Now the dust has settled and the field is confirmed, the 2026 European Darts Championship in Dortmund will take place from 22 to 25 October. The draw has produced Gerwyn Price v Rob Cross as well as Michael van Gerwen and Kevin Doets. Defending champion Gian van Veen begins his bid for a second European title against Andrew Gilding, while recent Euro Tour winner Niels Zonneveld takes on Cameron Menzies.

In addition Luke Littler and Luke Humphries have find out their draw fate, the tournament begins in mere days so not much time for the top names.

Littler targets the one major title missing from his collection

Ross Smith, seeded first after winning two Euro Tour titles, faces Czech player Karel Sedlacek.

Luke Littler begins his campaign against William O'Connor. The two-time world champion heads to Dortmund in pursuit of the only major individual televised title missing from his honours list.

Luke Humphries, one of his main rivals, takes on Ryan Searle. Gerwyn Price faces former world champion Rob Cross, while Jonny Clayton meets German player Niko Springer.

Gian van Veen is defending champion in Dortmund. The 24-year-old won his first major individual televised title last year by lifting the European Darts Championship trophy. His opening-round opponent is Gilding, who claimed a surprise UK Open title in 2023.

Gian van Veen won the European Championship in 2025

Niels Zonneveld also heads to Germany full of confidence. The left-handed Dutchman caused a sensation last weekend by winning the Dutch Darts Championship in Maastricht. He beat compatriot Danny Noppert 8-5 in the final. Seeded fourth, Zonneveld opens his campaign against Scotland’s Cameron Menzies.

Stephen Bunting made a last gasp move to seal his spot and now faces Danny Noppert. The Freeze has reached the semi-finals at each of the last three editions of the European Championship and will be looking to extend that run this year.

Van Gerwen - Doets and Price - Cross headline

One of the first round’s most intriguing ties sees Van Gerwen take on Doets. Doets reached his first European Tour final earlier this season and is seeded 14th.

Van Gerwen starts the tournament 19th in the seedings. The three-time world champion has excellent memories of the European Championship. From 2014 to 2017, he won the event four years in a row.

Another main notable tie is Gerwyn Price taking on Rob Cross, while James Wade faces off against Damon Heta. Ross Smith is top seed and faces Karel Sedlacek too.

The European Championship features 32 players, all of whom qualified through the European Tour Order of Merit. The first round takes place on Thursday 22 and Friday 23 October. The new European champion will be crowned on Sunday 25 October.

2026 European Darts Championship draw