Not only are they coming, but they’re coming fast, and as it stands there are a few names currently missing out.
With twelve of the fifteen events now being played, it is fairly easy to work out a projected cut-off for the European Championships. Joe Cullen currently sits in the final spot on £29,500, meaning the projected cut-off is £35,500, a number that of course is only a estimation.
There are 26 players already over this amount, including the likes of Kevin Doets and Niels Zonneveld, who would both be making their debuts, and William O’Connor, who hasn’t qualified since his Quarter-Final run in 2020.
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At it stands, there are seven players trying to squeeze into six spots, with there being a big gap in prize money between 33rd Stephen Bunting (£28k) and 34th Sebastian Bialecki (22.5k). This means a player would likely need a final run or even picking up a title to bridge this gap.
Some of the players currently in a spot but still with a fight on their hands are in the next two European Tours, that being Schindler, Reyes, Wade and Cullen, giving them all a decent shot at doing what’s required. The scenario gets more complicated though for the other two.
Dave Chisnall currently sits in 29th, £5,500 ahead of Stephen Bunting, but only qualified for one of the next two European Tours, while Kim Huybrechts sits in 30th without qualifying for either. The qualifiers are yet to take place for the final European Tour of the year, but both players will be desperate to ensure they’re on that plane to Maastricht in October.
The more interesting thing to look at is the players potentially missing out. Stephen Bunting currently occupies 33rd spot, only £1,500 behind Joe Cullen, and has the added benefit of being seeded at all the remaining European Tours. However, this means he must win to ensure he gets any prize money on his ranking. This win being in the second round means its work £5,000, so you would suspect it to be within his own hands to make Dortmund for the fifth consecutive year.
The troubles get harder for the likes of Michael Smith and Daryl Gurney, however. Both sat £7,500 outside of the spots, with Gurney not qualified for any of the remaining events, and “Bullyboy” only for Basel in four weeks’ time. This is a tougher situation to handle for the Northern Irishman, who has been to all twelve European Tours so far in 2026, and hasn’t done anywhere near enough, reaching just two Sunday’s, and winning just one match in the last six events. He hasn’t missed the European Championships since 2021!
Gary Anderson is perhaps the biggest name currently not in a spot. The “Flying Scotsman” only won his first game on the European Tour in Event 11, having dodged it for most of the year, but he did manage to reach the final. This puts him on £15,000, less then half of what he needs to reach Dortmund. The likely requirement is another final, plus a few second-round wins in the last three events.
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The likes of Mike De Decker, Ricardo Pietreczko, and 2024 champion Ritchie Edhouse all sit a fair distance from the cut-off. They would all need to qualify for ET15 in Maastricht and then go on to win the title just to squeeze into the field for Dortmund.
Current Position for European Championship Darts Qualification
Highest ranked players currently not qualified for the European Championships:
9. Gary Anderson
10. Stephen Bunting
24. Mike De Decker
29. Daryl Gurney
32. Ritchie Edhouse
33. Ricardo Pietreczko
35. Michael Smith
37. Peter Wright
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Images: PDC
