​The 2026 European Darts Open qualifiers, originally published on The Sporting News, spotlight the Euro Tour event heading to Leverkusen, Germany, this coming weekend. Hosted as the tenth Euro Tour tournament of 2026, the event takes place in Leverkusen and showcases 48 players who will vie for a place on the stage. Note that the qualifying list is subject to change if players withdraw, so the field could shift ahead of the event.
Sixteen players enter as seeded competitors, receiving byes into the second round, which begins on Saturday. Among the seeds are Gian van Veen (Netherlands), Michael van Gerwen (Netherlands), Jonny Clayton (Wales), James Wade (England), Gerwyn Price (Wales), Danny Noppert (Netherlands), Stephen Bunting (England), Gary Anderson (Scotland), Chris Dobey (England), Ryan Searle (England), Nathan Aspinall (England), Ross Smith (England), Wessel Nijman (Netherlands), Jermaine Wattimena (Netherlands), Martin Schindler (Germany), and Mike De Decker (Belgium).
The next 16 qualifiers are the highest-ranked players on the Pro Tour Order of Merit who are not already part of the seeded group. This lineup includes Kevin Doets (Netherlands), Luke Woodhouse (England), Niko Springer (Germany), Damon Heta (Australia), Dirk van Duijvenbode (Netherlands), Krzysztof Ratajski (Poland), Niels Zonneveld (Netherlands), Daryl Gurney (Northern Ireland), William O’Connor (Ireland), Andrew Gilding (England), Joe Cullen (England), Cameron Menzies (Scotland), Ryan Joyce (England), Karel Sedláček (Czech Republic), Rob Cross (England), and Kim Huybrechts (Belgium).
An additional 10 players earned their spots through a tour card qualifier event earlier in the year. This group features Mario Vandenbogaerde (Belgium), Sebastian Białecki (Poland), Bradley Brooks (England), Rhys Griffin (Wales), Darius Labanauskas (Lithuania), Samuel Price (England), Lukas Wenig (Germany), Maik Kuivenhoven (Netherlands), Charlie Manby (England), and Mickey Mansell (Ireland).
Four spots were allocated through host nation qualification, with German qualifiers filling those slots: Jaimy Van de Weerd, Dragutin Horvat, Daniel Klose, and Jan Schmidt. Additionally, Mio Varila from Finland, Michal Šmejda from the Czech Republic, and other players were noted among those receiving host nation opportunities.
As qualifiers and seeds update ahead of the event, fans can anticipate a competitive field once the action begins. For context, this event follows notable moments in the sport, including Luke Littler’s remarkable 170 checkout and discussions around streaming and coverage. The European Darts Open in Leverkusen represents a critical chance for players to accumulate ranking points and make a statement on the Euro Tour circuit.
Access to this information is aligned with The Sporting News as a preferred source. Stay tuned for result updates, match-by-match analysis, and insights into how this Leverkusen tournament shapes the remainder of the 2026 season.