The race to qualify for the 2026 Machineseeker European Championship culminates with the Dutch Darts Championship in Maastricht this weekend. The final European Tour event of the year takes place from October 16-18 at the MECC Maastricht, with a number of high-profile stars vying to secure their spots in the 32-player field for the European […]
The race to qualify for the 2026 Machineseeker European Championship culminates with the Dutch Darts Championship in Maastricht this weekend.
The final European Tour event of the year takes place from October 16-18 at the MECC Maastricht, with a number of high-profile stars vying to secure their spots in the 32-player field for the European Championship.
The tournament will feature the 32 top-performing players from the 2026 European Tour rankings and takes place at Dortmund’s Westfalenhalle, with players seeded based on their performances on the European Tour circuit.
The field of players will be confirmed following the conclusion of the Dutch Darts Championship, with this weekend’s action set to be decisive in the race for Dortmund.
Ross Smith has been the dominant force on the European Tour in 2026, winning a brace of titles and reaching a further two finals to ensure he will be the top seed at this year’s showpiece.
Wessel Nijman – also a two-time title winner in 2026 – currently occupies second spot, above Poland’s number one Krzysztof Ratajski and newly crowned Swiss Darts Trophy champion Jonny Clayton.
Nathan Aspinall and Josh Rock are both guaranteed qualification following their victories in Munich and Graz respectively, while World Champion Luke Littler and world number two Luke Humphries complete the current top eight.
Reigning champion Gian van Veen will return to Dortmund in a bid to retain his title, with four-time champion Michael van Gerwen also set to feature alongside former winners Rob Cross, James Wade and 2019 runner-up Gerwyn Price.
However, many big names are still battling it out for qualification, including former Masters champion Stephen Bunting – a two-time winner on the European Tour in 2025.
Bunting currently occupies the 32nd and final provisional qualification spot with a £2,000 lead over his closest challenger Karel Sedlacek, who will also be competing in Maastricht this weekend.
German number one Martin Schindler is directly above Bunting in the European Tour rankings, and he could potentially take on Sedlacek in his opening round tie on Dutch soil.
Poland’s Sebastian Bialecki, 2022/23 World Champion Michael Smith and Northern Ireland’s former World Cup champion Daryl Gurney are also amongst the chasing pack, but Bialecki and Smith must reach at least the quarter-finals to keep their hopes alive, while Gurney requires a run to Sunday’s final.
Nevertheless, Scottish icon Gary Anderson and two-time semi-finalist Joe Cullen will not compete in Dortmund later this month, with the pair both absent from this weekend’s Dutch Darts Championship.
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.
