Stephen Bunting will begin the defence of his Swiss Darts Trophy title against either Jeffrey de Graaf or Sietse Lap when the year’s penultimate European Tour event gets underway in Basel this weekend.
The 2026 Swiss Darts Trophy takes place at St Jakobshalle from 9-11 October, with newly crowned World Grand Prix champion Luke Humphries among the star names set to feature in the Swiss capital.
The event also forms a crucial stage in the race for European Championship qualification. Friday’s opening round will feature a full card of 16 matches.
DARTS PLAYER MERCHANDISE AND COLLECTABLES AT OUR DARTSWORLD STORE!
2022/23 World Champion Michael Smith marks his return to European Tour action with a first-round clash against Wales’ Rob Owen, while Scotland’s number two Cameron Menzies faces Spanish star Cristo Reyes. Menzies’ compatriot Alan Soutar takes on eight-time European Tour title winner Dave Chisnall.
Elsewhere on the opening day, recent Players Championship winners Sebastian Bialecki and Karel Sedlacek lock horns for a place in round two. Slovak Darts Open runner-up Rob Cross meets Belgian veteran Mario Vandenbogaerde, Dutch duo Raymond van Barneveld and Maik Kuivenhoven go head-to-head, and World Grand Prix quarter-finalist Niels Zonneveld faces former World Youth Champion Bradley Brooks.
The top 16 players on the PDC Werner Rankings Ladder enter the tournament in round two on Saturday.
Top seed Humphries begins his campaign against the winner of Kevin Doets and Nick Kenny. European Champion Gian van Veen will play either Niko Springer or host nation representative Roman Wellinger, while Jonny Clayton is guaranteed Dutch opposition in the shape of Van Barneveld or Kuivenhoven.
Flanders Darts Trophy winner James Wade faces a potential opener against Dirk van Duijvenbode as the left-hander eyes back-to-back European Tour titles on Swiss soil.
Dutch superstar Michael van Gerwen kicks off against Mensur Suljovic or Gyorgy Jehirszki, and sixth seed Josh Rock opens his bid against the winner of Chisnall and Soutar.Reigning champion Bunting has been drawn against Swedish star De Graaf or Dutch qualifier Lap.
Wessel Nijman meets the winner of Bialecki and Sedlacek for a place in the last 16, former European Champion Ross Smith plays either William O’Connor or Finland’s Jani Haavisto, and inaugural Swiss Darts Trophy winner Martin Schindler takes on Joe Cullen or Tom Bissell.
MORE ELITE DARTS COVERAGE: Check Out Our Devoted PDC Area
After Saturday’s second-round action concludes, the last 16 return to the stage on Sunday with an earlier start time of 12:00 CEST (11:00 BST).
The tournament then builds to a blockbuster evening session from 18:00 CEST (17:00 BST), featuring the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final.
Live coverage of the Swiss Darts Trophy will be streamed on DAZN for viewers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, with additional coverage available on CANAL+ SPORT 5 and via the CANAL+ streaming service in Poland.
Coverage will also be broadcast on PDCTV (excluding Germany, Austria and Switzerland) and through bookmakers’ websites worldwide.
NB: From the original field of entries, Gerwyn Price, Gary Anderson, Nathan Aspinall and Ryan Joyce have withdrawn from the event, and have been replaced by Karel Sedlacek, Alan Soutar, Rob Owen and Nick Kenny from the Reserve List.
2026 Swiss Darts Trophy (ET14)
Tournament Draw Bracket – Second Round Onwards
Players seeded based on PDC Ranking position
(6) Josh Rock v Dave Chisnall/Alan Soutar
(11) Wessel Nijman v Sebastian Bialecki/Karel Sedlacek
(3) Jonny Clayton v Raymond van Barneveld/Maik Kuivenhoven
(14) Luke Woodhouse v Rob Cross/Mario Vandenbogaerde
(7) Stephen Bunting v Jeffrey de Graaf/Sietse Lap
(10) Chris Dobey v Niels Zonneveld/Bradley Brooks
(2) Gian van Veen v Niko Springer/Roman Wellinger
(15) Martin Schindler v Joe Cullen/Tom Bissell
(5) Michael van Gerwen v Mensur Suljovic/Gyorgy Jehirszki
(12) Ross Smith v William O’Connor/Jani Haavisto
(4) James Wade v Dirk van Duijvenbode/Bruno Stoeckli
(13) Jermaine Wattimena v Michael Smith/Rob Owen
(8) Danny Noppert v Damon Heta/Alex Fehlmann
(9) Ryan Searle v Cameron Menzies/Cristo Reyes
(1) Luke Humphries v Kevin Doets/Nick Kenny
(16) Krzysztof Ratajski v Andrew Gilding/Stefan Bellmont
Schedule of Play – SCHEDULE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Friday October 9
Round One
Afternoon Session (1300 local time, 1200 BST)
Niels Zonneveld v Bradley Brooks
William O’Connor v Jani Haavisto
Mensur Suljovic v Gyorgy Jehirszki
Sebastian Bialecki v Karel Sedlacek
Niko Springer v Roman Wellinger
Joe Cullen v Tom Bissell
Cameron Menzies v Cristo Reyes
Rob Cross v Mario Vandenbogaerde
Evening Session (1900 local time, 1800 BST)
Andrew Gilding v Stefan Bellmont
Jeffrey de Graaf v Sietse Lap
Dave Chisnall v Alan Soutar
Raymond van Barneveld v Maik Kuivenhoven
Dirk van Duijvenbode v Bruno Stoeckli
Michael Smith v Rob Owen
Damon Heta v Alex Fehlmann
Kevin Doets v Nick Kenny
Saturday October 10
Round Two
Afternoon Session (1300 local time, 1200 BST)
Krzysztof Ratajski v Gilding/Bellmont
Wessel Nijman v Bialecki/Sedlacek
Luke Woodhouse v Cross/Vandenbogaerde
Martin Schindler v Cullen/Bissell
Ryan Searle v Menzies/Reyes
Ross Smith v O’Connor/Haavisto
Chris Dobey v Zonneveld/Brooks
Jermaine Wattimena v M Smith/Owen
Evening Session (1900 local time, 1800 BST)
Josh Rock v Chisnall/Soutar
Stephen Bunting v De Graaf/Lap
James Wade v Van Duijvenbode/Stoeckli
Jonny Clayton v Van Barneveld/Kuivenhoven
Michael van Gerwen v Suljovic/Jehirszki
Luke Humphries v Doets/Kenny
Gian van Veen v Springer/Wellinger
Danny Noppert v Heta/Fehlmann
Sunday October 11
Afternoon Session (1200 local time, 1100 BST)
Round Three
Evening Session (1800 local time, 1700 BST)
Quarter-Finals
Semi-Finals
Final
Sunday’s games played in Draw Bracket order
Images: PDC Europe
