Defending champion Nathan Aspinall will face Mickey Mansell or Michal Smejda at the 2026 Elten Safety Shoes European Darts Open, with the draw and schedule for this weekend’s event in Leverkusen now confirmed.
The tenth European Tour event of 2026 will see 48 players battle for the £35,000 top prize at the Ostermann-Arena from July 10-12, with Dutch number one and two Gian van Veen and Michael van Gerwen also in action.
Friday’s opening round will see 16 players in action across the day, with Joe Cullen taking on Charlie Manby for the right to face five-time European Darts Open champion Van Gerwen.
Rising Dutch star Kevin Doets takes on Dominik Gruellich, while Irish number one William O’Connor locks horns with Sebastian Bialecki in an intriguing affair.
Hungarian Darts Open champion Niko Springer faces Lithuania’s premier player Darius Labanauskas, as fellow upcoming World Matchplay debutant Niels Zonneveld faces Daniel Klose.
Slovak Darts Open runner-up Rob Cross must navigate the tricky test of Max Hopp, while former World Cup winner Daryl Gurney faces Maik Kuivenhoven.
Players Championship 23 winner Cameron Menzies opens his title bid against Jan Schmidt, as Welsh duo Rhys Griffin and Rob Owen play Karel Sedlacek and Andrew Gilding respectively.
Kim Huybrechts looks to continue his resurgent 2026 against European Tour debutant Samuel Price, with Lukas Wenig taking on Bradley Brooks.
Dirk van Duijvenbode and Mario Vandenbogaerde face Host Nation Qualifiers Jaimy Van de Weerd and Dragutin Horvat respectively, as Friday’s action kicks off with Ryan Joyce up against Nordic & Baltic qualifier Mio Varila.
The top 16 players on the PDC Werner Rankings Ladder will enter the tournament in round two on Saturday, as Van Veen hunts down a maiden European Tour title.
The European Champion - the top seed in Leverkusen - will take on Springer or Labanauskas, as last year’s runner-up Damon Heta faces Gilding or Owen.
Aspinall's title defence kicks off against Mansell or Smedja, while Van Gerwen searches for a sixth title in Leverkusen against Cullen or Manby.
Two-time European Tour winner Wessel Njiman will face Wenig or Brooks, as number three seed Jonny Clayton meets Sedlacek or fellow Welshman Griffin.
Tuesday’s ProTour runner-up Luke Woodhouse faces a potential showdown with Vandenbogaerde, while German number one Martin Schindler eyes a possible contest against the in-form Doets.
Zonneveld or Klose await International Darts Open winner Ross Smith, with former World Grand Prix winner Mike De Decker taking on Menzies or Schmidt.
James Wade eyes a possible showdown with Gurney, whereas Stephen Bunting opens his title bid against Joyce or Varila.
Danny Noppert will face a stern test in the form of either O’Connor or Bialecki, while fellow Dutchman Jermaine Wattimena will play Huybrechts or Price in Leverkusen.
Former Masters winner Chris Dobey will look towards a possible meeting with Van Duijvenbode, as Polish number one Krzysztof Ratajski plays Cross or Hopp.
Following the conclusion of round two, the last 16 return to the stage on Sunday afternoon, before the tournament concludes with the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final in a dramatic evening session.
Live coverage of the European Darts Open will be streamed on DAZN for viewers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, with additional coverage available on CANAL+ SPORT 5 and via the CANAL+ streaming service in Poland.
Coverage will also be broadcast on PDCTV (excluding Germany, Austria and Switzerland) and through bookmakers' worldwide.
NB: From the original list of entries, Gary Anderson, Ryan Searle and Gerwyn Price have withdrawn from the event, and have been replaced by Robert Owen, Max Hopp & Dominik Gruellich from the Reserve List. First Reserve Michael Smith rejected the opportunity to play.
2026 Elten Safety Shoes European Darts Open
Tournament Draw Bracket - Second Round Onwards
Players seeded based on PDC Ranking position
(6) Stephen Bunting v Ryan Joyce/Mio Varila
(11) Jermaine Wattimena v Kim Huybrechts/Samuel Price
(3) Jonny Clayton v Karel Sedlacek/Rhys Griffin
(14) Luke Woodhouse v Mario Vandenbogaerde/Dragutin Horvat
(7) Chris Dobey v Dirk van Duijvenbode/Jaimy Van de Weerd
(10) Wessel Nijman v Lukas Wenig/Bradley Brooks
(2) Michael van Gerwen v Joe Cullen/Charlie Manby
(15) Damon Heta v Andrew Gilding/Rob Owen
(5) Danny Noppert v William O'Connor/Sebastian Bialecki
(12) Martin Schindler v Kevin Doets/Dominik Gruellich
(4) James Wade v Daryl Gurney/Maik Kuivenhoven
(13) Mike De Decker v Cameron Menzies/Jan Schmidt
(8) Nathan Aspinall v Mickey Mansell/Michal Smejda
(9) Ross Smith v Niels Zonneveld/Daniel Klose
(1) Gian van Veen v Niko Springer/Darius Labanauskas
(16) Krzysztof Ratajski v Rob Cross/Max Hopp
Schedule of Play (SCHEDULE OF PLAY SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Friday July 10
Round One
Afternoon Session (1300 local time, 1200 BST)
Ryan Joyce v Mio Varila
Karel Sedlacek v Rhys Griffin
Mario Vandenbogaerde v Dragutin Horvat
Andrew Gilding v Rob Owen
Cameron Menzies v Jan Schmidt
Mickey Mansell v Michal Smejda
Lukas Wenig v Bradley Brooks
Dirk van Duijvenbode v Jaimy Van de Weerd
Evening Session (1900 local time, 1800 BST)
Kim Huybrechts v Samuel Price
Daryl Gurney v Maik Kuivenhoven
William O'Connor v Sebastian Bialecki
Rob Cross v Max Hopp
Joe Cullen v Charlie Manby
Kevin Doets v Dominik Gruellich
Niko Springer v Darius Labanauskas
Niels Zonneveld v Daniel Klose
Saturday July 11
Round Two
Afternoon Session (1300 local time, 1200 BST)
Damon Heta v Gilding/Owen
Mike De Decker v Menzies/Schmidt
Luke Woodhouse v Vandenbogaerde/Horvat
Danny Noppert v O'Connor/Bialecki
Jermaine Wattimena v Huybrechts/Price
Chris Dobey v Van Duijvenbode/Van de Weerd
Wessel Nijman v Wenig/Brooks
Krzysztof Ratajski v Cross/Hopp
Evening Session (1900 local time, 1800 BST)
Stephen Bunting v Joyce/Varila
James Wade v Gurney/Kuivenhoven
Jonny Clayton v Sedlacek/Griffin
Michael van Gerwen v Cullen/Manby
Gian van Veen v Springer/Labanauskas
Martin Schindler v Doets/Gruellich
Nathan Aspinall v Mansell/Smejda
Ross Smith v Zonneveld/Klose
Sunday July 12
Afternoon Session (1300 local time, 1200 BST)
Round Three
Evening Session (1900 local time, 1800 BST)
Quarter-Finals
Semi-Finals
Final