European Tour 15- Dutch Darts Championship Day 3 Picks 2026 (Sunday 18th October)

Thirty-one of the thirty-two places at the European Championships in Dortmund have been secured after Michael Smith's defeat in the Second Round.

Only Brandon Dolan is in a position to move into the top thirty-two, but he needs a big Sunday as the tournament comes to a conclusion in Maastricht at the Dutch Darts Championship and he will be opening up against one of the home favourites.

Some players may be thinking about the tournament to be played across next weekend, but most involved in this European Tour 15 event will have an opportunity to build momentum into the next big Ranking event on the PDC Tour.

Any selections from the Quarter Final matches will be added to this thread once the Day Session is completed.

Gian van Veen to win & over 2.5 180s v Brandon Dolan: A special performance was produced by Gian van Veen to move through the Second Round at the Dutch Darts Championship.

Backing that up is going to be a huge challenge, but van Veen is going to have the support of the crowd to help give him a big boost.

This should help against a motivated Brandon Dolan who is looking to put some more wins together and try and edge into the top thirty-two and a place at the European Championships.

However, Brandon Dolan will need to lift his level significantly if he is going to continue his winning streak against Gian van Veen as the two players face off for the first time in 2026.

Gian van Veen is building up some real momentum as we fast approach the World Championship, and he has been scoring really well to back up the finishing that he is known for and that gives him an opportunity to secure a solid Third Round win.

Ross Smith to win & over 1.5 180s v Ryan Searle: This has the makings of a very good Third Round match, but the edge has to be with the top European Tour performer of the season.

Ross Smith produced a strong effort to beat Ryan Joyce, but he will have a lot of respect for Ryan Searle and his victory over Dirk van Duijvenbode.

Heavy Metal played really well in that Second Round match and he is more than capable of earning the upset.

However, Ross Smith got the better of Ryan Searle in a European Tour Final in May and he can back that up with another win over this opponent in a match where he can produce a couple of maximums.

Nathan Aspinall to win & over 1.5 180s v Stephen Bunting: Both of these players are very familiar facing one another on a big stage, but it is Nathan Aspinall who is rightly set as the favourite.

The Asp has been picking up his level and is looking for a strong end to the season that may see him return to the Premier League.

His recent level has been very high and Nathan Aspinall has certainly been finding more consistency than Stephen Bunting.

Both had solid Second Round wins that deserve respect, but Nathan Aspinall can earn his spot in the Third Round and he can fire up a couple of maximums, at the very least, in any winning effort.

MY PICKS: Gian van Veen to Win & Over 2.5 180s @ 2.30 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Ross Smith to Win & Over 1.5 180s @ 1.83 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Nathan Aspinall to Win & Over 1.5 180s @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Dutch Darts Championship: 3-5, - 2.10 Units (8 Units Staked, - 26.25% Yield)

European Tour 15- Dutch Darts Championship Day 1 Picks 2026 (Friday 16th October)

The long run to Qualify for the European Championships concludes on Sunday when the final European Tour event of the season is played at the Dutch Darts Championship.

A number of players are already secured of top thirty-two spots and ready to travel to Dortmund next week, but others are in a precarious position with some key First Round matches to be played on Day 1.

Winning a big title is also going to provide motivation, but there is some pressure on those wishing to take part in the next big Ranking event and being able to perform under those circumstances is going to be the big challenge.

There are some big names ready to compete in Maastricht, but the majority of those will join in the Second Round as Seeded players.

Max Hopp v Andrew Gilding: It feels like Andrew Gilding has enough of a buffer to earn his spot in Dortmund next week, but he will be keen to avoid going into that tournament behind a fifth straight defeat.

He has been set as the favourite, but will have to be a lot better than he showed in Basel last week when averaging in the low 80s and losing another opening match.

Max Hopp has been in decent enough nick in the last few Players Championship events played, and he has to be credited for Qualifying for this tournament with three straight wins. He played well in those Qualifiers and Max Hopp may have a steady enough level to find a way to beat Goldfinger for a second time in two meetings in 2026.

Dirk van Duijvenbode to win & over 2.5 180s v James Hurrell: The home fans are going to be firmly behind one of the popular players on the Tour and that should inspire Dirk van Duijvenbode.

One of the recent criticisms of the Dutchman is that van Duijvenbode has begun matches very slowly and that can be costly in the a best of eleven Leg format.

He will also be aware that James Hurrell has been able to get the better of him in the last five matches, including at the World Championship last year.

James Hurrell has been in a little bit of mixed form, but has come through the Qualifiers and that always deserves respect. He can be a stubborn player to beat, but Dirk van Duijvenbode can use the crowd, and his power scoring, can finally see him snap a five match losing run against this opponent.

Sebastian Bialecki v Daryl Gurney: Both of these players are just outside of the top thirty-two in the race for a spot at the European Championships and that makes this a very important First Round match.

They have met twice on the Tour in 2026 and both Sebastian Bialecki and Daryl Gurney hold a win over the other.

Much will depend on which of the players can handle the pressure the best and that does give Gurney a slight advantage, but the Northern Irishman has been struggling for any consistency in recent weeks and that has to be a concern with the World Championship fast approaching.

Sebastian Bialecki was beaten early last week in Basel, but it took a big effort from the in-form Karel Sedlacek and a similar level may be enough for Bialecki to beat Daryl Gurney and move into the Saturday Second Round action.

William O'Connor to win & over 1.5 180s v Richard Veenstra: He has put together enough solid runs on the European Tour to be expecting to play at the European Championship next week, but William O'Connor will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing exit in Basel last weekend.

Losing to Ross Smith is not the issue, but William O'Connor will feel he played well enough to win and he is going to have to produce a quality match if he is going to edge past Home Qualifier Richard Veenstra.

The Dutchman won four matches on Thursday and was in good form, but William O'Connor has gotten the better of him in 2026 and Richard Veenstra may come up short if the Irishman brings the form he was producing in Switzerland last weekend.

Michael Smith - 1.5 legs v Stephen Burton: A couple of wins last week in Basel has pushed Michael Smith to the edge of the top thirty-two in the European Tour Rankings and earning him a spot at the European Championship.

Bully Boy needs another good run in the Netherlands if he is going to push past the players ahead of him and the First Round draw looks like one that he should be able to progress from.

It has been a tough year for Stephen Burton and the losses have piled up, although credit has to be given to any player who has won three Qualifiers to earn a spot at this European Tour event. Stephen Burton perhaps benefited from the draw at that event and only once averaged over 85 in those three wins, while Michael Smith won two Qualifying matches and was producing at a much higher level.

These two players have not met in 2026, but Michael Smith has shown a bit of life from recent performances having struggled through much of the year.

He should have the power scoring to put Stephen Burton under pressure and that should see Smith move through to the Second Round and a potential blockbuster against Nathan Aspinall.

MY PICKS: Max Hopp @ 2.30 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Dirk van Duijvenbode to Win & Over 2.5 180s @ 2.05 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Sebastian Bialecki @ 1.80 Bet365 (1 Unit)

William O'Connor to Win & Over 1.5 180s @ 2.15 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Michael Smith - 1.5 Legs @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Darts 2026: 151-180, - 15.80 Units (330 Units Staked, - 4.79% Yield)