World number one Luke Humphries and World Champion Luke Littler will headline this year’s showpiece European Championship in Dortmund, starting later today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The tournament’s latest staging will also feature five former champions – including Dutch superstar Michael van Gerwen – with Nathan Aspinall returning to Germany as the number one seed following his hat-trick of European Tour successes in 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aspinall opens his title challenge against two-time champion Rob Cross in a blockbuster tussle on Friday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“It’s been a difficult few months since the World Matchplay,”\u00a0conceded Aspinall, who celebrated German Darts Championship glory in Hildesheim on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“My performances since Blackpool had not been great, but I’ve been working hard at home. I’ve gone back to doing what I know works; putting in plenty of practice and working on my fitness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“It was an amazing weekend of darts [in Hildesheim], and to be the number one seed going into the European Championship has given me another huge confidence boost.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Martin Schindler was Aspinall’s closest challenger on the European Tour rankings, and the German number one kicks off his campaign on Thursday against Dave Chisnall, who sealed his qualification in last-gasp fashion over the weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Stephen Bunting will also take centre stage on a star-studded opening night in Dortmund, with the Liverpudlian pitted against world number eight Chris Dobey in another eye-catching clash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bunting broke his European Tour duck with memorable victories in Riesa and Basel this year, and the former Masters champion is now setting his sights on a maiden TV ranking title at the Westfalenhalle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“I know I haven’t won a TV ranking major in the PDC, but I don’t think it’s far away,”\u00a0insisted the world number four.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“I think I’m playing some fantastic darts, but sometimes to win these titles you need a little bit of luck at key moments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“I’m really looking forward to it. I’m going in as the number three seed and I can’t wait to play in front of the German crowd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Dortmund is always a great place to play, and hopefully I can produce my best form and go on to win it.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Van Gerwen begins his bid for a record fifth European Championship crown against compatriot Wessel Nijman on Thursday, while 2019 runner-up Gerwyn Price renews his rivalry with two-time semi-finalist Daryl Gurney.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Former champions Ross Smith and Peter Wright also go head-to-head on Night One, as Welsh number one Jonny Clayton sets his sights on a showdown against Somerset star Ryan Searle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Elsewhere, World Youth Champion Gian van Veen plays Australian number one Damon Heta, while Ryan Joyce meets 2024 semi-finalist Luke Woodhouse in the tournament’s curtain-raiser.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Round One will conclude on Friday evening, as world number one Humphries gets his title bid underway against Poland’s premier player Krzysztof Ratajski.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Humphries faces a fight to preserve his world number one status this weekend, with Littler aiming to overhaul his World Cup partner on German soil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Littler has been pitted against five-time World Champion Raymond van Barneveld in his opener, and the teenager wonderkid will become the new world number one if he scoops the \u00a3120,000 top prize in Dortmund.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2018 European Champion James Wade and Belgian number one Mike De Decker also do battle on Friday evening, as Gary Anderson and Cameron Menzies collide in an all-Scottish affair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Northern Ireland’s World Cup champion Josh Rock takes on German number two Ricardo Pietreczko, with another home favourite Niko Springer up against 2024 runner-up Jermaine Wattimena.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Elsewhere, Dutch duo Dirk van Duijvenbode and Danny Noppert will go head-to-head in a battle of the recent European Tour finalists, as Aspinall or Cross await the winner on Saturday evening.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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