Ross Smith claimed his second European Championship title with an 11-8 victory over Martin Schindler in Sunday's final at the 2026 Machineseeker European Championship in Dortmund. Four years after lifting his maiden televised major at the same venue, Smith returned to the Westfalenhallen to complete another memorable triumph, securing the £150,000 winner's prize and his third Premier title of the year.
The world number seven arrived in Germany as the tournament's top seed and delivered when it mattered most, overcoming a spirited fightback from home favourite Schindler to add another major trophy to his collection. After the opening four legs went with throw, Smith seized control in emphatic fashion, winning six consecutive legs to establish an 8-2 advantage and move within three legs of the title. However, Schindler refused to surrender on home soil, taking four legs on the spin and landing spectacular checkouts of 116 and 127 to cut the deficit to 9-6 and ignite hopes of a remarkable comeback. Smith eventually halted the momentum with a crucial hold of throw, and despite missing several opportunities to close out the match, he kept his composure and finally pinned double to seal an 11-8 success with his fifth match dart.
"To have this trophy in my hands and to win another major, I'm absolutely over the moon," Smith said after securing his second European Championship crown, having also won the World Series of Darts Finals in September. "I was a little bit nervous going into that last break. Martin wouldn't let up would he? Full credit to him. I've played Martin many times on the circuit and he's fantastic. He's a really lovely guy as well, but he's so hard to play. He's a fighter. I just play the game in front of me. Every game I play is a final, I'm buzzing to have won another major, and that's for my Mum and Dad!"
Smith's route to the trophy began with a hard-fought 6-4 win over Karel Sedlacek on Thursday, before he overcame Australian number one Damon Heta 10-7 in the second round. The 37-year-old then produced one of his finest displays of the tournament in the quarter-finals, averaging 107 in a 10-6 victory over Luke Woodhouse, having to withstand an opponent averaging more than 103 and converting 60 per cent of his finishing attempts. A semi-final clash against Gerwyn Price presented another stern test, with Smith recovering from 4-1 down to secure an 11-7 triumph and reach the third televised final of his career. He maintained his perfect record in Premier finals against Schindler, becoming the first top seed since 2017 to win the European Championship. The victory also sees Smith join Michael van Gerwen, Phil Taylor, Rob Cross and Peter Wright as a multiple winner of the prestigious title, while his latest success lifts him to world number six.
Despite lifting the trophy, Smith admitted he had not always been at his best throughout the four-day event. "It's a strange one. I really don't think I played great this week," he reflected. "I had a really good game against Luke Woodhouse; I think a lot of players let me off as well, but sometimes you have to win ugly. I'm proud of doing that because you have got to dig deep. You have to really fight hard and I think I've done that this weekend. I'll keep doing what I'm doing. I'm loving the darts and I'm enjoying playing in front of amazing crowds like this. They were so respectful. They've been absolutely brilliant today!"
For Schindler, defeat in the final could not overshadow a landmark run in front of his home supporters, as he became the first German player to reach a televised major final. The world number 20 entered the tournament as the 31st seed after only securing his European Championship qualification at the final European Tour event of the season, and he left Dortmund having enjoyed the biggest run of his career and booked his place at November's Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts. Schindler began his campaign with a dramatic deciding-leg victory over second seed Wessel Nijman on Friday, before sweeping aside Jermaine Wattimena 10-4 to reach the quarter-finals. The German number one then delivered a stunning performance against Jonny Clayton, dismantling the world number five 10-1 with an average above 103, missing just five darts at double while limiting Clayton to only two attempts at the outer ring throughout the contest. He carried that momentum into the semi-finals, defeating Krzysztof Ratajski 11-6 after withstanding a late fightback from the Polish number one.
"When I started playing darts ten years ago, I didn't expect anything and now I made a major final," an emotional Schindler said. "I tried everything to win this one, but fair play to Ross, he played well. I lost but I'm still very happy, I really am, and I'm going to be in the Grand Slam now. That's probably the best part of it! The crowd were always supporting me and I really appreciate it. Thank you, Dortmund!"
Elsewhere in the quarter-finals, Ratajski produced one of the tournament's biggest results by knocking out world number one Luke Littler to reach his first Premier semi-final since 2021, holding off a fightback from the reigning World Champion to claim a 10-6 victory. Price also booked his place in the last four, easing past Stephen Bunting 10-3 with an average above 103, capitalising on a wasteful finishing display from the former Masters champion. Ultimately, though, the weekend belonged to Smith, who once again delivered on the big stage in Dortmund to secure another European Championship crown and strengthen his position among the leading players in the world.
