THE race for the 2026 Machineseeker European Championship intensifies this weekend as the Swiss Darts Trophy gets underway in Basel.
The penultimate European Tour event of the year runs until 11 October, with players fighting for vital ranking points ahead of the European Championship later this month.
The tournament itself features the 32 best-performing players from the European Tour season and will be staged at the Westfalenhallen in Dortmund, with seeding decided by performances on the circuit.
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Just two European Tour events remain of the 15 scheduled for 2026, making this weekend’s Swiss Darts Trophy a crucial staging post on the road to Dortmund.
Ross Smith has been the dominant force on the European Tour this year, claiming two titles and finishing runner-up on two further occasions. Fellow two-time winner Wessel Nijman sits in second place on the Order of Merit.
World Champion Luke Littler has already secured his place at the only Premier event he is yet to win after collecting two European Tour titles of his own. Fellow event winners Krzysztof Ratajski and Nathan Aspinall are also certain of their spots.
Defending champion Gian van Veen and last year’s finalist Luke Humphries will both be present in Dortmund, as will Jonny Clayton, Michael van Gerwen and Gerwyn Price.
A number of big names remain locked in a tight battle for the remaining places. Stephen Bunting, a two-time European Tour winner last year, currently occupies 31st position and is only marginally inside the qualification places as things stand.
German number one Martin Schindler, who topped the 2024 European Tour rankings, sits just five places inside the cut-off, while Dave Chisnall’s hopes of reaching a 15th European Championship hang in the balance in 30th.
Spanish number one Cristo Reyes currently holds the final qualification spot in 32nd and is aiming to make his first appearance at the Westfalenhallen since 2018. Many would see this as just reward for a remarkable return to the ProTour in 2026 for the Spaniard.
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Kim Huybrechts sits in 28th but failed to qualify for the Swiss Darts Trophy, placing his Dortmund prospects under threat. Every player ranked between 13th and 35th is set to feature in Basel this weekend.Daryl Gurney will also be absent from Basel. The former World Cup winner is currently second on the reserve list for the Dutch Darts Championship – unless two more players withdraw in Maastricht, he will miss out on Dortmund.
Darts Stars in Danger of Missing Out
Several high-profile names are currently on the wrong side of the cut. Two-time European Championship semi-finalist Joe Cullen leads the chasing pack in 33rd, with Polish number two Sebastian Bialecki (34th) also missing out on a potential Dortmund debut. 2022 runner-up Michael Smith is likewise outside the qualification places.
Keane Barry will not appear in Basel either, but the Irishman has already qualified for the final European Tour event the following weekend and will need a strong run to secure his ticket to the Westfalenhallen.
Hungarian Darts Trophy runner-up Gary Anderson will not feature in Dortmund after withdrawing from this weekend’s action and electing not to enter the Dutch Darts Championship.
The European Championship itself takes place from 22-25 October and will be televised on ITV4 and through the PDC’s global broadcast partners.
Images: PDC
