2026 IDF European Championship: Difference between revisions

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(Created page with "{{Infobox individual darts tournament | tournament_name = 2026 IDF European Championship | dates = 22–25 October 2026 | venue = Westfalenhallen | location = Dortmund, Germany | organisation = IDF | format = Legs | prize_fund = £600,000 | winners_share = £120,000 | previous = 2025 | next = 2027 }} The '''2026 IDF European Championship''' is an upcoming pro...")
 
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| prize_fund = £600,000
| prize_fund = £600,000
| winners_share = £120,000
| winners_share = £120,000
| defending_champion = [[Alex Brow]]
| previous = [[2025 IDF European Championship|2025]]
| previous = [[2025 IDF European Championship|2025]]
| next = [[2027 IDF European Championship|2027]]
| next = [[2027 IDF European Championship|2027]]
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The '''2026 IDF European Championship''' is an upcoming professional [[darts]] tournament organised by the [[International Darts Federation]] (IDF). It is scheduled to take place from 22 to 25 October 2026 at the [[Westfalenhallen]] in [[Dortmund]], Germany.
The '''2026 IDF European Championship''' is an upcoming professional [[darts]] tournament organised by the [[International Darts Federation]] (IDF). It is scheduled to take place from 22 to 25 October 2026 at the [[Westfalenhallen]] in [[Dortmund]], Germany.


The tournament will feature the top 32 players on the 2026 IDF European Tour Order of Merit following the completion of the final European Tour event of the season. Unlike the [[2026 IDF World Grand Prix]], matches will be contested in a straight legs format.
The tournament will feature 32 players and will conclude the 2026 IDF European Tour season. Qualification is based on the 2026 IDF European Tour Order of Merit, with the top 32 players following the final qualifying event earning places in the tournament.


The tournament will have a prize fund of £600,000, with £120,000 awarded to the champion.
[[Alex Brow]] is the defending champion, having won the [[2025 IDF European Championship]].


[[Elias Storm]], who won the [[2026 IDF World Grand Prix]], is expected to make his return to competition at the event after sustaining a wrist injury during the break following the World Grand Prix.
The IDF announced a revised format for the 2026 tournament, increasing the length of matches from the second round onwards and extending the final to a best-of-31-legs contest.


==Format==
==Format==
The tournament will feature 32 players in a single-elimination bracket.
The tournament will be played as a 32-player single-elimination event.


All matches will be played in a straight legs format, with players required to finish each leg on a double.
All matches will be contested in straight legs, with players required to finish each leg on a double.


The match lengths will increase throughout the tournament:
The match lengths will be:


* First round: best of 11 legs
* First round: best of 11 legs
* Second round: best of 19 legs
* Second round: best of 21 legs
* Quarter-finals: best of 19 legs
* Quarter-finals: best of 21 legs
* Semi-finals: best of 21 legs
* Semi-finals: best of 25 legs
* Final: best of 21 legs
* Final: best of 31 legs


There will be no set play.
The first round will therefore be first to six legs, the second round and quarter-finals first to 11, the semi-finals first to 13, and the final first to 16.
 
The 2026 edition will be the first European Championship to use the best-of-31-legs format for the final.


==Prize money==
==Prize money==
The total prize fund for the tournament will be £600,000.
The total prize fund for the tournament will be £600,000, with £120,000 awarded to the champion.


{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
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|}
|}


The prize money earned at the tournament will count towards the [[IDF Order of Merit]].
Prize money earned at the tournament will count towards the [[IDF Order of Merit]].


==Qualification==
==Qualification==
Qualification for the European Championship will be determined entirely by the 2026 IDF European Tour Order of Merit.
Qualification is determined by the 2026 IDF European Tour Order of Merit.
 
The top 32 players on the European Tour Order of Merit following the final qualifying event will qualify for the tournament. Players will be seeded according to their final positions on the European Tour Order of Merit.
 
The first batch of qualifiers was confirmed before the conclusion of the European Tour season after a number of players had accumulated enough prize money to guarantee places in the top 32.
 
===Confirmed qualifiers===
The following players have mathematically secured qualification:
 
# Alex Brow
# Logan White
# Max Mad
# Parker Reeves
# Elias Storm
# Quinn Sanders
# Jack Mercer
# Wyatt Walker
# Duncan MacLeod
# Rhys Morgan
# Hunter Jackson
# Bram De Waal
# Niklas Hofer
# Benjamin Carter
# Ethan Mitchell
# Oliver Bartlett
 
The remaining 16 places will be confirmed following the conclusion of the final qualifying events.
 
===Qualification race===
Players outside the confirmed top 16 remain in contention for the remaining places through the European Tour Order of Merit.
 
Among those still in contention are:
 
* Harry Lewis
* Callum Pike
* Blake Carter
* Noah Parker
* Sean Donovan
* Nathan Owens
* Jeroen van Dijk
* Lukas Weber
* Matteo Vermeulen
* Connor Hayes
* Mason Kelly
* Cole Hamilton
* Jamie Fletcher
* Daniel McKenna


The top 32 players on the European Tour Order of Merit following the final event of the European Tour season will qualify for the tournament.
==Draw==
The 32-player bracket will be determined by the final European Tour Order of Merit standings.


Players will be seeded from 1 to 32 according to their final positions on the European Tour Order of Merit. The first-round draw will be predetermined according to those rankings, with the highest-ranked qualifiers facing the lowest-ranked qualifiers.
Players will be seeded from 1 to 32 and placed into a fixed bracket according to their ranking positions.


The first-round pairings will be:
The first-round structure will be:


* 1st v 32nd
* 1st v 32nd
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* 11th v 22nd
* 11th v 22nd


===Qualifiers===
The complete bracket will be confirmed once all 32 qualifiers and their final seeding positions are known.
The 32 qualifiers will be confirmed following the conclusion of the final event on the 2026 IDF European Tour.
 
{| class="wikitable"
! Position
! Player
! European Tour earnings
|-
| 1
| ''TBC''
|
|-
| 2
| ''TBC''
|
|-
| 3
| ''TBC''
|
|-
| 4
| ''TBC''
|
|-
| 5
| ''TBC''
|
|-
| 6
| ''TBC''
|
|-
| 7
| ''TBC''
|
|-
| 8
| ''TBC''
|
|-
| 9
| ''TBC''
|
|-
| 10
| ''TBC''
|
|-
| 11
| ''TBC''
|
|-
| 12
| ''TBC''
|
|-
| 13
| ''TBC''
|
|-
| 14
| ''TBC''
|
|-
| 15
| ''TBC''
|
|-
| 16
| ''TBC''
|
|-
| 17
| ''TBC''
|
|-
| 18
| ''TBC''
|
|-
| 19
| ''TBC''
|
|-
| 20
| ''TBC''
|
|-
| 21
| ''TBC''
|
|-
| 22
| ''TBC''
|
|-
| 23
| ''TBC''
|
|-
| 24
| ''TBC''
|
|-
| 25
| ''TBC''
|
|-
| 26
| ''TBC''
|
|-
| 27
| ''TBC''
|
|-
| 28
| ''TBC''
|
|-
| 29
| ''TBC''
|
|-
| 30
| ''TBC''
|
|-
| 31
| ''TBC''
|
|-
| 32
| ''TBC''
|}
 
==Draw==
The draw will be confirmed following the completion of the 2026 IDF European Tour and the finalisation of the European Tour Order of Merit.
 
The tournament bracket will be fixed according to the final rankings rather than being determined through an open draw.


==Schedule==
==Schedule==
The tournament will be played across six sessions over four days.
The tournament will be played across eight sessions over four days.


{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
Line 294: Line 205:


==Background==
==Background==
The European Championship is one of the principal ranking tournaments on the IDF calendar and is the concluding championship of the annual IDF European Tour.
The European Championship is the season-ending championship for the IDF European Tour.
 
Unlike most IDF ranking tournaments, qualification is based exclusively on the European Tour Order of Merit rather than the main IDF Order of Merit.


Qualification differs from most other IDF ranking events, with places awarded exclusively through performances on the European Tour rather than through the main IDF Order of Merit.
Brow enters the event as defending champion after winning the 2025 tournament.


The tournament will be Storm's first competitive appearance since his victory at the World Grand Prix. Storm sustained a wrist injury during the subsequent break and did not compete during his recovery.
[[Elias Storm]] is also expected to return to competitive play at the European Championship after sustaining a wrist injury during the break following his victory at the [[2026 IDF World Grand Prix]]. The tournament will mark his first competitive appearance since the injury.


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 11:48, 17 August 2026

2026 IDF European Championship
Tournament information
Dates22–25 October 2026
VenueWestfalenhallen
LocationDortmund, Germany
Organisation(s)IDF
FormatLegs
Prize fund£600,000
Winner's share£120,000
2027»

The 2026 IDF European Championship is an upcoming professional darts tournament organised by the International Darts Federation (IDF). It is scheduled to take place from 22 to 25 October 2026 at the Westfalenhallen in Dortmund, Germany.

The tournament will feature 32 players and will conclude the 2026 IDF European Tour season. Qualification is based on the 2026 IDF European Tour Order of Merit, with the top 32 players following the final qualifying event earning places in the tournament.

Alex Brow is the defending champion, having won the 2025 IDF European Championship.

The IDF announced a revised format for the 2026 tournament, increasing the length of matches from the second round onwards and extending the final to a best-of-31-legs contest.

Format

The tournament will be played as a 32-player single-elimination event.

All matches will be contested in straight legs, with players required to finish each leg on a double.

The match lengths will be:

  • First round: best of 11 legs
  • Second round: best of 21 legs
  • Quarter-finals: best of 21 legs
  • Semi-finals: best of 25 legs
  • Final: best of 31 legs

The first round will therefore be first to six legs, the second round and quarter-finals first to 11, the semi-finals first to 13, and the final first to 16.

The 2026 edition will be the first European Championship to use the best-of-31-legs format for the final.

Prize money

The total prize fund for the tournament will be £600,000, with £120,000 awarded to the champion.

Stage Prize money Players Total
Winner £120,000 1 £120,000
Runner-up £60,000 1 £60,000
Semi-finalists £40,000 2 £80,000
Quarter-finalists £25,000 4 £100,000
Second round £12,500 8 £100,000
First round £8,750 16 £140,000
Total £600,000

Prize money earned at the tournament will count towards the IDF Order of Merit.

Qualification

Qualification is determined by the 2026 IDF European Tour Order of Merit.

The top 32 players on the European Tour Order of Merit following the final qualifying event will qualify for the tournament. Players will be seeded according to their final positions on the European Tour Order of Merit.

The first batch of qualifiers was confirmed before the conclusion of the European Tour season after a number of players had accumulated enough prize money to guarantee places in the top 32.

Confirmed qualifiers

The following players have mathematically secured qualification:

  1. Alex Brow
  2. Logan White
  3. Max Mad
  4. Parker Reeves
  5. Elias Storm
  6. Quinn Sanders
  7. Jack Mercer
  8. Wyatt Walker
  9. Duncan MacLeod
  10. Rhys Morgan
  11. Hunter Jackson
  12. Bram De Waal
  13. Niklas Hofer
  14. Benjamin Carter
  15. Ethan Mitchell
  16. Oliver Bartlett

The remaining 16 places will be confirmed following the conclusion of the final qualifying events.

Qualification race

Players outside the confirmed top 16 remain in contention for the remaining places through the European Tour Order of Merit.

Among those still in contention are:

  • Harry Lewis
  • Callum Pike
  • Blake Carter
  • Noah Parker
  • Sean Donovan
  • Nathan Owens
  • Jeroen van Dijk
  • Lukas Weber
  • Matteo Vermeulen
  • Connor Hayes
  • Mason Kelly
  • Cole Hamilton
  • Jamie Fletcher
  • Daniel McKenna

Draw

The 32-player bracket will be determined by the final European Tour Order of Merit standings.

Players will be seeded from 1 to 32 and placed into a fixed bracket according to their ranking positions.

The first-round structure will be:

  • 1st v 32nd
  • 16th v 17th
  • 8th v 25th
  • 9th v 24th
  • 4th v 29th
  • 13th v 20th
  • 5th v 28th
  • 12th v 21st
  • 2nd v 31st
  • 15th v 18th
  • 7th v 26th
  • 10th v 23rd
  • 3rd v 30th
  • 14th v 19th
  • 6th v 27th
  • 11th v 22nd

The complete bracket will be confirmed once all 32 qualifiers and their final seeding positions are known.

Schedule

The tournament will be played across eight sessions over four days.

Date Session Round Matches
22 October Afternoon First round 4
Evening First round 4
23 October Afternoon First round 4
Evening First round 4
24 October Afternoon Second round 4
Evening Second round 4
25 October Afternoon Quarter-finals 4
Evening Semi-finals and final 3

Background

The European Championship is the season-ending championship for the IDF European Tour.

Unlike most IDF ranking tournaments, qualification is based exclusively on the European Tour Order of Merit rather than the main IDF Order of Merit.

Brow enters the event as defending champion after winning the 2025 tournament.

Elias Storm is also expected to return to competitive play at the European Championship after sustaining a wrist injury during the break following his victory at the 2026 IDF World Grand Prix. The tournament will mark his first competitive appearance since the injury.

References

Template:IDF European Championship Template:2026 in darts