The 2026 European Championship takes place in Dortmund from Thursday 22 to Sunday 25 October. Players will compete not only for the European title and a record £750,000 prize fund, but also for valuable positions in the world rankings.

The PDC Order of Merit is based on prize money earned at ranking events over a two-year period. This means the results from the 2024 European Championship will drop off the rankings after this year’s tournament.

That could have a major impact on some players, especially as not everyone who reached the latter stages two years ago has qualified for this year’s event.

Ritchie Edhouse set to drop at least 22 places

Ritchie Edhouse is undoubtedly the biggest loser. The Englishman caused a major shock in 2024 by winning the European title in Dortmund. A relatively unknown player at the time, he stunned the established names.

Edhouse began his impressive run with a convincing 6-1 win over Gian van Veen. He then beat Michael Smith 10-9, Gary Anderson 10-5 and Luke Woodhouse 11-5. In the final, the Englishman proved far too strong for Jermaine Wattimena, winning 11-3. Edhouse claimed his first major PDC title and collected £120,000 in prize money.

Two years on, the situation is very different. Edhouse has not qualified for the 2026 European Darts Championship, so he cannot defend his prize money.

As a result, £120,000 will be deducted from his PDC Order of Merit total after this weekend. The Englishman is currently ranked 33rd, but will drop to at least 55th. His absence in Dortmund will therefore have a major impact.

Jermaine Wattimena also has a sizeable sum to defend

Jermaine Wattimena was the other major surprise at the European Darts Championship two years ago. The Dutchman reached the final of a major televised tournament for the first time, but lost to Edhouse. His runner-up finish earned “The Machine Gun” £60,000 in prize money, which will come off his ranking total after this year’s event.

Wattimena, however, has less reason to worry than Edhouse for now. The Dutchman has earned enough prize money over the past two years to build a solid position in the rankings.

Wattimena starts the tournament as the world number 16. Even if he loses in the first round, current projections suggest he will drop only to 18th. A strong run in Dortmund could also help him strengthen his place in the world’s top 20.

Players defending the most prize money at the European Darts Championship

Player	Result	Prize money
Ritchie Edhouse	Champion	£120,000
Jermaine Wattimena	Runner-up	£60,000
Luke Woodhouse	Semi-finalist	£40,000
Danny Noppert	Semi-finalist	£40,000
Dirk van Duijvenbode	Quarter-finalist	£25,000
Gary Anderson	Quarter-finalist	£25,000
Luke Humphries	Quarter-finalist	£25,000
Ricardo Pietreczko	Quarter-finalist	£25,000

Danny Noppert and Luke Woodhouse have £40,000 to defend

Danny Noppert and Luke Woodhouse also have a significant sum to defend. Both reached the semi-finals of the European Championship in 2024, earning £40,000 each.

The tournament comes at an interesting time for Noppert. The Frisian reached the final of the Dutch Darts Championship in Maastricht last weekend, where he lost 8-5 to Niels Zonneveld.

That run to the final lifted Noppert to seventh in the world rankings. In Dortmund, he has the chance to maintain his good form and make up for the prize money dropping off from 2024.

Woodhouse faces a similar task. The Englishman must also defend £40,000 after losing 11-5 to Edhouse in the semi-finals two years ago.

Gary Anderson set for a steep fall due to his absence

Four players who reached the quarter-finals in 2024 have £25,000 each to defend: Dirk van Duijvenbode, Gary Anderson, Luke Humphries and Ricardo Pietreczko.

Van Duijvenbode and Humphries have the chance to earn that amount again, or even improve on it, at this year’s tournament.

Anderson and Pietreczko, however, will not be competing this year. Both players will therefore lose the full £25,000 from their ranking totals.

Anderson is particularly hard hit. The two-time world champion is currently ninth in the PDC Order of Merit, but his absence will see him drop to at least fourteenth. The Scot will therefore lose valuable ground in the race for a favourable position at the upcoming major ranking events.

Luke Littler and Gian van Veen could benefit

While some players have plenty of prize money to defend, others have almost nothing to lose. Gerwyn Price, Ross Smith, Gian van Veen, Nathan Aspinall, Luke Littler and Josh Rock were all eliminated in the first round two years ago.

They each received the £7,500 participation fee. As players who lose their opening match will receive the same amount this year, simply taking part would allow them to match their previous earnings. Every win would add to their ranking total.

This gives Littler and Van Veen particularly promising opportunities. Both have become major names in international darts and could improve their world ranking further with a strong run in Dortmund.

Van Veen is also the reigning European champion, having claimed the title in 2025 by beating Luke Humphries in the final.

Eleven players have no prize money to defend

There are also eleven entrants who did not compete at the 2024 European Championship. They are Karel Sedlacek, Wessel Nijman, Krzysztof Ratajski, Niels Zonneveld, Kevin Doets, Ryan Joyce, William O'Connor, Niko Springer, Cristo Reyes and Cameron Menzies.

For these players, competing at the upcoming European Championship will automatically improve their position on the two-year prize money rankings. They are guaranteed at least £7,500, with no earnings from the 2024 event to offset.

Nijman and Zonneveld are in a particularly strong position. Nijman finished second in the 2026 European Tour Order of Merit, while Zonneveld claimed his first PDC ranking title in Maastricht last weekend.

Record prize fund of £750,000

The prize money at the European Championship has increased significantly this year. A total of £600,000 was distributed in 2025; this year, the prize fund stands at £750,000.

Only the £7,500 participation fee remains unchanged. Players who reach the second round are guaranteed £20,000. A quarter-final place is worth £35,000, while each semi-finalist receives £50,000.

The runner-up will add £80,000 to their world ranking total. The new European champion will take home a huge £150,000, £30,000 more than last year’s winner.