The European Championship is set to take place from 22 to 25 October 2026, serving as the finale of the current European Tour season. Gian van Veen will enter as the defending champion, aiming to retain his title in a field stacked with talent.
The Dutch Darts Championship in Maastricht will complete the season and determine the final field. Former champion Ross Smith and Wessel Nijman are among those headlining the event, while Luke Littler currently sits seventh in the Order of Merit and Luke Humphries eighth. Michael van Gerwen, Gerwyn Price, and James Wade are also among the prominent names set to compete. Qualification is based on the top 32 in the Order of Merit, with ranking money earned across the 15 European Tour events on the PDC Pro Tour holding the key to entry. As it stands, Ross Smith will be the top seed, with Luke Littler seeded seventh.
For UK viewers, the entire tournament will be broadcast live on ITV4 and streamed via ITVX, with free-to-air coverage all weekend. Each evening session will begin at 6pm UK time, which is 7pm local time in Germany, the Netherlands, and other parts of Europe. Sessions are expected to last around four hours, running from 6pm to 10pm UK time. Saturday will also feature an afternoon session starting at 12pm, and Sunday will have an afternoon session before the final takes place on Sunday night.
International coverage includes Viaplay in the Netherlands and DAZN in Germany. For fans unable to access coverage in their territory, the event will also be available on PDCTV at no extra cost for annual subscribers, though availability is location dependent and should be checked locally. In the UK, the broadcast is likely to feature the usual pundits and commentators, including Wayne Mardle and Chris Mason, among others.
The full schedule is as follows: Thursday 22 October – First round, 18:00 GMT on ITV4 and ITVX; Friday 23 October – Second round, 18:00 GMT on ITV4 and ITVX; Saturday 24 October – Third round, 12:00 GMT on ITV4 and ITVX, followed by Quarter-finals at 18:00 GMT on ITV4 and ITVX; Sunday 25 October – Semi-finals, 12:00 GMT on ITV4 and ITVX, with the Final at 18:00 GMT on ITV4 and ITVX.
