Game, Shot and the Match: Niko Springer is the champion of Budapest, securing his maiden European Tour title. The 25-year-old from Siefersheim defeated Danny Noppert 8-7 in the final of the Hungarian Darts Trophy, becoming the fourth German player to win a European Tour event.
The “Meenzer Bub”, who was playing in his debut PDC season, reached his second final of the year – and this time left the stage as the shining winner, proving once again his strong form inside the MVM Dome.
Dramatic Final Against Danny Noppert
In the final, Springer initially fell 2-4 behind but fought back into the contest. At 5-5 it became a nail-biting affair, eventually going the distance. In the deciding leg, Springer produced a brilliant 14-darter to seal a famous victory and write history in Hungary.
“I’m over the moon, to be honest,” said Springer after lifting the trophy. “I took my chances and I can’t believe it. The crowd was amazing, they supported me so much, and I think I did a good job.”
Fairytale Season for the Young German
Niko Springer only earned his PDC Tour Card earlier this season. Since then, he has qualified for more European Tour events than any other qualifier. After his surprise final appearance in the Netherlands back in May, he has now crowned his breakthrough year with his first ever PDC title.
“My goal was to qualify for the World Championship, and I already achieved that a few months ago. Everything else now is just a bonus,” Springer explained. “I never expected to be in the race for the World Grand Prix, but after this win I am. For now, I’m just very happy.”
Springer’s Road to the Final
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6-3 win against Gian van Veen (despite a 105 average from the Dutchman)
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6-1 over Damon Heta
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6-3 victory against former World Champion Rob Cross
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6-4 win against World Number One Luke Humphries – with back-to-back 11-darters
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7-6 semi-final thriller against Josh Rock, including a 170 checkout
Danny Noppert Shows His Class
Danny Noppert reached his first European Tour final since 2022 and delivered an impressive tournament. The Dutchman survived a match dart in his opener against Rob Owen, before defeating Michael van Gerwen, Chris Dobey and World Champion Luke Littler on Finals Day.
In the final he just fell short, but was still pleased with his performance:
“I’m really proud of myself. I played a good weekend and I think there’s more in the tank. He deserved the win in the last leg, he played it well. The crowd gave me so much energy – thank you, Hungary!”
With this result, Noppert climbs to world number 13.
Semi-finalists and Tournament Highlights
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Josh Rock and Luke Littler completed the Top 4
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Luke Humphries produced the highest average of the 2025 European Tour (113+) in his 6-1 demolition of Mike De Decker
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Crowd record: around 10,000 fans attended in the MVM Dome on a single day
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Thibault Tricole became the first Frenchman ever to reach a European Tour Finals Day
Next Stop: Swiss Darts Trophy
The 2025 European Tour continues next week: from September 26 to 28, the Swiss Darts Trophy (ET13) takes place in Basel, where Martin Schindler will look to defend his title.
