JONNY Clayton will begin the defence of his Elten Safety Shoes Dutch Darts Championship crown against either Damon Heta or Dutch debutant Maikel Verberk, after the full draw and schedule for this weekend’s event were confirmed.
The final European Tour stop of 2026 lands at the MECC Maastricht from 16-18 October, where the race for European Championship qualification reaches its climax on Dutch soil.
The top 32 players on the European Tour Order of Merit at the end of the tournament will secure their places in the £750,000 event in Dortmund later this month.
Friday’s opening round features a full day of 16 matches.
Dutch star Niels Zonneveld faces Belgian number one Mike De Decker, while 2022/23 World Champion Michael Smith meets Stephen Burton in a high-stakes clash. Smith sits outside the current qualification places but kept his Dortmund hopes alive with a strong run in Basel last weekend.
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Karel Sedlacek, just £2,000 short of the cut-off after reaching the Swiss Darts Trophy quarter-finals, opens against Callan Rydz. Dirk van Duijvenbode returns to home soil to face James Hurrell, and 2025 runner-up Niko Springer locks horns with a resurgent Scott Williams in one of the day’s standout ties.
The top 16 on the PDC Werner Rankings Ladder enter at the second-round stage on Saturday, with Dutch number one and top seed Gian van Veen set to headline. Van Veen will face either Poland’s Sebastian Bialecki or Northern Ireland’s former World Cup winner Daryl Gurney – both of whom still harbour slender hopes of European Championship qualification.
Reigning champion Clayton, fresh from his Swiss exploits, faces a stern examination against Australian number one Heta or Verberk on Saturday evening.
Gerwyn Price makes his European Tour return against the winner of Springer and Williams, while Dutch superstar Michael van Gerwen meets either William O’Connor or Richard Veenstra for a place on Finals Day.
Stephen Bunting currently occupies the final provisional qualification spot and has been handed a tough assignment against Cameron Menzies or Nick Kenny. Martin Schindler, also fighting to book his Dortmund place, begins against Sedlacek or Rydz.
Two-time European Tour winner in 2026 Wessel Nijman faces Jeffrey de Graaf or Mickey Mansell, while Ross Smith – set to finish top of the yearly European Tour rankings – opens against Ryan Joyce or Owen Bates.
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Fifth seed Danny Noppert meets 2023 champion Dave Chisnall or Finland’s Jonas Masalin, and the winner of Smith and Burton will take on Nathan Aspinall, victor at April’s German Darts Grand Prix.
Saturday’s action produces the last 16, who return on Sunday afternoon. The tournament then builds to a bumper evening session featuring the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final.
Play gets under way in Maastricht on Friday as the European Tour season reaches its thrilling conclusion.
Live coverage of the Dutch Darts Championship will be streamed on Viaplay in the Netherlands and 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, Luke Humphries and Joe Cullen have withdrawn from the event, and have been replaced by Mike De Decker and Daryl Gurney from the Reserve List.
2026 Elten Safety Shoes Dutch Darts Championship (ET15)
Tournament Draw Bracket
Second Round Onwards
Players seeded based on PDC Ranking position
(1) Gian van Veen v Sebastian Bialecki/Daryl Gurney
(16) Rob Cross v Ricardo Pietreczko/Heine Uuldriks
(8) Ryan Searle v Dirk van Duijvenbode/James Hurrell
(9) Ross Smith v Ryan Joyce/Owen Bates
(4) Michael van Gerwen v William O’Connor/Richard Veenstra
(13) Luke Woodhouse v Andrew Gilding/Max Hopp
(5) Danny Noppert v Dave Chisnall/Jonas Masalin
(12) Jermaine Wattimena v Kim Huybrechts/Jimmy van Schie
(2) Gerwyn Price v Niko Springer/Scott Williams
(15) Krzysztof Ratajski v Niels Zonneveld/Mike De Decker
(7) Wessel Nijman v Jeffrey de Graaf/Mickey Mansell
(10) Chris Dobey v Cristo Reyes/Krzysztof Kciuk
(3) Jonny Clayton v Damon Heta/Maikel Verberk
(14) Martin Schindler v Karel Sedlacek/Callan Rydz
(6) Stephen Bunting v Cameron Menzies/Nick Kenny
(11) Nathan Aspinall v Michael Smith/Stephen Burton
Schedule of Play – SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Friday October 16
Round One
Afternoon Session (1300 local time, 1200 BST)
Karel Sedlacek v Callan Rydz
Cameron Menzies v Nick Kenny
Jeffrey de Graaf v Mickey Mansell
Dave Chisnall v Jonas Masalin
Andrew Gilding v Max Hopp
Ryan Joyce v Owen Bates
Ricardo Pietreczko v Heine Uuldriks
Dirk van Duijvenbode v James Hurrell
Evening Session (1900 local time, 1800 BST)
Sebastian Bialecki v Daryl Gurney
William O’Connor v Richard Veenstra
Niko Springer v Scott Williams
Niels Zonneveld v Mike De Decker
Kim Huybrechts v Jimmy van Schie
Cristo Reyes v Krzysztof Kciuk
Damon Heta v Maikel Verberk
Michael Smith v Stephen Burton
Saturday October 17
Round Two
Afternoon Session (1300 local time, 1200 BST)
Martin Schindler v Sedlacek/Rydz
Wessel Nijman v De Graaf/Mansell
Luke Woodhouse v Gilding/Hopp
Ross Smith v Joyce/Bates
Danny Noppert v Chisnall/Masalin
Ryan Searle v Van Duijvenbode/Hurrell
Rob Cross v Pietreczko/Uuldriks
Krzysztof Ratajski v Zonneveld/De Decker
Evening Session (1900 local time, 1800 BST)
Gerwyn Price v Springer/Williams
Jermaine Wattimena v Huybrechts/Van Schie
Stephen Bunting v Menzies/Kenny
Gian van Veen v Bialecki/Gurney
Michael van Gerwen v O’Connor/Veenstra
Jonny Clayton v Heta/Verberk
Nathan Aspinall v M Smith/Burton
Chris Dobey v Reyes/Kciuk
Sunday October 18
Afternoon Session (1300 local time, 1200 BST)
Round Three
Evening Session (1900 local time, 1800 BST)
Quarter-Finals
Semi-Finals
Final
Sunday’s games played in Draw Bracket order
ENDS
Images: PDC (main) and PDC Europe
