Luke Littler could replace Luke Humphries as world No 1 at the Machineseeker European Championship this week, where Nathan Aspinall is top seed.
The top 32 players on the 2025 European Tour rankings will compete for the coveted title at Dortmund’s Westfalenhalle from October 23-26, with Aspinall returning to Germany as the top seed after three European Tour titles this season.
Aspinall has been drawn against former world champion Rob Cross, who claimed the final qualification place on of offer, while world No 1 Humphries – the fifth seed in Dortmund – has been pitted against Poland’s Krzysztof Ratajski.
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Nathan Aspinall also won the European Darts Open and European Darts Trophy in 2025
2019 runner-up Gerwyn Price will face Daryl Gurney and Littler faces another first-round meeting with Raymond van Barneveld, while Michael van Gerwen begins his bid for a record fifth European Championship title against compatriot Wessel Nijman.
Littler suffered a first-round exit on debut last year, just as he did at the World Matchplay and World Grand Prix that year. The teenager star came back to win those titles in Blackpool and Leicester this season, while a European Championship success would guarantee him world No 1 spot for the first time.
European Championship: Full schedule
Thursday October 23
First round (best of 11 legs)
Ryan Joyce vs Luke Woodhouse
Ross Smith vs Peter Wright
Gian van Veen vs Damon Heta
Gerwyn Price vs Daryl Gurney
Jonny Clayton vs Ryan Searle
Martin Schindler vs Dave Chisnall
Wessel Nijman vs Michael van Gerwen
Stephen Bunting vs Chris Dobey
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Friday October 24
First round (best of 11 legs)
Niko Springer vs Jermaine Wattimena
Gary Anderson vs Cameron Menzies
James Wade vs Mike De Decker
Josh Rock vs Ricardo Pietreczko
Luke Humphries vs Krzysztof Ratajski
Luke Littler vs Raymond van Barneveld
Nathan Aspinall vs Rob Cross
Dirk van Duijvenbode vs Danny Noppert
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Luke Littler reflects on his World Grand Prix winning performance against Luke Humphries and how he looks to prepare for the World Championships at the end of the year
Saturday October 25
Afternoon Session
Second round x 4 (best of 19 legs)
Evening Session
Second round x 4 (best of 19 legs)
Sunday October 26
Afternoon Session
Quarter finals x 4 (best of 19 legs)
Evening Session
Semi-Finals x 2 (best of 21 legs)
Final (best of 21 legs)
What is the prize money on offer?
A total prize purse of £600,000 is up for grabs, with £120,000 going to the winner and £60,000 to the runner-up.
Losing semi-finalists receive £40,000 and quarter-finalists get £25,000, while players exiting at the second round or first round will earn £15,000 or £7,500 respectively.
Luke Humphries starts the week with a £52,500 advantage over Luke Littler in the PDC World Rankings but could lose world No 1 spot for the first time since January 2024, depending on results.
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Luke Humphries reflected on his tough 6-1 loss to Luke Littler in the World Grand Prix final and what he needs to do to keep the world No 1 spot
How did qualification work and why is Aspinall top seed?
The top 32 players from the European Tour Rankings qualify for the European Championship.
The European Tour Rankings are based on prize money won in European Tour events, with 14 held across continental Europe over the season.
The qualification campaign ended after the German Darts Championship on October 19, where Nathan Aspinall celebrated his third European Tour title of the season and secured top spot in the standings.
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Nathan Aspinall hits two perfect nine-darters in one day at the PDC Players Championship 31 ahead of the European Championship
Chris Dobey, Dave Chisnall and Cross all earned their spots after last week’s final qualifying event in Germany, with Andrew Gilding, Joe Cullen and former world champion Michael Smith among those to miss out.
Who has impressed before?
Ritchie Edhouse has also failed to qualify for this year’s contest, 12 months from sensationally thrashing Jermaine Wattimena in the final to claim a maiden TV title as a 250/1 outsider.
Michael van Gerwen is a four-time champion but last lifted the trophy in 2017, his fourth consecutive victory at the event, while former world champion Rob Cross and Peter Wright are both two-time winners.
Michael van Gerwen was knocked out in the first round of the World Grand Prix by Dirk van Duijvenbode
What is the format?
The European Championship is played over legs rather than sets, with the number required to win increasing as the rounds go on.
The first round is held across two sessions on Thursday and Friday evening, with all matches played over the best of 11 legs, before the second round takes place on Saturday and sees matches increased to best of 19 legs.
The quarter-finals take place on Sunday afternoon and is also a race to 10 legs, before the semi-finals and final on Sunday evening are played over a best of 21.
What’s next?
The next TV major live on Sky Sports is the Grand Slam of Darts in Wolverhampton from November 8-16, before the World Darts Championship runs from December 11-January 3 at the Alexandra Palace. Stream darts, football, golf, cricket and more contract-free with NOW.