Peter Wright (Photo by PDC Europe)
Peter Wright will begin his defence of the German Darts Championship against Ricardo Pietreczko or Radek Szaganski, following confirmation of the draw and schedule for this weekend’s event.
The 2025 European Tour season reaches its climax in Hildesheim from October 17-19, as the race for European Championship qualification concludes on German soil.
The top 32 players on the European Tour rankings following this weekend will qualify for this year’s showpiece in Dortmund, with Krzysztof Ratajski currently occupying the final qualification spot.
Wright – also a former European Champion – will headline this weekend’s action, having produced a heroic display to topple World Champion Luke Littler and triumph in Hildesheim 12 months ago.
The two-time World Champion also succumbed to Pietreczko in the 2023 decider, and the pair could renew their rivalry in Round Two on Saturday afternoon.
Round One will feature 16 matches across two sessions on Friday, as Pietreczko faces Polish star Szaganski, while home favourite Gabriel Clemens takes on Croatia’s Tomislav Rosandic.
Ratajski plays Host Nation representative Felix Springer – the younger brother of European Tour winner Niko – in his opener, with Andrew Gilding and William O’Connor also locking horns in a crucial clash in the race for European Championship qualification.
European Championship runner-up Jermaine Wattimena – fresh from his ProTour victory on Tuesday – meets Irish star Keane Barry, with Dirk van Duijvenbode pitted against Czech number one Karel Sedlacek.
Nathan Aspinall currently occupies top spot on the European Tour rankings, and the Stockport star opens his bid for a third European Tour title of the year against Germany’s Maximilian Czerwinski.
Five-time World Champion Raymond van Barneveld also faces German opposition in the form of Host Nation Qualifier Kevin Troppmann, as the Dutchman bids to confirm his European Championship qualification.
However, Joe Cullen must reach the last 16 to have any chance of booking his place in Dortmund, and the former Masters champion has been handed an opening round assignment against Ricky Evans.
The top 16 players on the PDC Werner Rankings Ladder will enter the tournament in Round Two on Saturday, with top seed Stephen Bunting set to play either Ryan Joyce or Justin Hood.
Second seed James Wade faces a tough test against Wattimena or Barry, with Van Barneveld and Troppmann battling it out for the right to meet an in-form Jonny Clayton.
Chris Dobey awaits the winner of the tie between Van Duijvenbode and Sedlacek, while Gerwyn Price could take on Daryl Gurney, if the Northern Irishman overcomes Christian Kist on Friday.
Two-time European Champion Rob Cross and six-time TV finalist Dave Chisnall are yet to confirm their spots in next week’s European Championship, with both entering this weekend’s event on Saturday.
Cross – currently £2,000 above the qualification cut-off – faces Cameron Menzies or Wesley Plaisier, while Chisnall faces a must-win clash against Clemens or Rosandic.
Elsewhere, German number one Martin Schindler kicks off his campaign against Gilding or O’Connor, with World Youth Champion Gian van Veen set to lock horns with Niels Zonneveld or Darius Labanauskas.
Prior to last month’s Tour Card Holder Qualifier, Luke Littler, the reigning world champion, withdrew from the event and was replaced by Krzysztof Ratajski.
From the original list of entries, Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen, Gary Anderson and Callan Rydz have withdrawn and have been replaced from the Reserve List by Gabriel Clemens, Ricky Evans, Jeffrey de Graaf and Keane Barry.
