‘Next stop: Lokhalle Göttingen.’ Where tradition meets world-class talent, the ELTEN Safety Shoes European Darts Trophy 2026 will once again set up camp. The spotlight will not only be on three-time record winner Michael van Gerwen, who has enjoyed many memorable moments in Göttingen. This time, the man to beat is someone else: crowd favourite Nathan Aspinall takes to the stage as the reigning champion and will do everything in his power to defend his title in front of the frenetic crowd of the university town.
General tournament information
Date: 13 to 15 March 2026
Venue: LOKHALLE Göttingen, Göttingen (Germany)
Competition: European Tour (Event No. 2)
Field of participants: 48 players
Match overview with session information
The tournament will be played in the classic knockout system. The first four rounds will be played in a best of 11 legs format, the semi-finals in a best of 13 legs format and the final in a best of 15 legs format. All legs will be played in double-out mode. Tickets for the individual sessions are available HERE.
Match schedule & sessions
Friday, 13 March 2026
Afternoon session (from 1 p.m.) – 1st round
Andrew Gilding 3:6 Darius Labanauskas
Kevin Doets 6:0 Jonas Masalin
Ricky Evans 6:0 Florian Preis
Niels Zonneveld 6:1 Keane Barry
Cameron Menzies 4:6 Paul Krohne
Richard Veenstra 6:3 Florian Hempel
Krzysztof Ratajski 6:4 Shane McGuirk
Ryan Joyce 3:6 Lukas Wenig
Evening session (from 7 p.m.) – 1st round
Dave Chisnall 6:5 Jeffrey De Zwaan
Dirk van Duijvenbode 6:2 Mario Vandenbogaerde
Luke Woodhouse 6:0 Dragutin Horvat
Daryl Gurney 6:4 Sebastian Bialecki
Joe Cullen 6:3 Wojciech Brulinski
Niko Springer 6:5 Kai Gotthardt
William O’Connor 2:6 Mensur Suljovic
Wessel Nijman 6:5 Cristo Reyes
Saturday, 14 March 2026
Afternoon session (from 1 p.m.) – 2nd round
Jermaine Wattimena 6:5 Lukas Wenig
Damon Heta 6:3 Darius Labanauskas
Danny Noppert 6:1 Ricky Evans
Ross Smith 6:4 Dave Chisnall
Rob Cross 5:6 Dirk van Duijvenbode
Mike De Decker 2:6 Wessel Nijman
Chris Dobey 6:1 Luke Woodhouse
Ryan Searle 6:3 Daryl Gurney
Evening session (from 7 p.m.) – 2nd round
Josh Rock 6:5 Paul Krohne
Gerwyn Price 6:2 Joe Cullen
Martin Schindler 4:6 Richard Veenstra
Michael van Gerwen 2:6 Niels Zonneveld
Karel Sedlacek 4:6 Mensur Suljovic
Gian van Veen 6:1 Krzysztof Ratajski
Stephen Bunting 5:6 Niko Springer
Cam Crabtree 4:6 Kevin Doets
Sunday, 15 March 2026
Afternoon session (from 12 p.m.) – Round of 16
Ryan Searle v Richard Veenstra
Nils Zonneveld v Jermaine Wattimena
Josh Rock v Chris Dobey
Gian van Veen v Wessel Nijman
Niko Springer v Ross Smith
Kevin Doets v Damon Heta
Danny Noppert v Gerwyn Price
Mensur Suljovic v Dirk van Duijvenbode
Evening session (from 6 p.m.) – Quarter-finals, semi-finals & final
The top-ranked players in the PDC Order of Merit will enter the tournament in the second round, while the remaining players will compete in the first round.
Prize money
In 2026, the prize money for European Tour events was significantly increased. A total of £230,000 will be distributed as follows:
- Winner: £ 35,000
- Runner-up: £ 15,000
- Semi-finalists: £ 10,000
- Quarter-finalists: £ 8,000
- Round of 16: £ 5,000
- Second round: £ 3,500
- First round: £ 2,000
The prize money counts towards the PDC Order of Merit, the ProTour Order of Merit and the European Tour Order of Merit (qualification for the European Championship).
Qualification
The field of participants is made up of various qualification routes to ensure a mix of world stars and regional talent:
Top 16 of the PDC Order of Merit: Luke Littler*, Luke Humphries*, Gian van Veen, Michael van Gerwen, Jonny Clayton*, Gary Anderson*, Stephen Bunting, Ryan Searle, Josh Rock, Danny Noppert, James Wade*, Gerwyn Price, Chris Dobey, Nathan Aspinall*, Martin Schindler, Ross Smith
Top 16 of the ProTour Order of Merit: Wessel Nijman, Damon Heta, Jermaine Wattimena, Cameron Menzies, Dirk van Duijvenbode, Luke Woodhouse, Niko Springer, Ryan Joyce, William O’Connor, Mike De Decker, Joe Cullen, Krzysztof Ratajski, Dave Chisnall, Niels Zonneveld, Daryl Gurney, Andrew Gilding
Tour Card Holder Qualifier: Richard Veenstra, Cristo Reyes, Mario Vandenboagaerde, Kai Gotthardt, Darius Labanauskas, Ricky Evans, Sebastian Bialecki, Kevin Doets, Jeffrey de Zwaan, Shane McGuirk
Host Nation Qualifier: Florian Preis, Florian Hempel, Dragutin Horvat, Paul Krohne
Nordic & Baltic Qualifier: Jonas Masalin
East Europe Qualifier: Wojciech Bruliński
*Luke Littler withdrew from the tournament in advance; Rob Cross replaced him via the Pro Tour Rankings.
Gary Anderson, James Wade, and Nathan Aspinall withdrew from the event on short notice. They were replaced by Mensur Suljović, Keane Barry, and Lukas Wenig from the reserve list. This list is comprised of the losing finalists from the Tour Card Holder Qualifiers, ranked according to their positions in the world rankings.
Luke Humphries had already informed his management of his withdrawal from the tournament in advance, but this was only communicated to the PDC after the draw had been made. His place is taken by Karel Sedláček from the Reserve List.
Jonny Clayton withdrew from the tournament at short notice due to an injury after the draw had taken place. He is replaced by Cameron Crabtree from the Reserve List.
TV broadcast
Fans can watch the entire tournament live. The ELTEN Safety Shoes European Darts Trophy will be broadcast on the following channels:
PDC TV:
International live stream for subscribers (original commentary).
SOCIAL MEDIA:
Current scores and highlights can be found on the PDC Europe channels.
DAZN:
Broadcasts all sessions live in Germany, Austria and Switzerland in German.
SPORT1:
Live coverage of all sessions on German television.
Previous winners
- 2025: Nathan Aspinall 8:4 Ryan Joyce
- 2018: Michael van Gerwen 8:3 James Wade
- 2017: Michael van Gerwen 6:4 Rob Cross
- 2016: Michael van Gerwen 6:5 Mensur Suljović
- 2015: Michael Smith 6:2 Michael van Gerwen
- 2014: Michael Smith 6:5 Michael van Gerwen
- 2013: Wes Newton 6:5 Paul Nicholson
