The Slovak Darts Open 2026 is set to make history as the first PDC European Tour event ever held in Slovakia, taking place from 19-21 June at Incheba in Bratislava. The tournament is the ninth of fifteen European Tour events on the 2026 PDC ProTour and features a field of 48 players competing for a total prize fund of £230,000, with £35,000 going to the winner.
Among the top names confirmed are Gian van Veen, Michael van Gerwen, Jonny Clayton and Gerwyn Price. However, Luke Humphries and Luke Littler have opted to skip the event. Humphries explained on X that the logistical challenge of going straight to New York for the World Cup of Darts was too much, adding that he believes Littler would have played if the scheduling had been better.
The draw and schedule will be confirmed on 18 June at around 12pm BST. The format sees all matches from the first round through to the quarter-finals played as best of 11 legs (first to 6), with the semi-finals best of 13 (first to 7) and the final best of 15 (first to 8). The first round on Friday 19 June features intriguing ties including Justin Hood vs Benjamin Pratnemer, Andrew Gilding vs Mervyn King, and Dave Chisnall vs a host nation qualifier. The evening session includes Rob Cross vs a host nation qualifier, Daryl Gurney vs Jim Long, and Joe Cullen vs Peter Kelemen.
Saturday’s second round sees seeded players enter the fray, with Mike De Decker facing the winner of O’Connor/de Graaf, Damon Heta taking on Doets/Bates, and Gerwyn Price meeting the winner of Menzies/host nation qualifier 1. Other seeded stars in action include Gian van Veen, Michael van Gerwen, Jonny Clayton, Stephen Bunting and Nathan Aspinall. The field also features PDC ProTour Order of Merit qualifiers such as Kevin Doets, Luke Woodhouse, Damon Heta, Dirk van Duijvenbode, Daryl Gurney and Rob Cross, alongside Tour Card qualifiers including Mervyn King, Owen Bates, Jim Long and Keane Barry.
The four host nation qualifiers are yet to be confirmed, while Johan Engström (Sweden) and Péter Kelemen (Hungary) have qualified via the Nordic & Baltic and East European qualifiers respectively. With a strong lineup and a new venue, the Slovak Darts Open promises to be a landmark event on the 2026 calendar.
