The schedule of play for the 2023 Machineseeker European Championship first round has been confirmed, with five PDC World Champions in action on the opening night next Thursday.
The £500,000 tournament, featuring the top 32 players from the European Tour Order of Merit following this year’s 13 events held on the continent, will take place from October 26-29 at the Westfalenhalle in Dortmund.
With the first round split across Thursday and Friday nights, the opening session will feature a bumper line-up of matches from the top half of the draw.
World Champion Michael Smith will take on Raymond van Barneveld, while top seed Dave Chisnall – who has won three European Tour events this year – faces Masters champion Chris Dobey.
Two-time European Champion Rob Cross plays Premier League star Dimitri Van den Bergh, Gerwyn Price takes on Irish prospect Keane Barry and 2020 winner Peter Wright plays German star Gabriel Clemens.
Martin Schindler will be the other German in action on the opening night as he takes on Stephen Bunting, while the 2022 and 2023 UK Open champions, Danny Noppert and Andrew Gilding, open the tournament before World Matchplay champion Nathan Aspinall clashes with Ryan Searle.
Ross Smith will begin his title defence on Friday night with a tasty tie against German debutant Ricardo Pietreczko, who won Sunday’s German Darts Championship in amazing fashion.
Four-time European Champion Michael van Gerwen begins his bid to win back the title against Latvia’s Madars Razma on Friday, while 2018 winner James Wade meets Dirk van Duijvenbode.
New World Grand Prix champion Luke Humphries faces off against Brendan Dolan, Austrian Darts Open winner Jonny Clayton plays Jose de Sousa meet and German Darts Open champion Krzysztof Ratajski plays Joe Cullen.
Friday’s action opens as former World Cup winner Damon Heta plays Dutch prospect Gian van Veen, while an all-Northern Irish tie sees former World Youth Champion Josh Rock take on two-time TV title winner Daryl Gurney.
Saturday October 28 will see the second round take place across two sessions, with the quarter-finals on Sunday afternoon ahead of the decisive semi-finals and final on Sunday evening.
Tickets for the Machineseeker European Championship are available from PDC Europe via www.pdc-europe.tv/tickets.
2023 Machineseeker European Championship
Thursday October 26 (1845-2300 CEST, 1745-2200 BST)
First Round x8
Danny Noppert v Andrew Gilding
Nathan Aspinall v Ryan Searle
Dave Chisnall v Chris Dobey
Rob Cross v Dimitri Van den Bergh
Gerwyn Price v Keane Barry
Peter Wright v Gabriel Clemens
Michael Smith v Raymond van Barneveld
Martin Schindler v Stephen Bunting
Friday October 27 (1845-2300 CEST, 1745-2200 BST)
First Round x8
Damon Heta v Gian van Veen
Krzysztof Ratajski v Joe Cullen
Josh Rock v Daryl Gurney
Jonny Clayton v Jose De Sousa
Dirk van Duijvenbode v James Wade
Luke Humphries v Brendan Dolan
Michael van Gerwen v Madars Razma
Ricardo Pietreczko v Ross Smith
Saturday October 28
Afternoon Session (1300-1700 CEST, 1200-1600 BST)
Second Round x4
Evening Session (1900-2300 CEST, 1800-2200 BST)
Second Round x4
Sunday October 29
Afternoon Session (1300-1700 CET, 1200-1600 GMT)
Quarter-Finals
Evening Session (1900-2300 CET, 1800-2200 GMT)
Semi-Finals
Final
Format
First Round – Best of 11 legs
Second Round – Best of 19 legs
Quarter-Finals – Best of 19 legs
Semi-Finals – Best of 21 legs
Final – Best of 21 legs
—–ENDS—–
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