Sixteen players will compete for eight quarterfinal spots at the 2026 European Darts Championship on Saturday, with matches in the second round expected to run longer. Luke Littler is predicted to beat Nathan Aspinall after a strong first-round win, while Kevin Doets is tipped to beat Krzysztof Ratajski in a match that could be a career milestone. Gerwyn Price is predicted to beat Cameron Menzies, and Damon Heta is tipped to edge Ross Smith.
The 2026 European Darts Championship begins in Dortmund, with 32 of the world's best players competing over four days. Early matches are set for Thursday and Friday evenings. Predictions for the first round include Dirk van Duijvenbode against Luke Woodhouse, Stephen Bunting against Danny Noppert, and Luke Littler against William O'Connor, with Littler expected to win. Other notable matches include Michael van Gerwen facing Kevin Doets and Nathan Aspinall against Cristo Reyes.
Several prominent darts players will not compete in the 2026 European Darts Championship, which has a 32-player field. Gary Anderson misses the event for the first time since 2023, despite finishing runner-up at an ET event this year. Joe Cullen has failed to qualify for a second straight year, and Daryl Gurney missed out by £10,500. Michael Smith and Peter Wright also failed to qualify, while Ritchie Edhouse will not defend his title.
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A field of 32 players will contest the 2026 European Darts Championship, a four-day event starting Thursday, October 22, and ending Sunday, October 25. All players are seeded according to prize money earned across 15 European Tour events in 2026, so no draw determines first round matchups. First round games will be played on Thursday or Friday evenings. The second round and quarterfinals are best-of-19 legs, while the semifinals and final are best-of-21 legs.
