Michael van Gerwen will look to end his barren run with victory at the Elten Safety Shoes Dutch Darts Championship, with the draw and schedule now confirmed.
The three-time world champion endured a disappointing first-round exit at the World Grand Prix against Ryan Joyce, before suffering another early setback with a second-round defeat to Mensur Suljovic at last weekend's Swiss Darts Trophy. Van Gerwen's last big tournament success came at the Nordic Darts Masters in June, where he defeated Luke Humphries in the final. His last major TV title before that came on home soil at the 2025 World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam.
The final European Tour event of 2026 takes place at MECC Maastricht from October 16-18, and the race for European Championship qualification reaches its climax on Dutch soil. 'The Green Machine' is determined to end his title drought in front of his home crowd. Van Gerwen will open his campaign against William O'Connor or Richard Veenstra on Saturday.
The stakes are also high in the race to qualify for the £750,000 European Championship in Dortmund later this month. The top 32 players in the European Tour rankings following this weekend's tournament will secure their place. Friday's opening round features 16 matches, including an all-Dutch clash between Niels Zonneveld and Belgian No 1 Mike De Decker. Michael Smith, a 2023 world champion, faces Stephen Burton in a crucial contest as he aims to secure his spot in Dortmund.
Source: Sky Sports Champions League · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing