The last European Tour event of the season was concluded in the Netherlands and that means the field for the European Championship has been confirmed with the draw ready to get underway on Thursday.
Sadly Luke Humphries is not going to be able to travel to take his Seeded spot in the draw, but this should mean he has time to get over the illness that has forced his withdrawal and be ready to go when the Grand Slam of Darts gets underway in November. That Ranking tournament is concluded the weekend before the Players Championship Finals is played in Minehead and then all attention will turn to the World Championships that are now less than two months away from getting underway.
It does mean there is an opportunity for players to lay down a marker about their ambitions in December through to early January and the three Ranking events left all offer chances for those competing.
Luke Littler is the favourite of course, but he had drifted into odds against quotes before the announcement from Luke Humphries was made.
Players in the top half of the draw will feel things have opened up without the World Grand Prix Champion being involved in Dortmund, while all may feel Littler is vulnerable playing in front of the German crowds he dislikes so much. That has not prevented him winning titles in Germany, but Luke Littler can be rattled and his recent form has not been all that impressive, at least comparatively to what we have come to expect from the World Number 1.
First Round action gets underway in Dortmund on Thursday and the Round is completed on Friday.
We then have two Sessions of Second Round matches to be concluded on Saturday before the Quarter Finals are played in the Day Session on Sunday.
The Semi Final and Final is then played in the Evening Session to conclude the European portion of the Tour barring a couple of Players Championship events, and this should be a fun weekend of Darts for those watching at home and at the venue.
Niels Zonneveld - 1.5 legs v Cameron Menzies: You can just never be sure what you are going to get from Cameron Menzies when he heads onto the oche, but recent form has been disappointing.
He struggled in the Netherlands last week and Cameron Menzies made Stephen Bunting barely break into a sweat to move past him in the Second Round.
It is a defeat that means Cameron Menzies has lost four of his last five matches and now he has to take on an opponent who has to be buzzing having picked up the Dutch Darts Championship title last week.
Niels Zonneveld put together a very solid tournament to win that big title and he has to be feeling pretty confident going into the European Championship.
There is a concern that he may not be as focused or ready to compete just days after winning such an important title for his own career, but Niels Zonneveld has the quality and confidence to progress past Cameron Menzies before this gets to a deciding Leg.
Gerwyn Price to win & over 3.5 match 180s v Rob Cross: Two former World Champions meet in the First Round in Dortmund and it has all the makings of being a very competitive match.
Both Gerwyn Price and Rob Cross will be happy with the recent form shown on the Tour, although it is the former who has found a way to win matches even when not at his absolute best.
There is no doubt that the second half of the 2026 season has been more positive for Rob Cross than the first as he moves through some personal issues, but the whole year has been a strong one for Gerwyn Price.
Only a big Ranking title is missing, but Price may be the favourite to come out of the top half of the draw in the absence of Luke Humphries and he may edge what should be a quality First Round match.
Kim Huybrechts-Ryan Searle over 5.5 180s: He takes his place in the draw at the European Championship after Luke Humphries was forced to withdraw and Kim Huybrechts is a potentially dangerous opponent for all he faces.
At his best, Huybrechts has the scoring power to make things very awkward for anyone he faces and Ryan Searle will be well aware of that.
However, Heavy Metal has beaten him twice on the European Tour this season and that should give him the confidence to do so again, which is also what the layers are anticipating having priced Ryan Searle as a pretty strong favourite.
Both players looked to be peppering the treble 20 bed with real authority last week in the Netherlands and they are capable of combining for at least six in the First Round in Dortmund.
Two previous meetings have been pretty different in terms of the maximums hit- the first of those saw both produce plenty in just seven Legs, but the second match last nine Legs and ended with just three maximums shared out as both Huybrechts and Searle struggled to find their best.
If they can pick up from where they left off in Maastricht, these two players are capable of plenty of big scoring and the total 180s line can be surpassed.
Ross Smith to win & over 2.5 180s v Karel Sedlacek: He won a floor title in September and has used the confidence from that win to put some solid perfomances on the stage at the European Tour events over the last few weeks.
That is all well and good for Karel Sedlacek, but beating the top Seed on the European Tour at the European Championship is going to be a big ask.
Ross Smith was beaten relatively early in Maastricht last week, but has recently won a big Ranking title at the World Series of Darts Finals. He has loved playing on the European Tour all season and Smudger looks like someone capable of having a big run at the World Championship with the right draw in front of him.
There is no doubt that there will be a respect for the level that Karel Sedlacek has been able to produce in recent weeks, but Ross Smith has to believe his best will be enough to get through to the Second Round on Saturday.
Strong scoring has propelled Ross Smith and he can throw at least three maximums in what should be a match that goes at least nine Legs.
MY PICKS: Niels Zonneveld - 1.5 Legs @ 2.20 William Hill (1 Unit)
Gerwyn Price to Win & Over 3.5 Match 180s @ 1.95 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Kim Huybrechts-Ryan Searle Over 5.5 180s @ 2.25 William Hill (1 Unit)
Ross Smith to Win & Over 2.5 180s @ 2.15 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Darts 2026: 154-188, - 20.90 Units (341 Units Staked, - 6.13% Yield)
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