Antwerp once again becomes the stage for the world’s darts elite as the Blåkläder Flanders Darts Trophy returns to the Antwerp Expo from September 11 to 13 for its third edition. After Dave Chisnall claimed the inaugural title in 2024, Luke Littler took centre stage last year. “The Nuke” edged past Josh Rock 8-7 in a high-quality final to complete a Belgian double and add another European Tour title to his collection. Littler now returns to Antwerp as the defending champion, with three more days of top-class darts, passionate fans and high-profile clashes ahead.
General tournament information
Date: 11 to 13 September 2026
Venue: Antwerp Expo, Antwerp (Belgium)
Competition: European Tour (Event No. 13)
Field of participants: 48 players
The tournament will be played in the classic knockout system. The first four rounds will be played in a best of 11 legs format, the semi-finals in a best of 13 legs format and the final in a best of 15 legs format. All legs will be played in double-out mode.
Match schedule & sessions
Friday, 11 September 2026
Sedlacek still hopes to qualify for the World Grand Prix
Karel Sedlacek has kept his hopes of qualifying for the World Grand Prix alive. The Czech player secured a commanding 6:2 victory in the first round against European Tour debutant Michael Hansen. In a match that was largely unspectacular, ‘Evil Charlie’ made the most of his experience and gave his opponent hardly any chance. The result was a comfortable victory and a place in the second round.
Clemens wins for the first time in almost a year
Gabriel Clemens won his opening match against Cameron Menzies 6:4, thus ending a long winless run on the European Tour. The Saarlander had gone almost a year without a victory on the tour. With a convincing performance and, above all, a strong double hit rate of 42 per cent, Clemens underlined his improving form.
It doesn’t get any more tense than this
In the penultimate match of the evening, 22-year-old Pole Sebastian Bialecki and local hero Kim Huybrechts faced off in the decisive clash for a place in the World Grand Prix. In a nerve-wracking match featuring several high finishes, including the Big Fish, the contest went to a decisive final leg. In that very leg, of all things, both players failed to land their doubles. A match that had been characterised by high double-hit rates up to that point suddenly turned into a nail-biting thriller. Both players missed several match darts in the final leg. In the end, Bialecki kept his nerve and edged out a narrow 6:5 victory.
Belgian dream all but over
Kim Huybrechts became the fourth Belgian to be knocked out of the tournament. Only Andy Baetens managed to win his opening match. ‘The Beast from the East’ prevailed over ‘Rockstar’ Joe Cullen, just as he had done in Wieze. Baetens comfortably won the match 6:3.
Afternoon session (from 1 p.m.) – 1st round
Niels Zonneveld 6:3 Petr Tous
Mickey Mansell 4:6 Bradley Brooks
Andrew Gilding 5:6 Chris Landman
Kevin Doets 6:1 James Hurrell
Karel Sedlacek 6:2 Michael Hansen
Jeffrey de Graaf 6:5 Jeroen Caron
Ryan Joyce 6:5 Stephen Burton
Niko Springer 6:1 Jaimy Jacobs
Evening session (from 7 p.m.) – 1st round
Rob Cross 6:3 Cristo Reyes
Joe Cullen 3:6 Andy Baetens
Cameron Menzies 4:6 Gabriel Clemens
William O’Connor 6:2 Kevin Lankhuizen
Raymond van Barneveld 2:6 Jim Long
Damon Heta 6:5 Beau Greaves
Sebastian Bialecki 6:5 Kim Huybrechts
Dirk van Duijvenbode 3:6 Brendan Dolan
Saturday, 12 September 2026
All Germans out
Following a hard-fought second round, it’s all over for all three remaining Germans. Martin Schindler, Niko Springer and Gabriel Clemens have been knocked out. This means it is now certain that neither the ‘German Giant’ nor ‘The Wall’ will be competing in the World Grand Prix.
It was a particularly bitter blow for Gabriel Clemens. Against Gian van Veen, the Saarlander posted an average of just under 99 points and hit around 43 per cent of his doubles. Despite a good performance, he ultimately suffered a 3:6 defeat, a result that does not reflect what was, for the most part, a closely fought match.
Niko Springer suffered a clear 1:6 defeat at the hands of a strong Nathan Aspinall, whilst Martin Schindler was beaten 4:6 by the 2019 world champion, Rob Cross.
Last Belgian also knocked out
On Saturday afternoon, Andy Baetens became the last Belgian to be eliminated from the tournament. ‘The Beast from the East’ was defeated 2:6 by England’s Ryan Searle. Baetens was unable to build on his strong performance from the first round and, with an average of 88.13 points, fell well short of his potential.
Aspinall provides Saturday’s highlight
Nathan Aspinall provides Saturday’s highlight. With an average of 106 points and an impressive double rate of 85.71 per cent, ‘The Asp’ leaves no doubt that he will progress to the next round. At the same time, he posts the highest average of the entire tournament so far. Niko Springer stands no chance against the Englishman.
Heta keeps his nerve once again
Damon Heta has once again scraped through by the narrowest of margins. Following his 6:5 victory over Beau Greaves in the first round, the Australian kept his nerve against the world number six as well. Michael van Gerwen pushed ‘The Heat’ to the limit, but Heta maintained the upper hand in the decisive decider, bringing a nerve-wracking match to a close with a 6:5 win.
Afternoon session (from 1 p.m.) – 2nd round
Krzysztof Ratajski 5:6 Kevin Doets
Jermaine Wattimena 6:3 Karel Sedlacek
Martin Schindler 4:6 Rob Cross
Danny Noppert 6:2 Chris Landman
Ryan Searle 6:2 Andy Baetens
Chris Dobey 6:1 Niels Zonneveld
Luke Woodhouse 6:3 William O’Connor
Ross Smith 6:2 Jeffrey de Graaf
Evening session (from 7 p.m.) – 2nd round
Josh Rock 3:6 Ryan Joyce
Gerwyn Price 6:3 Bradley Brooks
James Wade 6:2 Jim Long
Gian van Veen 6:3 Gabriel Clemens
Michael van Gerwen 5:6 Damon Heta
Nathan Aspinall 6:1 Niko Springer
Stephen Bunting 6:5 Brendan Dolan
Wessel Nijman 6:4 Sebastian Bialecki
Sunday, 13 September 2026
Afternoon session (from 1 p.m.) – Round of 16
Gian van Veen 6:5 Kevin Doets
Ryan Searle 5:6 Chris Dobey
Ryan Joyce 6:5 Jermaine Wattimena
Gerwyn Price 5:6 Ross Smith
James Wade 6:5 Rob Cross
Danny Noppert 6:4 Wessel Nijman
Damon Heta 6:3 Luke Woodhouse
Stephen Bunting 4:6 Nathan Aspinall
Evening session (from 7 p.m.) – Quarter-finals, semi-finals & final
Quarter-finals
Gian van Veen 6:3 Chris Dobey
Ryan Joyce 5:6 Ross Smith
James Wade 6:o Danny Noppert
Damon Heta 6:5 Nathan Aspinall
Semi-finals
Gian van Veen 6:7 Ross Smith
James Wade 7:4 Damon Heta
Final
Ross Smith 4:8 James Wade
The top-ranked players in the PDC Order of Merit will enter the tournament in the second round, while the remaining players will compete in the first round.
Prize money
In 2026, the prize money for European Tour events was significantly increased. A total of £230,000 will be distributed as follows:
- Winner:£ 35,000
- Runner-up:£ 15,000
- Semi-finalists:£ 10,000
- Quarter-finalists: £ 8,000
- Round of 16:£ 5,000
- Second round:£ 3,500
- First round:£ 2,000
The prize money counts towards the PDC Order of Merit, the ProTour Order of Merit and the European Tour Order of Merit (qualification for the European Championship).
Qualification
The field of participants is made up of various qualification routes to ensure a mix of world stars and regional talent:
Top 16 of the PDC Order of Merit: Luke Littler*, Luke Humphries*, Gian van Veen, Jonny Clayton*, James Wade, Michael van Gerwen, Josh Rock, Gerwyn Price, Stephen Bunting, Danny Noppert, Ryan Searle, Gary Anderson*, Chris Dobey, Wessel Nijman, Nathan Aspinall, Ross Smith
Top 16 of the ProTour Order of Merit: Luke Woodhouse, Jermaine Wattimena, Kevin Doets, Krzysztof Ratajski, Andrew Gilding, Rob Cross, William O’Connor, Niko Springer, Niels Zonneveld, Ryan Joyce, Dirk van Duijvenbode, Joe Cullen, Cameron Menzies, Damon Heta, Martin Schindler, Sebastian Bialecki
Tour Card Holder Qualifier: Bradley Brooks, Cristo Reyes, Jim Long, Stephen Burton, Jeffrey De Graaf, Beau Greaves, Raymond van Barneveld, Karel Sedlacek, Mickey Mansell, Chris Landman
Host Nation Qualifier: Jaimy Jacobs, Kevin Lankhuizen, Jeroen Caron, Andy Baetens
Nordic & Baltic Qualifier: Michael Hansen
East Europe Qualifier: Petr Touš
*Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, Jonny Clayton and Gary Anderson withdrew at short notice and were replaced by Gabriel Clemens, James Hurrell, Kim Huybrechts and Brendan Dolan from the reserve list.
TV broadcast
Fans can watch the entire tournament live. The Blåkläder Flanders Darts Trophy will be broadcast on the following channels:
PDC TV:
International live stream for subscribers (original commentary).
SOCIAL MEDIA:
Current scores and highlights can be found on the PDC Europe channels.
DAZN:
Broadcasts all sessions live in Germany, Austria and Switzerland in German.
VTM / VTM GO:
Broadcasts the tournament live in Belgium on VTM 2 and via stream on VTM GO.
Previous winners
- 2025: Luke Littler 8:7 Josh Rock
- 2024: Dave Chisnall 8:6 Ricardo Pietreczko
Questions? Reach out at [email protected].
