Eight years after its premiere, the circle is complete: in 2026, the ELTEN Safety Shoes Dutch Darts Championship will return to where it all began in 2018 – the MECC Maastricht. Not only is the prestigious title at stake here, but also the end of a curious dry spell: since the first edition of the tournament, no Dutch player has ever held the trophy in their hands, despite the enormous depth of talent in ‘Oranje’.
The return to the original venue offers the perfect opportunity to rewrite this chapter and transform the MECC into a madhouse of orange. Gian van Veen, Michael van Gerwen, Danny Noppert & Co. – they will all do their utmost to meet the expectations of the home crowd and end the long-standing home curse in Maastricht.
General tournament information
Date: 16 to 18 October 2026
Venue: MECC Maastricht, Maastricht (Netherlands)
Competition: European Tour (Event No. 15)
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, 16 October 2026
Afternoon session (from 1 p.m.) – 1st round
Evening session (from 7 p.m.) – 1st round
Saturday, 17 October 2026
Afternoon session (from 1 p.m.) – 2nd round
Evening session (from 7 p.m.) – 2nd round
Sunday, 18 October 2026
Afternoon session (from 1 p.m.) – Round of 16
Evening session (from 7 p.m.) – Quarter-finals, semi-finals & final
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: Automatically qualified for the second round on Saturday.
Top 16 of the ProTour Order of Merit: Highest-ranked players after the top 16.
Tour Card Holder Qualifier: 10 places for PDC Tour Card holders.
Host Nation Qualifier: 4 places for players from the Netherlands.
Nordic & Baltic Qualifier: 1 place for players from the Scandinavian/Baltic region.
East Europe Qualifier: 1 place for players from Eastern Europe.
TV broadcast
Fans can watch the entire tournament live. The Elten Safety Shoes Dutch Darts Championship 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: Jonny Clayton 8:6 Niko Springer
- 2024: Josh Rock 8:4 Jonny Clayton
- 2023: Dave Chisnall 8:5 Luke Humphries
- 2022: Michael Smith 8:7 Danny Noppert
- 2018: Ian White 8:5 Ricky Evans
