The final European Tour event of 2026, the Dutch Darts Championship, will see players competing for a total prize fund of £230,000. The eventual champion will take home £35,000 on Sunday evening, while the runner-up collects £15,000.
The tournament takes place from Friday 16 to Sunday 18 October and will be held in Maastricht for the first time since 2018, at the MECC Maastricht. Luke Humphries is the top seed, with Gian van Veen the second highest seed on home soil. Gerwyn Price, Jonny Clayton, Michael van Gerwen, Danny Noppert, Stephen Bunting, Wessel Nijman, Ross Smith and Nathan Aspinall are among the names set to be involved.
Andrew Gilding heads the ProTour Order of Merit qualifiers, with Rob Cross, Damon Heta, Cameron Menzies, Dave Chisnall, Joe Cullen and Dirk van Duijvenbode also featuring via this route. 2023 world champion Michael Smith is in line to make it back-to-back European Tour events by being one of the Tour Card qualifiers.
Clayton is the defending champion after defeating Niko Springer 8-4 in last year's final. He also won last time out in the Swiss Darts Trophy, getting the better of Luke Humphries. Ian White defeated Ricky Evans in the inaugural event in Maastricht, with Smith, Chisnall and Josh Rock all former winners.
Every player competing receives a share of the prize fund, with £35,000 going to the outright winner. The runner-up earns £15,000, semi-finalists £10,000, quarter-finalists £8,000, third round £5,000, second round £3,500 and first round £2,000.
As of a few years ago, the European Tour changed in regards to seeded players. The top 16 on the PDC Order of Merit are guaranteed entry and do not need to qualify. However, if a seed loses their opening game, the prize money doesn't count towards the rankings and will not be added to any Order of Merit. For qualifiers, players who come through a qualifier and then move into seeded position due to withdrawals will still get ranking money, with their earnings included on various Order of Merits.
The prize money also impacts multiple rankings, with Antwerp heading towards the conclusion of this year's European Tour. It counts towards the PDC Order of Merit, ProTour Order of Merit, but most notably the European Tour Order of Merit. The list is decisive when it comes towards the European Championship in Dortmund later this season. In addition, a player’s position on that European Tour ranking also determines seeding for the season finale. The higher you are, the more favourable the European Championship draw. At the same time, there is a risk: big names can miss out if they skip events or underperform on the European Tour.