Jonny Clayton has climbed to fourth in the PDC European Tour Order of Merit after winning the Swiss Darts Trophy in Basel. The Welshman's victory moved him up the rankings, which determine the 32 players who qualify for the European Darts Championship in Dortmund. Clayton opened his campaign with a convincing 6-1 win over Maik Kuivenhoven, then defeated Rob Cross (6-4), Karel Sedlacek (6-2) and Gian van Veen (7-4). In the final, he proved too strong for Luke Humphries, winning 8-4. The tournament victory earned Clayton £35,000 in prize money, taking his total European Tour earnings this season to £86,000, enough for fourth place in the standings.
Ross Smith remains the clear leader and is already guaranteed to finish top after fourteen of the fifteen European Tour events. Smith has collected £153,000 this season and cannot be overtaken at the final tournament. The Englishman has won two European Tour titles this year and will therefore be the top seed at the European Darts Championship, held in Dortmund from 22 to 25 October. It is a special tournament for Smith, who won his first major PDC title there in 2022. Wessel Nijman is second in the rankings with £116,000, giving him a comfortable advantage over Krzysztof Ratajski, who occupies third place with £89,500.
Nathan Aspinall and Josh Rock follow Clayton in fifth and sixth place. Luke Littler is seventh, despite playing only three European Tour events this season; 'The Nuke' won two of those three tournaments. Humphries was on another level at times in Basel but failed to seal the title thanks to the brilliance of Clayton in the final. He is safely into Dortmund as he searches for a first European Championship after losing in the final last year. Luke Woodhouse and Danny Noppert round off the top 10. The likes of Gian van Veen, James Wade, Gerwyn Price, Ryan Joyce, Michael van Gerwen, Rob Cross, Chris Dobey, Niko Springer, Ryan Searle and Andrew Gilding are safe for Dortmund.
Stephen Bunting currently occupies 32nd place, the final position that qualifies for the European Darts Championship. The Englishman has earned £33,000 on the European Tour this season. His lead over the first player outside the qualification places is small. Karel Sedlacek is 33rd with £31,000, just £2,000 behind Bunting. Joe Cullen (£29,500), Michael Smith (£27,000) and Sebastian Bialecki (£26,000) are also still in contention for a place. The final tournament in Maastricht will be crucial for all three players.
The Dutch Darts Championship is the fifteenth and final European Tour event of 2026. Once it ends, the final standings will be confirmed and all 32 participants in the European Darts Championship will be known.
