The International Darts Open, the seventh of fifteen European Tour tournaments on the 2026 calendar, will take place between 22-24 May in Riesa. The event features a field of 48 players competing for £230,000 in prize money, with £35,000 going to the winner. Stephen Bunting is the defending champion after defeating Nathan Aspinall 8-5 in the 2025 final. Luke Humphries is currently set for his return to the European Tour alongside Gerwyn Price, albeit Luke Littler continues his boycott.
The seeded players are led by Luke Humphries as the number one seed, followed by Gian van Veen, Michael van Gerwen, James Wade, Stephen Bunting, Gerwyn Price, Josh Rock, Danny Noppert, Ryan Searle, Chris Dobey, Ross Smith, Martin Schindler, Jermaine Wattimena, Mike De Decker, Wessel Nijman, and Damon Heta. The ProTour Order of Merit qualifiers include Dirk van Duijvenbode, Luke Woodhouse, Niko Springer, Niels Zonneveld, Krzysztof Ratajski, Daryl Gurney, William O'Connor, Joe Cullen, Ryan Joyce, Kevin Doets, Andrew Gilding, Dave Chisnall, Cameron Menzies, Karel Sedláček, Ricardo Pietreczko, and Michael Smith. Tour Card qualifiers are Chris Landman, Bradley Brooks, Tom Bissell, Kim Huybrechts, Jeffrey Sparidaans, Madars Razma, Keane Barry, Cristo Reyes, Connor Scutt, and Charlie Manby. Host nation qualifiers include Finn Behrens, Michael Unterbuchner, Paul Krohne, and Liam Maendl-Lawrance. The Nordic & Baltic qualifier is Johan Engström, and the East European qualifier is György Jehirszki.
The draw will be confirmed on Thursday afternoon at around 12 BST/1pm CET. The schedule will be confirmed when the draw is made. Predictions from DartsNews.com editors vary: Samuel Gill sees Martin Schindler or Wessel Nijman sealing the title, noting that he doesn't hugely expect Luke Humphries to play given the Premier League play-offs the week after. Lucas Michael sees Luke Humphries winning, highlighting Gerwyn Price's strong record in Riesa as a four-time champion and five-time finalist. Oliver Ried picks Michael van Gerwen, citing his recent Players Championship win. Pieter Verbeek picks Luke Humphries if he makes the trip, noting that big names such as Luke Littler, Gary Anderson, Nathan Aspinall, and Jonny Clayton have already withdrawn. Nicolas Gayer predicts Stephen Bunting, citing his recent form with world-class averages. Bram Coenen sees Michael van Gerwen as the main favourite after his Players Championship title.
