The Dutch Darts Championship returns to Maastricht for the first time since 2018, with the MECC Maastricht set to host the 15th and final PDC European Tour event of the year from 16-18 October. The tournament carries a total prize fund of £230,000, with £35,000 going to the champion.
Jonny Clayton arrives as defending champion, having defeated Niko Springer 8-6 in the 2025 final. He returns alongside a star-studded field that includes Luke Humphries, Gian van Veen, Gerwyn Price, Michael van Gerwen, Stephen Bunting and Wessel Nijman. Humphries leads the seeded players as No.1, followed by Van Veen at No.2, Price at No.3, Clayton at No.4 and Van Gerwen at No.5. Danny Noppert, Bunting, Nijman, Ryan Searle, Ross Smith, Chris Dobey, Nathan Aspinall, Jermaine Wattimena, Luke Woodhouse, Martin Schindler and Krzysztof Ratajski complete the 16 seeds.
The PDC Pro Tour Order of Merit Qualifiers include Andrew Gilding, Niko Springer, Rob Cross, William O'Connor, Damon Heta, Ryan Joyce, Dirk van Duijvenbode, Niels Zonneveld, Cameron Menzies, Dave Chisnall, Kim Huybrechts, Joe Cullen, Sebastian Białecki, Cristo Reyes, Karel Sedláček and Jeffrey de Graaf. The Tour Card Qualifiers are Scott Williams, Max Hopp, Ricardo Pietreczko, Michael Smith, Nick Kenny, Callan Rydz, Stephen Burton, James Hurrell, Mickey Mansell and Owen Bates. The Host Nation Qualifier spots remain TBC, while Jonas Masalin comes through the Nordic & Baltic Qualifier and Krzysztof Kciuk via the East European Qualifier.
The draw will be confirmed on Thursday at midday before the tournament starts on Friday. The schedule will be confirmed shortly after the draw, with the top 16 coming into proceedings on Saturday. The top 16 ProTour stars will face the qualifiers, with the big names paired with one of the winners.
As the final stop en route to the European Championship, the Swiss Darts Trophy and this tournament carry significant weight towards the European Tour Order of Merit. The format sees the first round, second round, third round and quarter-finals all played as best of 11 legs, with first to 6 required to win. The semi-finals step up to best of 13 legs, first to 7, before the final is contested over best of 15 legs, with first to 8 crowned champion.
Historically, Clayton's 2025 triumph was preceded by Josh Rock's 8-4 win over Clayton in 2024, Dave Chisnall's 8-5 victory over Luke Humphries in 2023, Michael Smith's 8-7 thriller against Danny Noppert in 2022, and Ian White's 8-5 defeat of Ricky Evans in 2018.
