After another exciting year, the 2025 Euro Tour reaches its conclusion this weekend, with the German Darts Championship providing the final stop on the tungsten calendar.
With the European Championship following just a week later, plenty of players are still jostling for positions in the season’s grand finale. Only eight have the trapdoor looming perilously beneath their feet – although some are standing on much safer ground than others.
Peter Wright heads into Hildesheim as the reigning champion after defeating Luke Littler in last year’s final. Snakebite is one of those not yet guaranteed a ticket to Dortmund, but if he wins his opener against either Radek Szaganski or Ricardo Pietreczko, he’ll be all but there.
Top seed and all-round good bloke Stephen Bunting will meet either Ryan Joyce or Justin Hood. Joyce is already safely through to the European Championship, but for Happy Feet, even winning the whole thing would leave him ironically short. Love ya really, Justin.
There’ll be no Littler, Humphries, Anderson, or Van Gerwen in Germany this weekend. The Nuke, as we know, would probably prefer holidaying along the Gaza Strip than another trip to that country. The other three are simply enjoying a well-earned break, safe in the knowledge their spots are secure.
Gerwyn Price will be in attendance, though – and you’ll probably hear him before you see him. The Iceman could face Daryl Gurney, which would mark their first meeting since that infamous Matchplay showdown in the summer. By all accounts, they’ve kissed and made up, with Price playfully grappling with Superchin at a recent Players Championship event. Still, we’ve seen them bury the hatchet before… only for it to re-emerge once the adrenaline kicks in. Either way, Christian Kist will be hoping to spoil that reunion by beating Gurney first.
The personification of darting longevity brilliance, James Wade, arrives as the number two seed – a reminder that, two decades on, The Machine is still very much in working order. He’ll face either Jermaine Wattimena, fresh off a Players Championship title, or young Irishman Keane Barry.
Another player on everyone’s lips – especially in early Premier League chatter – is Josh Rock. The Northern Irish World Cup hero awaits either Ricky Evans or Joe Cullen, while Hollywood Chris Dobey, still surprisingly chasing that elusive Euro Tour crown, will open against the winner of Dirk van Duijvenbode versus Karel Sedlacek.
Former World Champion Rob Cross could run into the high-flying Cameron Menzies – unless Wesley Plaisier has something to say about it. On home soil (as he so often is on the Euro Tour), Martin Schindler awaits the victor of Andrew Gilding versus Willie O’Connor. From Germany’s top man to Australia’s, Damon Heta could also face Irish opposition – that is, if Steve Lennon gets past Jeffrey de Graaf.
A potential star-studded clash looms between Jonny Clayton and Raymond van Barneveld, provided Barney first gets through Kevin Troppmann. Dutch duo Danny Noppert and Gian van Veen will soon discover their openers – The Freeze faces either Luke Woodhouse or Tom Bissell, while Van Veen could meet compatriot Niels Zonneveld or Darius Labanauskas, one of this season’s Challenge Tour standouts.
Should Wessel Nijman see off Martin Kramer, he’ll face recently dethroned Grand Prix champ Mike De Decker. Dave Chisnall could use a spark – it’s been an unusually quiet year on the Euro stage for one of England’s most decorated player on this particular tour. He opens against Gabriel Clemens, assuming the German Giant beats Croatia’s Tomislav Rosandic.
Ryan Searle has a tricky one lined up, likely facing Krzysztof Ratajski, who’s found a touch of form lately. The Polish Eagle must first deal with Felix Springer. And finally, the ever-dangerous Ross Smith – unlucky enough to potentially draw Nathan Aspinall, arguably the most feared unseeded name in the field. Assuming The Asp beats home qualifier Maximilian Czerwinski (and you’d expect he will), that one could be a belter.
No point running through a million different qualification scenarios – Darts Rankings already has that covered. Twenty-four players are locked in (the dark green brigade), with eight more in lighter shades hoping to deepen their colour over the weekend.
It all kicks off tomorrow afternoon – and if the season so far has taught us anything, it’s to expect fireworks. Figuratively speaking of course, real ones would contravene many health and safety protocols.
2025 Elten Safety Shoes German Darts Championship
Tournament Draw Bracket – Second Round Onwards
Players seeded based on PDC Order of Merit position
(6) Gerwyn Price v Daryl Gurney/Christian Kist
(11) Danny Noppert v Luke Woodhouse/Tom Bissell
(3) Jonny Clayton v Raymond van Barneveld/Kevin Troppmann
(14) Gian van Veen v Niels Zonneveld/Darius Labanauskas
(7) Damon Heta v Jeffrey de Graaf/Steve Lennon
(10) Ross Smith v Nathan Aspinall/Maximilian Czerwinski
(2) James Wade v Jermaine Wattimena/Keane Barry
(15) Mike De Decker v Wessel Nijman/Martin Kramer
(5) Rob Cross v Cameron Menzies/Wesley Plaisier
(12) Peter Wright v Ricardo Pietreczko/Radek Szaganski
(4) Chris Dobey v Dirk van Duijvenbode/Karel Sedlacek
(13) Martin Schindler v Andrew Gilding/William O’Connor
(8) Josh Rock v Ricky Evans/Joe Cullen
(9) Dave Chisnall v Gabriel Clemens/Tomislav Rosandic
(1) Stephen Bunting v Ryan Joyce/Justin Hood
(16) Ryan Searle v Krzysztof Ratajski/Felix Springer
—–ENDS—–
Images: PDC Europe
