A Punter’s Guide to This Week’s European Darts Championship

by Roy Brindley, 22 October 2025

There is guaranteed blockbuster action from flag-fall in this week’s Machineseeker European Darts Championship.

Luke Littler is chasing his fifth PDC televised major title of 2025 and world number one status this week. © PDC

Key Facts:

• Darts’ top 32 players are set to contest the European Darts Championship this week.
• £600,000 in prize money is on offer, with £120,000 for the winner.
• Tournament favourites, Littler and Humpries, might clash in the semi-finals.
• Victory could see Littler reach the top spot in the world rankings.

Former titleholders Michael van Gerwen, Peter Wright and Ross Smith will all be in action during the blockbuster opening night of the Machineseeker European Championship. A £600,000 PDC Premier Event, the competition features the top 32 players from the 2025 European Tour rankings.

From October 23–26 at Dortmund’s Westfalenhalle, first round action will unfold across Thursday and Friday evenings with eight matches each night. Topping the bill is a clash between four-time European Champion Van Gerwen and his fellow Dutchman, Wessel Nijman.

2022 champion Ross Smith and 2023 winner, Peter Wright, go head-to-head in a battle of the former Champions. On the same bill, Stephen Bunting – a winner of two European Tour titles this year – will play world number eight Chris Dobey.

2019 runner-up Gerwyn Price, quoted as the competition’s 9/1 third favourite by the UK’s online bookmakers, will renew his rivalry with Northern Ireland’s World Cup champion Daryl Gurney. Price’s doubles partner, Jonny Clayton, goes up against Ryan Searle.

In-Form Asp Meets Two-Time Champ

First-round drama will continue on Friday. Headlining is a mouthwatering clash between top seed Nathan Aspinall – winner of the German Darts Championship last weekend – and the two-time European Champion, Rob Cross.

World Champion Luke Littler takes on Dutch legend Raymond van Barneveld in a battle of the ages, where he is priced just 1/6 to prevail. The teenager’s biggest threat, and the only other player to win a PDC Ranking Televised Major in 2025, Luke Humphries, faces Poland’s Krzysztof Ratajski.

WHAT HAVE WE JUST WITNESSED?!

You will not see a better game than that!

Luke Littler averages upwards of 105 on his way to a straight-sets victory over Gian van Veen, who breaks the record average at the World Grand Prix himself!

📺 https://t.co/cN6xY3oHDW#WGPDarts | R1 pic.twitter.com/jMW3sJxYAt

— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) October 7, 2025

Elsewhere, 2018 European Champion James Wade goes up against Belgian number one Mike De Decker, and Josh Rock—a two-time finalist on this year’s European Tour—meets Germany’s number two Ricardo Pietreczko.

2025 PDC Ranking Televised Event Winners

• PDC World Championship: Luke Littler
• PDC World Masters: Luke Humphries
• UK Open: Luke Littler
• World Matchplay: Luke Littler
• World Grand Prix: Luke Littler
• European Championship: TBD
• Grand Slam of Darts: TBD
• Players Championship Finals: TBD

Scheduled to Award Big Money

The 16 first-round winners will return to the stage for round two on Saturday. Quarter-finals are scheduled for Sunday afternoon, before the tournament culminates with the semi-finals and final on Sunday evening.

On the line is a £120,000 winner’s prize. The runner-up will receive £60,000, with beaten semi-finalists receiving £40,000. In darts, ranking is based on the amount of prize money won in ranking tournaments on a two-year cycle.

Victory for Littler, who needs to win the European Championship, Players Championships, and World Masters to complete the full set of major titles, could see him top the PDC Order of Merit and become world No. 1 for the first time.

Points Could Make a Big Prize for Littler

With £1,680,500 banked, the teenage sensation currently trails Luke Humphries in the rankings by £42,500. With £726,250 banked, Michael van Gerwen sits third. It is a balance that could rise significantly with the former champion faring well in the European Championship draw.

Whereas Littler and Humpries are both in the top half of the European Championship draw and could meet in the semi-finals, van Gerwen is housed in the bottom bracket. It is a place where out-of-form players such as Dave Chisnall and Peter Wright also reside.

In theory, Michael van Gerwen would appear a fair bet on his 10/1 odds. However, as his first-round defeat in the Grand Prix and failure to qualify for this year’s Players Championship Finals (for the first time in 16 years) underline, he has been performing below his best for much of 2025.

How Can I Watch the European Championship?

The 2025 Machineseeker European Championship will be broadcast live on ITV in the UK. It can also be watched on PDC’s global broadcast partners, DAZN and Viaplay. The leading online betting sites will broadcast and bet on selected matches live.