European Championship
Thirty-two players, decided entirely on the European Tour Order of Merit rather than the world rankings. A different list, so a different field.
European Championship
The top 32 from the European Tour Order of Merit.
The European Championship is the payoff for the European Tour, the run of weekend events held across Germany, the Netherlands, Austria and beyond through the year. Only money won on that tour counts toward qualification.
That is why the field can look unfamiliar. A player ranked 20th in the world who has travelled and done well on the European Tour qualifies comfortably, while a higher-ranked player who skipped those weekends may not be there at all.
The format
- Straight knockout, played in legs.
- Matches lengthen through the rounds, with the final the longest of the week.
- Thirty-two players, so it runs across a single long weekend.
How players qualify
- The top 32 on the PDC European Tour Order of Merit, and nothing else. World ranking is irrelevant here.
Past winners
The last 10 champions, most recent first.
Gian van Veen beat Luke Humphries 11-10 in the 2025 final, one of the closest finishes a major has produced.
How to watch
Shown live in the UK on ITV4. ITV4 is free to air, so it costs nothing to watch. The schedule page lists which broadcaster has each event.
Tickets
Sold through the venue in Dortmund and the PDC ticket shop. The German crowd is among the loudest in the sport. There is more on outlets, the ballot and what to avoid on the darts tickets page.
The other majors
Also here: the world rankings, the full schedule, and a free scoreboard for your own game.
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