The Czech Darts Open 2026 is underway in Prague, running from Friday 4th to Sunday 6th September as the 12th European Tour event of the season. With a total prize fund of £230,000, the winner will pocket £35,000, while the runner-up takes home £15,000. Semi-finalists earn £10,000, quarter-finalists £8,000, and players reaching the third round receive £5,000. Second-round losers get £3,500, and first-round participants are guaranteed £2,000.
The tournament, staged since 2019 on and off, was won by Jamie Hughes in its opening year before a hiatus. Upon its return, Luke Humphries claimed victory in three of the last four editions, with Jonny Clayton snapping that dominance. Humphries returns this year, and Luke Littler is also involved for the first time in a long while on the European Tour. Other notable names in the 48-player field include Gian van Veen, Michael van Gerwen, and Gerwyn Price, subject to late withdrawals.
A crucial element of the European Tour in recent years concerns seeded players. The top 16 on the seeding list are guaranteed entry and do not need to qualify via ProTour events. However, there is a clear caveat: if a seed loses their opening match, the corresponding prize money does not count towards the rankings. In other words, that amount will not be added to any Order of Merit. It works differently for qualifiers: players who came through a qualifier and then move into a seeded position due to withdrawals still retain the right to ranking money, with their earnings fully included in the various Orders of Merit.
The prize money on offer in Prague also impacts multiple rankings. It counts towards the PDC Order of Merit and the Pro Tour Order of Merit, but most notably the European Tour Order of Merit. That list is decisive for qualification for the European Championship in Dortmund later this season. Additionally, a player's position on that European Tour ranking determines seeding for the season finale, with higher-ranked players receiving more favourable draws. At the same time, there is a risk: big names can miss out if they skip events or underperform on the European Tour.
