European Darts Open 2026

10 – 12 July 2026 · Ostermann-Arena, Leverkusen, Deutschland

Part of: European Tour

The 2026 European Darts Open were held from 10 to 12 July 2026 at the Ostermann-Arena in Leverkusen as the tenth event of the 2026 PDC European Tour. With 48 players and £230,000 in total prize money, Krzysztof Ratajski won his third European Tour title with an 8-6 victory over Jermaine Wattimena in the final.

The 2026 European Darts Open – staged as the Elten Safety Shoes European Darts Open for sponsorship reasons – took place from 10 to 12 July 2026 at the Ostermann-Arena in Leverkusen. Organised by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC), the ranking tournament was the tenth of fifteen events on the 2026 PDC European Tour and part of the PDC Pro Tour. A total of 48 players took part, with £230,000 in prize money on offer, £35,000 of which went to the winner. The tournament was first held in 2012, initially at the Maritim Hotel in Düsseldorf; since 2017 the Ostermann-Arena in Leverkusen has been the venue. The defending champion was Nathan Aspinall, who had beaten Damon Heta 8-6 in the 2025 final. In Leverkusen the Englishman reached the quarter-finals, where he lost 4-6 to Krzysztof Ratajski. On the second day of the tournament, when the seeded players entered the draw, several of them went out early: Danny Noppert (no. 5) lost 3-6 to Sebastian Białecki, Stephen Bunting (no. 6) went down 4-6 to Ryan Joyce and Chris Dobey (no. 7) lost 2-6 to Dirk van Duijvenbode. From a German point of view, host nation qualifier Jan Schmidt impressed: after a 6-5 win over Cameron Menzies he also beat the number 13 seed Mike De Decker in a deciding leg, and as the last German in the field he only went out to James Wade in the last 16. Max Hopp came through the first round 6-3 against the 2018 world champion Rob Cross, and Niko Springer won against Darius Labanauskas with an average of 105.21. Finals day belonged to Krzysztof Ratajski and Jermaine Wattimena. Ratajski first knocked out top seed Gian van Veen (6-3) and then defending champion Aspinall (6-4), and won the first all-Polish semi-final in European Tour history 7-5 against Sebastian Białecki – including a 170 checkout. Wattimena beat Ryan Joyce (6-1), Luke Woodhouse (6-5) and, in the semi-final, Damon Heta (7-3) to reach his first European Tour final. In the final Ratajski led 4-1 early on before Wattimena won five legs in a row to move 6-4 ahead. After the Dutchman missed doubles, Ratajski levelled at 6-6, went 7-6 in front with a 68 finish and sealed the 8-6 win on double 10 in the 14th leg. Ratajski threw an average of 92.43 in the final, Wattimena 86.73. For the Pole it was his third European Tour title after the 2019 Gibraltar Darts Trophy and the 2023 German Darts Open, his first ranking title of 2026 and his twelfth overall; the winner's cheque took him back into the top 20 of the PDC world rankings for the first time in over three years.

At a glance

  • Tournament: Event 10 of 15 on the PDC European Tour 2026
  • Venue: Ostermann-Arena, Leverkusen (Germany)
  • Date: 10 to 12 July 2026
  • Participants: 48 players
  • Total prize money: £230,000 (winner: £35,000)
  • Winner 2026: Krzysztof Ratajski (POL), 8-6 in the final against Jermaine Wattimena
  • Defending champion: Nathan Aspinall – knocked out in the quarter-finals, 4-6 against Krzysztof Ratajski
  • Best German player: Jan Schmidt (Host Nation Qualifier) – last 16, 2-6 against James Wade
  • Highlight: First all-Polish semi-final in European Tour history: Ratajski – Białecki (7-5)
  • Tournament statistics 2026: 188 180s thrown; highest Average 107.23 (Nathan Aspinall); highest finish 170 (Wessel Nijman, Krzysztof Ratajski)
  • History: 13th and final edition; first held in 2012 at the Maritim Hotel Düsseldorf, at the Ostermann-Arena Leverkusen since 2017 (for the ninth time in 2026)
  • Record winner: Michael van Gerwen (5 titles)
  • Sponsor: Elten Safety Shoes

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FAQ

When and where did the European Darts Open 2026 take place?

The European Darts Open 2026 took place from 10 to 12 July 2026 at the Ostermann-Arena in Leverkusen. It was the tenth of fifteen events on the 2026 PDC European Tour.

Who won the European Open 2026 in Leverkusen?

Krzysztof Ratajski won the European Darts Open 2026 with an 8-6 win in the final against Jermaine Wattimena. It was the Pole's third European Tour title after the Gibraltar Darts Trophy 2019 and the German Darts Open 2023.

How did defending champion Nathan Aspinall fare at the darts in Leverkusen?

Nathan Aspinall, who had beaten Damon Heta 8-6 in the 2025 final, went out in the quarter-finals. There he lost 4-6 to eventual champion Krzysztof Ratajski.

How much prize money was on offer at the European Darts Open 2026?

A total of £230,000 was paid out. The winner received £35,000, the runner-up £15,000, the semi-finalists £10,000 each and the first-round losers £2,000 each.

What format was played at the tenth event of the 2026 PDC European Tour?

The tournament was played as a knockout with 48 players. From the first round to the quarter-finals it was best of 11 legs (first to 6), the semi-finals best of 13 legs and the final best of 15 legs, each in double-out format.

Where were the European Open 2026 shown on TV and live stream?

DAZN broadcast all sessions of the European Darts Open live and in German in Germany, Austria and Switzerland; in addition, the action was available free of charge on the DAZN Darts X Pluto TV Channel. Internationally, the tournament was shown via the PDC TV livestream for subscribers.

How do you qualify for the European Darts Open?

The top 16 of the PDC Order of Merit were seeded and entered in round 2, while the 16 highest-ranked players not yet qualified from the Pro Tour Order of Merit started in round 1. The remaining 16 places went to the Tour Card Holder Qualifier (10), the Host Nation Qualifier (4) and one Nordic & Baltic and one East European qualifier.

Which German players did well at the 2026 darts tournament in Leverkusen?

Host Nation qualifier Jan Schmidt was the best German, reaching the last 16, where he lost 2-6 to James Wade. Max Hopp beat the 2018 world champion Rob Cross 6-3 in round 1, and Niko Springer won against Darius Labanauskas with an Average of 105.21.

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