Luke Littler (Photo PDC Europe)
Luke Littler will open his defence of the Lecot Belgian Darts Open against either Raymond van Barneveld or Boris Krcmar, with the draw and schedule for this weekend’s European Tour event confirmed.
Littler has prevailed in each of the last two editions of the Belgian Darts Open, and the World Champion will be the star attraction in Wieze, as a 48-player field battle it out across three days of action from March 20-22 at the Oktoberhallen.
Friday’s opening round will feature 16 matches across two sessions, as Wessel Nijman begins his bid for back-to-back European Tour titles.
Nijman – fresh from his European Darts Trophy success in Goettingen last weekend – kicks off his campaign against Poland’s number two Sebastian Bialecki.
Elsewhere, five-time World Champion Van Barneveld will make his first European Tour appearance of 2026 against Croatia’s Krcmar.
2022/23 World Champion Michael Smith begins his title challenge against former Grand Slam semi-finalist Mickey Mansell, while Dirk van Duijvenbode goes up against Germany’s Lukas Wenig.
Dave Chisnall – a winner of eight European Tour titles and a former winner in Wieze – has been pitted against French trailblazer Thibault Tricole, while Poland’s premier player Krzysztof Ratajski meets Spanish star Cristo Reyes.
Scott Williams and Ricky Evans will collide in another eye-catching tie, with Daryl Gurney and Ian White set to lock horns in a battle of the former European Tour winners.
Joe Cullen will be another high-profile name in opening round action, and the former Masters champion will play a Host Nation representative for a place in round two – with the final four Belgian competitors being confirmed on Thursday.
Following the conclusion of Friday’s action, the top 16 players on the PDC Werner Rankings Ladder enter the fray in round two on Saturday, as Littler prepares to face either Van Barneveld or Krcmar.
World number two Luke Humphries will play Van Duijvenbode or Wenig on Saturday evening, while Van Gerwen could potentially meet Smith in a repeat of two previous World Championship finals.
Welsh number one Jonny Clayton faces a tough opening assignment against Nijman or Bialecki, as Cullen sets his sights on a showdown against Bunting, if he overcomes Belgian opposition on Friday.
Sixth seed James Wade will play Ratajski or Reyes, as Northern Ireland’s World Cup champion Josh Rock prepares to take on Springer or a Host Nation Qualifier.
Chisnall or Tricole will await former Masters champion Chris Dobey in round two, while Nathan Aspinall – a winner of three European Tour titles in 2025 – has been drawn against Ryan Joyce or Adam Gawlas.
Belgian number one Mike De Decker will also headline this weekend’s action on home soil, and the former World Grand Prix champion gets his campaign underway against European Darts Trophy semi-finalist Niels Zonneveld or Finland’s former World Cup semi-finalist Jani Haavisto.
