The race for the 2026 Machineseeker European Championship heats up this weekend, as the Swiss Darts Trophy takes place in Basel. The penultimate European Tour event of the year takes place from October 9-11, with players vying to reach the European Championship later this month. The tournament features the 32 best players from the yearly […]
The race for the 2026 Machineseeker European Championship heats up this weekend, as the Swiss Darts Trophy takes place in Basel.
The penultimate European Tour event of the year takes place from October 9-11, with players vying to reach the European Championship later this month.
The tournament features the 32 best players from the yearly European Tour events and takes place at the Westfalenhallen in Dortmund, with players seeded based on their performances on the European Tour circuit.
There are just two European Tour events remaining of the 15 events in 2026, with this weekend’s Swiss Darts Trophy set to be crucial in the race for Dortmund.
Ross Smith has been the dominant force on the circuit this year, winning two titles and finishing runner-up at a further two events, as fellow two-time winner Wessel Nijman sits in second.
World Champion Luke Littler has claimed two European Tour titles to confirm his spot in the only Premier event he is yet to win, while fellow winners Krzysztof Ratajski and Nathan Aspinall are also certain of their spot.
Defending champion Gian van Veen and last year’s finalist Luke Humphries will also be present in Dortmund, while Jonny Clayton, Michael van Gerwen and Gerwyn Price will feature.
However, many big names are still battling out for a spot in Dortmund. Stephen Bunting – a two-time winner on the European Tour last year – currently occupies 31st, marginally qualifying as it stands.
German number one Martin Schindler, who topped the 2024 European Tour rankings, is just five spots inside qualification, while Dave Chisnall’s hopes of making a 15th European Championship hang in the balance as he sits in 30th.
Spanish number one Cristo Reyes currently holds the final qualification spot in 32nd, hoping to make a first appearance at the Westfalenhallen since 2018.
Several stars are currently set to miss out, however, with two-time European Championship semi-finalist Joe Cullen sitting in 33rd leading the chasing pack.
Polish number two Sebastian Bialecki is also currently missing out on a Dortmund debut in 34th, with 2022 runner-up Michael Smith also outside of a qualification spot.
Kim Huybrechts – who sits in 28th – failed to qualify for the Swiss Darts Trophy, putting his position for Dortmund in danger, with every player ranked between 13th and 35th set to feature in this weekend’s event.
Daryl Gurney will also not feature in Basel, with the former World Cup winner second on the reserve list for the Dutch Darts Championship – unless there are two more pull-outs in Maastricht, he will not feature in Dortmund.
Similarly, Keane Barry will not appear in Basel, but the Irishman has qualified for ET15 the weekend after, needing a good run to secure a ticket to Dortmund.
Hungarian Darts Trophy runner-up Gary Anderson will not feature in Dortmund, after withdrawing from this weekend’s action and not entering the Dutch Darts Championship next weekend.
The table below displays the latest standings in the race to the European Championship, which will take place from October 22-25 and will be televised on ITV4 and through the PDC’s global broadcast partners.
