‘Hello Styria, hello Graz!’ The European Tour will be stopping off in the capital of culinary delights again in 2026. But the ELTEN Safety Shoes Austrian Darts Open is about much more than culinary delights – it’s about one of the most prestigious titles of the year. After last year’s tournament victory, the focus is primarily on the world’s elite taking revenge against reigning champion Martin Schindler. Set between stunning Alpine scenery and a cauldron-like atmosphere, the PDC’s top stars battle not only for crucial ranking points, but above all for one thing: the traditional green jacket, the “Janker”.
General tournament information
Date: 08 to 10 May 2026
Venue: Halle A, Messe Congress Graz, Graz (Austria)
Competition: European Tour (Event No. 6)
Field of participants: 48 players
Match overview with session information
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. Tickets for the individual sessions are available HERE.
Match schedule & sessions
Friday, 08 May 2026
Afternoon session (from 1 p.m.) – 1st round
Ryan Joyce 6:3 Gabriel Clemens
Ricardo Pietreczko 4:6 Patrik Kovacs
Niels Zonneveld 6:5 James Hurrell
Andrew Gilding 6:4 Nick Zwittnigg
William O’Connor 6:3 Anton Ostlund
Krzysztof Ratajski 6:3 Aaron Hardy
Niko Springer 6:3 Nick Kenny
Kevin Doets 6:3 Chris Landman
Evening session (from 7 p.m.) – 1st round
Dave Chisnall 3:6 Cristo Reyes
Joe Cullen 5:6 Rob Owen
Karel Sedlacek 3:6 Kim Huybrechts
Peter Wright 6:2 Zoran Lerchbacher
Raymond van Barneveld 2:6 Alan Soutar
Cameron Menzies 2:6 Mensur Suljovic
Dirk van Duijvenbode 4:6 Madars Razma
Michael Smith 4:6 Ian White
Saturday, 09 May 2026
Afternoon session (from 1 p.m.) – 2nd round
Jermaine Wattimena 4:6 Andrew Gilding
Mike De Decker 3:6 Ryan Joyce
Rob Cross 6:3 William O’Connor
Ryan Searle 2:6 Kevin Doets
Ross Smith 6:3 Niels Zonneveld
Damon Heta 4:6 Cristo Reyes
Luke Woodhouse 6:1 Rob Owen
Chris Dobey 5:6 Kim Huybrechts
Evening session (from 7 p.m.) – 2nd round
Daryl Gurney 6:3 Ian White
Josh Rock 6:3 Patrik Kovacs
James Wade 6:2 Mensur Suljovic
Michael van Gerwen 6:3 Krzysztof Ratajski
Danny Noppert 6:5 Alan Soutar
Gian van Veen 5:6 Madars Razma
Martin Schindler 6:2 Peter Wright
Wessel Nijman 0:6 Niko Springer
Sunday, 10 May 2026
Afternoon session (from 1 p.m.) – Round of 16
Kevin Doets 6:2 Ryan Joyce
James Wade 1:6 Luke Woodhouse
Kim Huybrechts 5:6 Andrew Gilding
Michael van Gerwen 5:6 Rob Cross
Danny Noppert 3:6 Cristo Reyes
Josh Rock 6:5 Niko Springer
Ross Smith 2:6 Martin Schindler
Madars Razma 3:6 Daryl Gurney
Evening session (from 7 p.m.) – Quarter-finals, semi-finals & final
Kevin Doets 6:3 Luke Woodhouse
Andrew Gilding 1:6 Rob Cross
Cristo Reyes 4:6 Josh Rock
Martin Schindler 2:6 Daryl Gurney
Kevin Doets 7:3 Rob Cross
Josh Rock 7:3 Daryl Gurney
Kevin Doets 6:8 Josh Rock
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, Michael van Gerwen, Jonny Clayton*, James Wade, Josh Rock, Gerwyn Price*, Stephen Bunting*, Danny Noppert, Gary Anderson*, Ryan Searle, Chris Dobey, Ross Smith, Nathan Aspinall*, Martin Schindler
Top 16 of the ProTour Order of Merit: Wessel Nijman, Jermaine Wattimena, Damon Heta, Dirk van Duijvenbode, Luke Woodhouse, Cameron Menzies, Niels Zonneveld, Niko Springer, Krzysztof Ratajski, Daryl Gurney, William O’Connor, Ryan Joyce, Dave Chisnall, Andrew Gilding, Joe Cullen, Karel Sedlacek
Tour Card Holder Qualifier: Rob Owen, Michael Smith, James Hurrell, Ian White, Nick Kenny, Chris Landman, Cristo Reyes, Gabriel Clemens, Alan Soutar, Kim Huybrechts
Host Nation Qualifier: 4 places for players from Austria.
Nordic & Baltic Qualifier: Anton Östlund
East Europe Qualifier: Patrik Kovács
*Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, Gerwyn Price, Stephen Bunting, Gary Anderson, and Nathan Aspinall did not register for the tournament in Graz. As a result, Mike De Decker, Kevin Doets, Peter Wright, Ricardo Pietreczko, Raymond van Barneveld, and Rob Cross moved up into the field of participants via the ProTour rankings. The seeded positions were taken over by Jermaine Wattimena, Mike De Decker, Damon Heta, Wessel Nijman, Luke Woodhouse, and Rob Cross. Jonny Clayton subsequently withdrew his participation, leading to Madars Razma joining the field via the reserve list.
TV broadcast
Fans can watch the entire tournament live. The ELTEN Safety Shoes Austrian Darts Open 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.
Previous winners
- 2025: Martin Schindler 8:4 Ross Smith
- 2024: Luke Littler 8:4 Joe Cullen
- 2023: Jonny Clayton 8:6 Josh Rock
- 2022: Michael van Gerwen 8:5 Danny Noppert
- 2019: Michael van Gerwen 8:7 Ian White
- 2018: Jonny Clayton 8:5 Gerwyn Price
- 2017: Michael van Gerwen 6:5 Michael Smith
- 2016: Phil Taylor 6:4 Michael Smith
- 2014: Vincent van der Voort 6:5 Jamie Caven
- 2013: Michael van Gerwen 6:3 Merwyn King
- 2012: Justin Pipe 6:3 James Wade
