The final European Tour event of 2026, the Dutch Darts Championship, is underway at the MECC Maastricht, with players competing for a total prize fund of £230,000. The champion will take home £35,000 on Sunday evening, while the runner-up collects £15,000.
The tournament runs from Friday 16 to Sunday 18 October and is being held in Maastricht for the first time since 2018. 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.
Jonny 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.
The prize money is distributed as follows: winner £35,000; runner-up £15,000; semi-finals £10,000; quarter-finals £8,000; third round £5,000; second round £3,500*; first round £2,000*. As of a few years ago, 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 who move into seeded position due to withdrawals, their earnings will still be included on various Order of Merits.
The prize money impacts multiple rankings, counting towards the PDC Order of Merit, ProTour Order of Merit, and most notably the European Tour Order of Merit. That list is decisive for the European Championship in Dortmund later this season and also determines seeding for the season finale, with higher-ranked players receiving a more favourable draw.
