2026 European Darts Grand Prix

First round

The first round (best of 11 legs) was played on 17 April.^[13] Cameron Menzies registered a three-dart average of 104.50 to defeat five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld 6–3. "I felt tremendous there. I wish I could play like that all the time," commented Menzies, who hailed Van Barneveld as a hero of his growing up.^[14] Two other former world champions were eliminated in the first round: Peter Wright, the winner of the 2017 European Darts Grand Prix, lost 6–3 to Jeffrey de Zwaan, while 2023 champion Rob Cross was beaten 6–2 by Mickey Mansell. Host nation qualifier Michael Unterbuchner earned his second European Tour victory by defeating William O'Connor in a deciding leg; the other three host nation qualifiers—Michael Hurtz, Paul Krohne and Robin Masino—lost to Krzysztof Ratajski, Andrew Gilding, and Niko Springer, respectively.^[13][15]

Latvian qualifier Valters Melderis became the 600th player to compete on the European Tour as he beat Karel Sedláček 6–5; his compatriot Madars Razma lost 6–4 to Damon Heta. Wessel Nijman, who won Players Championship 10 earlier in the week, defeated 2023 champion Ian White 6–2. Oskar Lukasiak missed nine match darts before eventually sealing a 6–5 win over Daryl Gurney. Keane Barry landed checkouts of 124 and 130 on his way to defeating Niels Zonneveld 6–3.^[14][15]

Second round

The second round (best of 11 legs) was played on 18 April.^[16] Two-time defending champion Gary Anderson was eliminated in a 6–3 defeat to Niko Springer. Progressing to a third-round meeting with Danny Noppert after the Dutchman beat Oskar Lukasiak 6–5, Springer recounted the pair's final at the 2025 Hungarian Darts Trophy, calling Noppert a "fantastic player" who he would have to "play the same level" against the following day.^[16] Martin Schindler joined compatriot Springer in the third round by winning a deciding leg against Damon Heta.^[17] Top seed Gian van Veen was beaten 6–3 by Joe Cullen, who reached the last 16 of a European Tour event for the first time in a year.^[18] The 2016 and 2018 champion Michael van Gerwen was the only former winner of the tournament to advance to the third round, defeating Michael Unterbuchner 6–2.^[17] Following the match, Van Gerwen was critical of his opponent, stating: "He's never beaten me in his life and he will never beat me in his life. He's not good enough. Even my B-game and C-game beats him but who cares?" He added: "The day I'm going to worry myself about Unterbuchner, that's the day I'm going to quit playing darts."^[18]

Two other seeded players were eliminated in the second round alongside Van Veen and Anderson: Wessel Nijman beat tenth seed Ryan Searle 6–2 with an average of 104.12, and Krzysztof Ratajski defeated sixteenth seed Mike De Decker 6–4. Nathan Aspinall, who won the 2026 German Darts Grand Prix, began his campaign by beating Jeffrey de Zwaan 6–1, a win that included a 170 checkout. Andrew Gilding, the runner-up the previous year, lost 6–2 to Chris Dobey. Jonny Clayton averaged 106.78 on his way to defeating Valters Melderis 6–1, while James Wade averaged 104.15 to claim a 6–3 win over Kim Huybrechts, marking the end of a five-match losing streak for Wade on the European Tour. Premier League players Gerwyn Price, Josh Rock, and Stephen Bunting defeated Dave Chisnall, Keane Barry, and Mickey Mansell, respectively. Ross Smith defeated Cameron Menzies 6–3, while Jermaine Wattimena beat Kevin Doets by the same scoreline.^[16][17][18]

Final day

The third round, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final were played on 19 April. The third round and quarter-finals were contested over the best of 11 legs, the semi-finals over the best of 13 legs, and the final over the best of 15 legs.^[19] The final day saw Ross Smith and Gerwyn Price reach the final. Smith began the day by defeating Josh Rock in a deciding leg, and advanced to the title decider following a 6–4 win against Nathan Aspinall and a 7–5 victory over Krzysztof Ratajski. Meanwhile, Price defeated Chris Dobey 6–4 before winning a deciding leg against Martin Schindler, who missed a match dart at double 5 to eliminate the Welshman.^[20][21] In the semi-finals, Price defeated Wessel Nijman 7–4 in a rematch of the European Darts Trophy final.^[19] Despite the loss, Nijman's run to the semi-finals resulted in him entering the top 16 of the PDC World Rankings for the first time.^[22] Smith looked to win his first European Tour title in his fourth final, while Price, competing in his second European Tour final in two appearances in 2026, aimed to win his tenth title.^[20]

Price started the final by taking a 3–0 lead, but a run of four consecutive legs from Smith that included two breaks of throw saw the Englishman go in front. Price responded with a 130 checkout to equalise at 4–4.^[23] Momentum shifted in Price's favour when Smith missed five darts at double to go 6–5 ahead, allowing Price to reclaim the lead with a break.^[19] Price kept control of the match from there and hit double 12 to complete an 8–6 victory, finishing the match with a three-dart average of 95.70.^[20][24]

Price won his tenth European Tour title, making him the second player to reach that mark after Michael van Gerwen, who was on 38 titles at the time of Price's victory.^[25] "We [Price and Smith] have both had great tournaments and I was just struggling to get over the winning line," admitted Price after the match.^[20] On his title milestone, he joked: "I've been in the PDC for 12 years now, so less than one a year on average isn't very good."^[19] Speaking in defeat, Smith said: "It's fine margins. You're playing the best players in the world—if you don't hit your doubles, you're going to get punished." He concluded: "It is what it is. I'll crack on with the next one."^[19]