2026 IDF European Championship
| 2026 IDF European Championship | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Tournament information | |||
| Dates | 22–25 October 2026 | ||
| Venue | Westfalenhallen | ||
| Location | Dortmund, Germany | ||
| Organisation(s) | IDF | ||
| Format | Legs | ||
| Prize fund | £600,000 | ||
| Winner's share | £120,000 | ||
| |||
The 2026 IDF European Championship is a professional darts tournament organised by the International Darts Federation (IDF), taking place from 22 to 25 October 2026 at the Westfalenhallen in Dortmund, Germany.
The tournament features the top 32 players from the final 2026 IDF European Tour Order of Merit. Alex Brow is the defending champion, having won the 2025 IDF European Championship.
The IDF introduced an expanded match format for the 2026 edition, with the second round and quarter-finals increasing to best of 21 legs, the semi-finals to best of 25 legs and the final to best of 31 legs.
Elias Storm returned to competition at the tournament following a broken wrist, but was eliminated in the second round by Nathan Owens, who defeated him 11–9.
Format
The tournament is being played as a 32-player single-elimination event.
All matches are contested in a straight legs format, with players required to finish each leg on a double.
The match lengths are:
- 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 is therefore 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 tournament is the first edition of the IDF European Championship to feature a best-of-31-legs final.
Prize money
The total prize fund for the tournament is £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 counts towards the IDF Order of Merit.
Qualification
Qualification was determined by the final 2026 IDF European Tour Order of Merit following the conclusion of the European Tour season.
The top 32 players qualified for the tournament and were seeded according to their final positions on the European Tour Order of Merit.
Brow finished first on the European Tour Order of Merit and entered the tournament as the top seed. Logan White qualified second, with Max Mad third and Parker Reeves fourth.
Storm qualified fifth despite missing the closing European Tour events after breaking his wrist.
Qualifiers
- Alex Brow
- Logan White
- Max Mad
- Parker Reeves
- Elias Storm – second round
- Quinn Sanders
- Jack Mercer – second round
- Wyatt Walker – second round
- Duncan MacLeod
- Hunter Jackson
- Rhys Morgan – second round
- Bram De Waal – first round
- Niklas Hofer – first round
- Benjamin Carter – second round
- Ethan Mitchell – first round
- Oliver Bartlett – first round
- Harry Lewis – second round
- Callum Pike – second round
- Blake Carter – first round
- Jeroen van Dijk – second round
- Nathan Owens
- Noah Parker – first round
- Sean Donovan – first round
- Lukas Weber – first round
- Matteo Vermeulen – first round
- Connor Hayes – first round
- Mason Kelly – first round
- Cole Hamilton – first round
- Jamie Fletcher – first round
- Daniel McKenna – first round
- Ryan Thomas – first round
- Lewis Moorcroft – first round
Tournament summary
First round
The tournament began on 22 October with four matches during the afternoon session.
Eighth seed Wyatt Walker opened the tournament with a 6–2 victory over Matteo Vermeulen, averaging 103.74 compared with Vermeulen's 96.82.
Jeroen van Dijk produced the first upset of the tournament by defeating 13th seed Niklas Hofer 6–5. Hofer led 4–2 before Van Dijk recovered to win four of the final five legs. Van Dijk averaged 101.46, while Hofer averaged 100.83.
Sixth seed Quinn Sanders defeated Mason Kelly 6–3 with a 104.18 average, while Harry Lewis recovered from 3–1 down to defeat 16th seed Oliver Bartlett 6–4.
Fourth seed Parker Reeves began the evening session with a 6–3 victory over Jamie Fletcher. Tenth seed Hunter Jackson defeated Sean Donovan 6–4.
Defending champion Brow opened his title defence with a 6–2 victory over Lewis Moorcroft, averaging 106.92.
The opening day concluded with Storm's return from injury. Storm defeated Cole Hamilton 6–5 after recovering from 4–2 behind. Storm averaged 97.46, while Hamilton averaged 96.88.
The third session was played on the afternoon of 23 October.
Nathan Owens eliminated 12th seed Bram De Waal 6–4. Callum Pike defeated 15th seed Ethan Mitchell 6–3 with a 104.07 average.
Eleventh seed Rhys Morgan survived a deciding leg to defeat Noah Parker 6–5, while ninth seed Duncan MacLeod defeated Lukas Weber 6–2 with a 105.38 average.
The first round concluded during the evening session.
Fourteenth seed Benjamin Carter recovered from 5–4 down to defeat Blake Carter 6–5. Seventh seed Jack Mercer defeated Connor Hayes 6–4.
Third seed Max Mad defeated Daniel McKenna 6–2, averaging 106.31.
Second seed White completed the first round with a 6–3 victory over Ryan Thomas. White averaged 107.18, the highest average of the first round.
Second round
The second round began during the afternoon session on 24 October.
Defending champion Brow continued his title defence with an 11–6 victory over Lewis. The match was level at 4–4 before Brow won five of the next six legs to establish a 9–5 advantage. Lewis held throw in the 15th leg, but Brow won the following two legs to complete the victory.
Brow averaged 108.37 and hit eight 180s, while Lewis averaged 102.48.
Ninth seed MacLeod defeated eighth seed Walker 11–9. Neither player led by more than two legs throughout the match, with the score tied at 4–4, 6–6 and 8–8. MacLeod broke throw in the 17th leg to move 9–8 ahead before eventually completing the victory on double 12.
MacLeod averaged 105.72 compared with Walker's 104.86.
Fourth seed Reeves defeated Van Dijk 11–7. Van Dijk opened a 3–1 lead, but Reeves responded by winning six of the following seven legs to move 7–4 ahead. Van Dijk reduced the deficit to 8–7 before Reeves won the final three legs.
Reeves averaged 107.11, while Van Dijk averaged 103.64.
The afternoon session concluded with Owens defeating Storm 11–9.
Storm made the stronger start and led 4–2, but Owens levelled the match at 5–5 before moving 8–6 ahead. Storm recovered to level at 8–8, before Owens broke throw in the 17th leg and moved within one leg of victory at 10–8.
Storm held throw to reduce the deficit to 10–9, but Owens completed the victory in the 20th leg with a 14-dart hold.
Owens averaged 103.27, while Storm averaged 101.84.
The second round concluded during the evening session.
Second seed White defeated Pike 11–7. Pike matched White throughout the opening stages and the players were level at 5–5 after ten legs. White then won four consecutive legs, including back-to-back 12-dart legs, to establish a 9–5 advantage. Pike won two of the next three, but White completed the match in the 18th leg.
White averaged 108.94, the highest average of the second round, while Pike averaged 103.21.
Jackson defeated seventh seed Mercer 11–10 in the closest match of the round. Mercer led 4–1 and later 8–5, but Jackson won five of the next six legs to move 10–9 ahead. Mercer forced a deciding leg with a 13-dart hold, before Jackson took out 86 in 14 darts to complete the victory.
Mercer averaged 106.41 compared with Jackson's 105.88, becoming the first player in the tournament to lose a match despite averaging above 106.
Mad defeated Carter 11–8. Carter led 3–1 before Mad responded with five consecutive legs to move 6–3 ahead. Carter reduced the deficit to 7–6, but Mad won four of the final six legs to reach the quarter-finals.
Mad averaged 107.02 compared with Carter's 102.76.
The session concluded with Sanders defeating Morgan 11–9. The match remained level through 4–4, 6–6 and 8–8 before Sanders broke throw in the 17th leg. Morgan immediately broke back, but Sanders took the 19th leg against throw and then held in 13 darts to complete the victory.
Sanders averaged 104.65, while Morgan averaged 103.98.
The quarter-final line-up consisted of Brow against MacLeod, Reeves against Owens, White against Jackson, and Mad against Sanders.
Draw
The draw was confirmed following the completion of the European Tour Order of Merit.
Unlike an open draw, the bracket was determined directly by ranking position, with first playing 32nd, second playing 31st and the remaining players placed into a fixed seeded bracket.
| 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 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Alex Brow 106.92 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 32 | Lewis Moorcroft 98.53 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Alex Brow 108.37 | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 17 | Harry Lewis 102.48 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 16 | Oliver Bartlett 100.14 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 17 | Harry Lewis 102.29 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Alex Brow | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 9 | Duncan MacLeod | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Wyatt Walker 103.74 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 25 | Matteo Vermeulen 96.82 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Wyatt Walker 104.86 | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 9 | Duncan MacLeod 105.72 | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 9 | Duncan MacLeod 105.38 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 24 | Lukas Weber 98.44 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Parker Reeves 104.36 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 29 | Jamie Fletcher 98.91 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Parker Reeves 107.11 | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 20 | Jeroen van Dijk 103.64 | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 13 | Niklas Hofer 100.83 | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 20 | Jeroen van Dijk 101.46 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Parker Reeves | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 21 | Nathan Owens | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Elias Storm 97.46 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 28 | Cole Hamilton 96.88 | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Elias Storm 101.84 | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 21 | Nathan Owens 103.27 | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 12 | Bram De Waal 100.91 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 21 | Nathan Owens 102.63 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Logan White 107.18 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 31 | Ryan Thomas 100.12 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Logan White 108.94 | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 18 | Callum Pike 103.21 | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 15 | Ethan Mitchell 99.85 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 18 | Callum Pike 104.07 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Logan White | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10 | Hunter Jackson | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Jack Mercer 104.62 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 26 | Connor Hayes 101.37 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Jack Mercer 106.41 | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10 | Hunter Jackson 105.88 | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10 | Hunter Jackson 102.71 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 23 | Sean Donovan 100.48 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Max Mad 106.31 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 30 | Daniel McKenna 97.84 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Max Mad 107.02 | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 14 | Benjamin Carter 102.76 | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 14 | Benjamin Carter 101.82 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 19 | Blake Carter 102.06 | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Max Mad | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Quinn Sanders | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Quinn Sanders 104.18 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 27 | Mason Kelly 99.37 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Quinn Sanders 104.65 | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 11 | Rhys Morgan 103.98 | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 11 | Rhys Morgan 101.74 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 22 | Noah Parker 100.96 | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Schedule
22 October
Afternoon session
First round:
- Wyatt Walker (8) 6–2 Matteo Vermeulen (25)
- Jeroen van Dijk (20) 6–5 Niklas Hofer (13)
- Quinn Sanders (6) 6–3 Mason Kelly (27)
- Harry Lewis (17) 6–4 Oliver Bartlett (16)
Evening session
First round:
- Parker Reeves (4) 6–3 Jamie Fletcher (29)
- Hunter Jackson (10) 6–4 Sean Donovan (23)
- Alex Brow (1) 6–2 Lewis Moorcroft (32)
- Elias Storm (5) 6–5 Cole Hamilton (28)
23 October
Afternoon session
First round:
- Nathan Owens (21) 6–4 Bram De Waal (12)
- Callum Pike (18) 6–3 Ethan Mitchell (15)
- Rhys Morgan (11) 6–5 Noah Parker (22)
- Duncan MacLeod (9) 6–2 Lukas Weber (24)
Evening session
First round:
- Benjamin Carter (14) 6–5 Blake Carter (19)
- Jack Mercer (7) 6–4 Connor Hayes (26)
- Max Mad (3) 6–2 Daniel McKenna (30)
- Logan White (2) 6–3 Ryan Thomas (31)
24 October
Afternoon session
Second round:
- Alex Brow (1) 11–6 Harry Lewis (17)
- Duncan MacLeod (9) 11–9 Wyatt Walker (8)
- Parker Reeves (4) 11–7 Jeroen van Dijk (20)
- Nathan Owens (21) 11–9 Elias Storm (5)
Evening session
Second round:
- Logan White (2) 11–7 Callum Pike (18)
- Hunter Jackson (10) 11–10 Jack Mercer (7)
- Max Mad (3) 11–8 Benjamin Carter (14)
- Quinn Sanders (6) 11–9 Rhys Morgan (11)
25 October
Afternoon session
Quarter-finals:
- Alex Brow (1) v Duncan MacLeod (9)
- Parker Reeves (4) v Nathan Owens (21)
- Logan White (2) v Hunter Jackson (10)
- Max Mad (3) v Quinn Sanders (6)
Evening session
- Semi-final 1
- Semi-final 2
- Final
Background
Brow entered the tournament as defending champion after winning the 2025 edition.
The 2026 European Championship marked Storm's first competitive appearance since winning the 2026 IDF World Grand Prix. Storm broke his wrist during the subsequent break and missed the events held during his recovery.
Storm was cleared to return shortly before the European Championship. He averaged 97.46 in his 6–5 first-round victory over Hamilton before improving to 101.84 against Owens in the second round.
Owens defeated Storm 11–9, ending Storm's first tournament back from injury in the last 16.