The 2026 Swiss Darts Trophy will take place from 9 to 11 October at the St. Jakobshalle in Basel. It is the penultimate major event of the European Tour this season, and the line-up leaves nothing to chance: 48 players, £230,000 up for grabs and a final haul of points to be secured in the race for qualification for the European Championship.
Stephen Bunting is defending his title in Basel. The defending champion beat Luke Woodhouse 8–3 in last year’s final. On the other side of the draw, Luke Humphries, who was crowned champion at the World Grand Prix last weekend, enters as the number one seed.
Four big names are missing from the line-up: Gerwyn Price, Gary Anderson, Nathan Aspinall and Ryan Joyce, who withdrew before the event and have been replaced by players from the reserve list. Luke Littler, meanwhile, had already withdrawn earlier, leaving his place to Dave Chisnall.
The format at a glance
| Dates | 9–11 October 2026 |
| Venue | St. Jakobshalle, Basel (Switzerland) |
| Format | 48 players, knockout matches |
| Prize fund | £230,000 |
| Defending champion | Stephen Bunting |
The top 16 in the PDC rankings go straight through to the second round on Saturday. Friday’s first round pits the 16 players from the Pro Tour Order of Merit against the 16 qualifiers who have come through the various qualifying rounds: the Cardholders’ Tournament, the host nation events, and the Nordic-Baltic and Eastern European associated circuits.
The star players in the draw
With Humphries as the top seed, the top half of the draw is particularly strong. Gian van Veen, the reigning European champion, is the second seed, followed by Jonny Clayton (3), James Wade (4), Michael van Gerwen (5) and Josh Rock (6). Wade is in fine form, having just won the Flanders Darts Trophy and is aiming for a second European title in a row.
Further down the draw, Stephen Bunting (7) is defending his title, whilst Martin Schindler (15), winner of the very first edition in 2024, returns to a venue where he has enjoyed success. Raymond van Barneveld, Dave Chisnall and Ross Smith, a former European champion, complete a draw in which every round could be a surprise.
The prize money
| Winner | £35,000 |
| Runner-up | £15,000 |
| Semi-finalists | £10,000 |
| Quarter-finalists | £8,000 |
| Third round | £5,000 |
| 2nd round | £3,500 |
| 1st round | £2,000 |
| Total | £230,000 |
The total prize fund has been increased this season across the European Tour, making the Swiss Darts Trophy one of the most lucrative events on the circuit for Pro Tour players.
The weekend’s programme
Friday 9 October: first round
Afternoon session (1.00 pm, local time):
- Niels Zonneveld v Bradley Brooks
- William O’Connor v Jani Haavisto
- Mensur Suljovic v Gyorgy Jehirszki
- Sebastian Bialecki v Karel Sedlacek
- Niko Springer v Roman Wellinger
- Joe Cullen v Tom Bissell
- Cameron Menzies v Cristo Reyes
- Rob Cross v Mario Vandenbogaerde
Evening session (7.00 pm, local time):
- Andrew Gilding v Stefan Bellmont
- Jeffrey de Graaf v Sietse Lap
- Dave Chisnall v Alan Soutar
- Raymond van Barneveld v Maik Kuivenhoven
- Dirk van Duijvenbode v Bruno Stoeckli
- Michael Smith v Rob Owen
- Damon Heta v Alex Fehlmann
- Kevin Doets v Nick Kenny
Saturday 10 October: second round
The 16 seeded players enter the fray. Humphries faces either Kevin Doets or Nick Kenny, Van Gerwen takes on either Mensur Suljovic or Gyorgy Jehirszki, and Jonny Clayton is guaranteed a Dutch opponent from either Van Barneveld or Kuivenhoven. The evening session features the cream of the crop, including Josh Rock, Bunting, Wade and European champion Gian van Veen.
Sunday 11 October: the semi-finals
The tournament is heating up. The third round takes place in the afternoon (12.00, local time), followed by the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final in the evening session (18.00).
First round: Friday's results
The opening day already tightened the draw. Karel Sedlacek averaged 100.20 to see off Sebastian Bialecki 6-4, and now faces Wessel Nijman in round two. In front of his home crowd, Stefan Bellmont beat Andrew Gilding 6-3 to become the last Swiss player standing, after all his compatriots went out on Friday. He meets Krzysztof Ratajski next.
Rob Cross posted the best average of the first round (105.95) against Mario Vandenbogaerde and takes on Luke Woodhouse. Bradley Brooks (100.73) beat Niels Zonneveld 6-4 in a match where both men averaged over 100 (100.17 for the Dutchman); he now faces Chris Dobey.
The draw has already lost a big name: Raymond van Barneveld, beaten 6-3 by compatriot Maik Kuivenhoven. Joe Cullen is out too, edged 6-5 in a last-leg decider by Tom Bissell despite landing the round's highest checkout (154). Michael Smith, by contrast, is still alive after a 6-4 win over Rob Owen and meets Jermaine Wattimena.
| Winner | Score | Beaten |
| Kevin Doets | 6-3 | Nick Kenny |
| Stefan Bellmont | 6-3 | Andrew Gilding |
| Damon Heta | 6-2 | Alex Fehlmann |
| Cristo Reyes | 6-4 | Cameron Menzies |
| Dirk van Duijvenbode | 6-3 | Bruno Stockli |
| Michael Smith | 6-4 | Rob Owen |
| Mensur Suljovic | 6-3 | Gyorgy Jehirszki |
| William O'Connor | 6-1 | Jani Haavisto |
| Niko Springer | 6-1 | Roman Wellinger |
| Tom Bissell | 6-5 | Joe Cullen |
| Jeffrey De Graaf | 6-4 | Sietse Lap |
| Bradley Brooks | 6-4 | Niels Zonneveld |
| Maik Kuivenhoven | 6-3 | Raymond van Barneveld |
| Rob Cross | 6-3 | Mario Vandenbogaerde |
| Dave Chisnall | 6-5 | Alan Soutar |
| Karel Sedlacek | 6-4 | Sebastian Bialecki |
The rest of the first round was more straightforward: Cristo Reyes averaged 98, while Damon Heta, Dirk van Duijvenbode, Mensur Suljovic, William O'Connor, Niko Springer, Jeffrey De Graaf and Dave Chisnall also booked their place. The three other Swiss players in action on Friday, Roman Wellinger, Bruno Stockli and Alex Fehlmann, all went out. Round two takes place on Saturday, with Humphries v Doets, Van Gerwen v Suljovic, Clayton v Kuivenhoven, Bunting v De Graaf and Dobey v Brooks among the ties.
Second round: Saturday's order of play
The 16 seeds all enter the fray at the St. Jakobshalle on Saturday, into a draw that the opening day already tightened: Raymond van Barneveld, Joe Cullen and Cameron Menzies are out, along with the three other Swiss players who started on Friday. Stefan Bellmont, the last home hope standing, opens the afternoon session against Krzysztof Ratajski.
Every match is the best of 11 legs: the afternoon session starts at 1pm local time, the evening session at 7pm.
| Session | Match |
| Afternoon (1pm) | Krzysztof Ratajski v Stefan Bellmont |
| Wessel Nijman v Karel Sedlacek | |
| Luke Woodhouse v Rob Cross | |
| Martin Schindler v Tom Bissell | |
| Ryan Searle v Cristo Reyes | |
| Ross Smith v William O'Connor | |
| Chris Dobey v Bradley Brooks | |
| Jermaine Wattimena v Michael Smith | |
| Evening (7pm) | Josh Rock v Dave Chisnall |
| Stephen Bunting v Jeffrey de Graaf | |
| James Wade v Dirk van Duijvenbode | |
| Jonny Clayton v Maik Kuivenhoven | |
| Michael van Gerwen v Mensur Suljovic | |
| Luke Humphries v Kevin Doets | |
| Gian van Veen v Niko Springer | |
| Danny Noppert v Damon Heta |
Two evening ties stand out: Luke Humphries starts his campaign against Kevin Doets, a Friday winner over Nick Kenny, and Michael van Gerwen meets Mensur Suljovic. Defending champion Stephen Bunting opens against Jeffrey de Graaf, while the afternoon offers an all-English meeting between Luke Woodhouse and Rob Cross. Also worth watching: Wessel Nijman against a Karel Sedlacek who averaged over 100 on Friday, and Danny Noppert against Damon Heta.
There is no let-up in the format: Saturday's winners return on Sunday for the third round, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final, the last of those over 15 legs.
Where to watch the Swiss Darts Trophy
In Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the tournament is broadcast on DAZN. In Poland, viewers can tune in to CANAL+ SPORT 5 and the CANAL+ streaming service. Elsewhere, the competition is broadcast on PDCTV, excluding Germany, Austria and Switzerland, as well as via bookmakers’ websites worldwide.
One last major event before the European Championship
The Swiss Darts Trophy is the penultimate chance to score points towards the European Championship, the 2026 edition of which will be held in Dortmund. For several players in the field, this is as important as winning a title: a good week in Basel could secure qualification, whilst an early exit could prove costly.
Humphries, for his part, arrives as the clear favourite, having won the 2026 World Grand Prix just a few days earlier. He now needs to prove himself in a tournament where the knockout format leaves no room for a poor start.
Find the official draw and schedule on the PDC website.
