The PDC European Tour makes its triumphant return to Belgian soil this weekend, where the reigning World Champion, Luke Littler, arrives with the gleaming expectation of defending his crown and reaffirming his rapidly growing darts aura of invincibility.
Following the nation’s long-awaited Premier League debut in Antwerp last month, the travelling circus now shifts to Wieze, nestled within the Belgian province of East Flanders, a setting primed for another pulsating chapter in this ever-evolving darting spectrum.
As ever, the reserve list has been called upon in full, although mercifully, none of the late replacements were found sunning themselves thousands of miles away, blissfully unaware of their impending summons. Instead, Ricky Evans, Mickey Mansell, and Ian White step into the fray, deputising for Gary Anderson, Gerwyn Price, and Gian van Veen, ensuring the competitive integrity of the field remains as formidable as ever.
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Their inclusion has a knock-on effect within the seeded ranks, with Jermaine Wattimena, Damon Heta, and the home favourite, Mike De Decker, all elevated into the vacated seeded positions. Consequently, they bypass the opening round and commence their campaigns from Saturday, armed with both opportunity and expectation.
Last year’s Wieze winner, Littler, enters proceedings late on Saturday evening, awaiting the victor of the intriguing clash involving Raymond van Barneveld. In years gone by, the mere prospect of Barney locking horns with the prodigious English sensation would have set pulses racing and mouths watering in equal measure. However, recent form suggests that Croatian powerhouse Boris Krcmar may yet emerge from that section to challenge the champion, bringing with him a far more physically imposing and rhythm disrupting proposition.
Elsewhere, Michael van Gerwen could find himself embroiled in a heavyweight encounter, with either fellow former World Champion Michael Smith or the ever-methodical Mickey Mansell lying in wait. It is a match laden with intrigue, and perhaps a hint of unresolved tension – more on that shortly. Meanwhile, Luke Humphries faces a potentially hazardous opening assignment against either Dirk van Duijvenbode or Lukas Wenig, neither of whom will offer any semblance of leniency.
Premier League pace setter Jonny Clayton arguably draws the most treacherous of the seeded pathways. There are, quite frankly, no rewards for topping the Thursday night roadshow standings when the European Tour draw conspires against you. The Welshman could be confronted by the newly crowned European Darts Trophy champion, Wessel Nijman, a player currently riding the crest of a formidable wave of momentum.
That takes us nicely into what is, an opening round littered with compelling encounters. Fresh from his scintillating triumph in Göttingen, the aforementioned Nijman begins against the immensely talented Polish prospect Sebastian Bialecki. Should the Dutchman replicate the electric standard he produced last Sunday, The Bolt will require a lightning fast start to even remain within touching distance. Fortunately for Bialecki, he possesses the explosive scoring power to make this a genuinely absorbing contest.
Subplots and Simmering Darts Resentment
Returning to that simmering subplot between Michael Smith and Mickey Mansell, there is an undeniable edge to proceedings. Their previous meeting did not conclude in particularly harmonious fashion, with Smith visibly irked by what he perceived to be deliberate gamesmanship from the Northern Irishman. Known as the Clonoe Cyclone, Mansell’s tempo came under scrutiny, with Smith openly questioning the validity of such a nickname in relation to his darts retrieval pace. Whether bridges have been rebuilt remains to be seen, but one suspects Friday afternoon may provide a rather revealing answer.
Beyond that a few other ties capture the imagination. Scott Williams, a former World Championship semi-finalist and a player never short of theatrical flair, takes on the mercurial speed merchant Ricky Evans. Daryl Gurney and Ian White, both proven European Tour winners, collide in a meeting of seasoned operators. Meanwhile, the in-form Krzysztof Ratajski faces Spain’s Cristo Reyes, who has re-established himself as a significant threat since returning to the PDC Pro Tour.
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A quartet of Belgian’s will be added to the mix ahead with the home nation qualifiers as always taking place on the eve of the event commencing.
Proceedings get underway on Friday afternoon, and by the time the dust settles on Sunday evening, we will know whether Luke Littler has successfully defended his Belgian crown or whether a new name will ascend to claim the spoils in what promises to be a weekend of high drama, relentless quality, and darting theatre of the highest order.
BELGIAN DARTS OPEN 2026 (ET3)
Wieze, Belgium (20-22 March)
Friday Afternoon Session
Niels Zonneveld vs Jani Haavisto
Luke Woodhouse vs Host Nation Qualifier 2
Scott Williams vs Ricky Evans
Ryan Joyce vs Adam Gawlas
Cameron Menzies vs Sietse Lap
William O’Connor vs Tyler Thorpe
Ryan Meikle vs Host Nation Qualifier 4
Michael Smith vs Mickey Mansell
Friday Evening Session
Dave Chisnall vs Thibault Tricole
Krzysztof Ratajski vs Cristo Reyes
Joe Cullen vs Host Nation Qualifier 1
Wessel Nijman vs Sebastian Bialecki
Raymond van Barneveld vs Boris Krcmar
Daryl Gurney vs Ian White
Niko Springer vs Host Nation Qualifier 3
Dirk van Duijvenbode vs Lukas Wenig
Saturday Afternoon Session
Ross Smith vs Menzies/Lap
Jermaine Wattimena vs Meikle/HNQ4
Chris Dobey vs Chisnall/Tricole
Ryan Searle vs Williams/Evans
Martin Schindler vs O’Connor/Thorpe
Damon Heta vs Gurney/White
Danny Noppert vs Woodhouse/HNQ2
Nathan Aspinall vs Joyce/Gawlas
Saturday Evening Session
James Wade vs Ratajski/Reyes
Jonny Clayton vs Nijman/Bialecki
Stephen Bunting vs Cullen/HNQ1
Mike De Decker vs Zonneveld/Haavisto
Luke Littler vs Van Barneveld/Krcmar
Luke Humphries vs Van Duijvenbode/Wenig
Michael van Gerwen vs Smith/Mansell
Josh Rock vs Springer/HNQ3
—–ENDS—–
Images: PDC Europe
