In 2026, Budapest will once again host the European Tour when the Hungarian Darts Trophy returns to the Hungarian capital. Fans can look forward to top-class matches and a lively atmosphere at the MVM Dome. Last year, Germany’s Niko Springer caused a surprise by being crowned tournament champion in Budapest. It was a special triumph for the lad from Mainz, as it marked Springer’s first title on the European Tour.
General tournament information
Date: 28 to 30 August 2026
Venue: MVM Dome, Budapest (Hungary)
Competition: European Tour (Event No. 11)
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, 28 August 2026
Reigning champion gets off to a commanding start
Defending champion Niko Springer took to the stage in Budapest on Friday afternoon for the first time since his triumph last year. The Mainz native won his first European Tour title on this very stage last year.
In his opening match, Springer appeared confident and composed. After the score was levelled at 1:1 in the second leg, the 26-year-old kept his cool and managed to find the next gear. Springer won the next five legs in a row and ultimately secured a clear 6:1 victory over Maik Kuivenhoven.
A perfect return for the defending champion.
Historic debut for Beau Greaves
On Friday evening, Beau Greaves made darts history once again. In the fifth match of the evening session, the Englishwoman took to the stage, becoming the first woman to compete in a match on the European Tour.
And Greaves immediately put in an impressive performance on her historic debut. With an average of 104.88 points and a double percentage of 55.56, she was locked in a top-class duel with Rob Cross. In the end, however, she was narrowly defeated 5:6 by the 2018 world champion.
Despite the defeat, this debut leaves darts fans wanting more. Greaves will have further opportunities to secure her first win at the upcoming European Tour events in Prague and Antwerp.
Local heroes leave their mark
On Friday evening, the two host-nation qualifiers, Laszlo Kadar and Nandor Major, provided another highlight for Hungarian darts. Both made it through to the second round, creating a historic moment on the European Tour.
Kadar prevailed 6:5 in a nail-biting thriller against multiple major champion Daryl Gurney. The Hungarian thus made a perfect debut on the European Tour.
His compatriot Nandor Major also showed nerves of steel in the decider. In the all-deciding leg, Major finished off 124 points to win the matcha gainst Niels Zonneveld, thereby also securing his place in the second round.
This means that, for the first time in the history of a European Tour event, two Hungarian players have reached the second round at the same time.
Afternoon session (from 1 p.m.) – 1st round
Kevin Doets 4:6 Jonas Masalin
Andrew Gilding 6:0 Milan Biro
Ritchie Edhouse 6:1 Connor Scutt
Niko Springer 6:1 Maik Kuivenhoven
William O’Connor 6:2 Samuel Price
Martin Schindler 2:6 Keane Barry
Ryan Joyce 6:3 Cristo Reyes
Dave Chisnall 6:3 Andras Borbely
Evening session (from 7 p.m.) – 1st round
Dirk van Duijvenbode 6:1 David Pisek
Daryl Gurney 5:6 Laszlo Kadar
Krzysztof Ratajski 6:5 Callan Rydz
Joe Cullen 6:3 Adam Leek
Rob Cross 6:5 Beau Greaves
Niels Zonneveld 5:6 Nandor Major
Cameron Menzies 1:6 Tom Sykes
Damon Heta 5:6 James Hurrell
Saturday, 29 August 2026
No title defence at the Hungarian Darts Trophy
The tournament in Budapest is over for the reigning champion, Niko Springer. The defending champion was knocked out in the second round by Ryan Searle.
Despite an early break by the Englishman, the match was initially evenly balanced. Springer stayed in the game and kept it level at 3:3. Then ‘Heavy Metal’ managed to pull away decisively. Although Springer fought his way back into the match, his comeback came too late. In the end, the Mainz player had to admit defeat, losing 4:6.
Successful comeback
Chris Dobey staged an impressive comeback during his appearance at the MVM Dome. The Englishman got off to a disastrous start against Tour Card Holder qualifier Tom Sykes and quickly found himself 0:4 down.
But ‘Hollywood’ kept his cool. With five legs in a row, Dobey completely turned the match around and was on the verge of victory. Sykes, however, also showed nerves of steel and levelled the score at 5:5. In the all-deciding leg, Dobey kept the upper hand. ‘Hollywood’ prevailed 6:5, thus completing a remarkable comeback.
Anderson and van Veen dominate
Gary Anderson and Gian van Veen caught the eye on Saturday with impressive performances.
The Flying Scotsman prevailed 6:2 against Poland’s Krzysztof Ratajski in the second round. Anderson controlled the match for long stretches and gave Ratajski few opportunities. With an average of 105,27 points, the double World Champion also recorded the highest tournament average of this year’s event so far.
On Saturday evening, Gian van Veen followed suit. The Dutchman also put in a strong performance against Nandor Major. For a majority of the match, he averaged in excess of 100 points and recorded a double hit rate of over 80 per cent.Major was unable to match his opponent’s high standard throughout the match. Van Veen eventually prevailed 6:0. The Dutchman recorded an average of 98,02 points and a double percentage of 66,67 per cent.
Afternoon session (from 1 p.m.) – 2nd round
Ross Smith 6:2 William O’Connor
Wessel Nijman 2:6 Dave Chisnall
Jermaine Wattimena 6:4 Andrew Gilding
Danny Noppert 6:4 Ritchie Edhouse
Ryan Searle 6:4 Niko Springer
Luke Woodhouse 5:6 Rob Cross
Gary Anderson 6:2 Krzysztof Ratajski
Chris Dobey 6:5 Tom Sykes
Evening session (from 7 p.m.) – 2nd round
Stephen Bunting 6:1 Jonas Masalin
Jonny Clayton 6:3 Laszlo Kadar
Madars Razma 2:6 Keane Barry
Luke Humphries 3:6 Dirk van Duijvenbode
Michael van Gerwen 6:4 James Hurrell
Gian van Veen 6:0 Nandor Major
Nathan Aspinall 6:4 Ryan Joyce
Josh Rock 6:0 Joe Cullen
Sunday, 30 August 2026
Afternoon session (from 1 p.m.) – Round of 16
Dirk van Duijvenbode 6:4 Rob Cross
Danny Noppert 6:4 Ryan Searle
Jonny Clayton 4:6 Ross Smith
Keane Barry 2:6 Dave Chisnall
Gian van Veen 6:3 Jermaine Wattimena
Stephen Bunting 5:6 Gary Anderson
Michael van Gerwen 4:6 Nathan Aspinall
Josh Rock 3:6 Chris Dobey
Evening session (from 7 p.m.) – Quarter-finals, semi-finals & final
Dirk van Duijvenbode 5:6 Danny Noppert
Ross Smith 6:2 Dave Chisnall
Gian van Veen 5:6 Gary Anderson
Nathan Aspinall 6:5 Chris Dobey
Danny Noppert 3:7 Ross Smith
Gary Anderson 7:6 Nathan Aspinall
Ross Smith 8:2 Gary Anderson
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 der PDC Order of Merit: Luke Humphries, Gian van Veen, Michael van Gerwen, Jonny Clayton, James Wade (replaced by Madars Razma), Josh Rock, Stephen Bunting, Danny Noppert, Ryan Searle, Gary Anderson, Chris Dobey, Wessel Nijman, Ross Smith, Nathan Aspinall, Jermaine Wattimena, Luke Woodhouse
Top 16 der ProTour Order of Merit: Kevin Doets, Andrew Gilding, Rob Cross, Krzysztof Ratajski, Niko Springer, William O’Connor, Niels Zonneveld, Martin Schindler, Dirk van Duijvenbode, Ryan Joyce, Damon Heta, Joe Cullen, Daryl Gurney, Cameron Menzies, Dave Chisnall, Callan Rydz
Tour Card Holder Qualifier: Beau Greaves, Cristo Reyes, James Hurrell, Maik Kuivenhoven, Keane Barry, Tom Sykes, Adam Leek, Connor Scutt, Ritchie Edhouse, Samuel Price
Host Nation Qualifier: Nandor Major, Laszlo Kadar, Andras Borbely, Milan Biro
Nordic & Baltic Qualifier: Jonas Masalin
East Europe Qualifier: David Pisek
TV broadcast
Fans can watch the entire tournament live. The Hungarian 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.
Previous winners
- 2025: Niko Springer 8:7 Danny Noppert
- 2024: Michael van Gerwen 8:7 Gian van Veen
- 2023: Dave Chisnall 8:7 Luke Humphries
- 2022: Joe Cullen 8:2 William O’Connor
- 2021: Gerwyn Price 8:2 Michael Smith
