday’s second round then features several highly intriguing match-ups. Van Gerwen is aiming for his 39th European Tour title and will start against either Reyes or Ratajski. Top seed Gian van Veen could face Rob Cross if the Englishman maintains his excellent form from midweek. Jonny Clayton, meanwhile, faces either Johan Engström or Ryan Joyce, whilst Gerwyn Price, Nathan Aspinall, Ross Smith, Martin Schindler and Luke Woodhouse also find themselves in a half of the draw where current form will count for just as much as their status.
Gary Anderson withdraws, Madars Razma takes his place
The official draw has also confirmed Gary Anderson’s withdrawal. The Scot will not be travelling to Bratislava after all, with no detailed explanation provided at this stage, and Madars Razma takes his place in the draw. This absence removes a former world champion from a weekend already without Luke Littler and Luke Humphries, further reinforcing the impression of a very open tournament behind a few obvious headliners.
The weekend’s schedule remains unchanged
The overall schedule remains the same: the first round on Friday, the second round on Saturday, followed by the round of 16 on Sunday afternoon, before a major evening session featuring the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final. TV and streaming coverage will continue to be provided by PDCTV outside Germany, Austria and Switzerland, by DAZN in those markets, and by CANAL+ SPORT 5 and the CANAL+ streaming service in Poland. In short, the guide above remains a useful reference for understanding the overall structure, but the official draw now allows us to identify the early pitfalls and potential paths to the title much more precisely.
Update 20 June: Menzies, De Decker and Cross lead the charge towards the final day
Day two took the 2026 Slovak Darts Open into a whole new dimension. Cameron Menzies pulled off one of the weekend’s biggest upsets by defeating Gerwyn Price 6–2 with an average of 106, whilst Mike De Decker outclassed William O’Connor 6–2 with an average of over 107. Meanwhile, Rob Cross continued his excellent week by knocking out top seed Gian van Veen 6-3, whilst Michael van Gerwen had to survive a real battle to see off Krzysztof Ratajski 6-5.
These results add a very special twist to the final day in Bratislava. Beyond the trophy, several players are also competing for valuable points in the race for the World Matchplay. Menzies remains in a position to move a little closer to Blackpool, De Decker still has a chance to catch up, and the qualification of a resurgent Cross makes the top half of the draw much more open than expected.
The schedule for Sunday 21 June
| Head-to-head | Match-up |
|---|---|
| Rob Cross vs Kevin Doets | Cross is looking to build on his return to form, whilst Doets is aiming for a major upset in his 2026 campaign. |
| Ryan Searle vs Nathan Aspinall | Two players who need a strong Sunday to build on their summer form. |
| Cameron Menzies vs Tom Sykes | Menzies can turn his upset win over Price into a real breakthrough in the tournament. |
| Danny Noppert vs Jermaine Wattimena | A wide-open Dutch clash for a place in the quarter-finals. |
| Michael van Gerwen vs Andrew Gilding | Van Gerwen left himself open on Saturday and needs to step up his game. |
| Chris Dobey vs Ross Smith | A closely fought English clash between two players capable of going all the way. |
| Ryan Joyce vs Mike De Decker | De Decker has a lot at stake in his bid to get back in the running for the major tournaments. |
| Stephen Bunting vs Wessel Nijman | Probably one of the most technically challenging clashes in the last 16. |
The afternoon session gets underway at 1.00 pm local time (12.00 pm BST), ahead of the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final in the evening. The main guide above remains valid for the format, prize money and broadcast details, but the tournament has now entered its most tense phase.
22 June update: Wessel Nijman wins the first Slovak Darts Open
The tournament now has its champion. Wessel Nijman beat Rob Cross 8-3 in the final to become the first winner in Bratislava. After taking the opening leg with a 104 finish and then swinging the match back his way with a clinical 116 checkout, the Dutchman gradually took control before sealing the title with a double-double 74 finish.
The win capped a superb Sunday for Nijman, who had also beaten Mike De Decker 6-3 in the quarter-finals and Ross Smith 7-6 in the semi-finals thanks to a 161 bull finish in the deciding leg. This guide remains focused on the format, prize money and broader context of the weekend, while the final and the winner's full run are now covered in a separate dedicated article on the final, the winner and Wessel Nijman's full run.
