Czech Darts Open 2026 Preview: Who Will Win in Prague?
The ÄŒEZ Czech Darts Open returns to the Czech capital this weekend, bringing together many of the biggest names on the PDC European Tour alongside qualifiers and homegrown talent.
The 2026 tournament is particularly intriguing because Humphries arrives as the defending champion after winning the event in both 2024 and 2025. However, he faces a strong field that includes world number one Luke Littler, Michael van Gerwen, Gian van Veen, Gerwyn Price and Josh Rock.
The tournament gets underway on Friday, September 4, with the final scheduled for Sunday, September 6. With the draw now confirmed, here is everything you need to know about this year’s event.
When Is The Czech Darts Open?
The 2026 Czech Darts Open takes place from Friday, September 4, to Sunday, September 6, at PVA EXPO Prague. It is the 12th European Tour event of the 2026 PDC season.
Friday features the 32 players who enter in the opening round, with eight matches in both the afternoon and evening sessions. The first session begins at 1pm local time, while the evening session starts at 7pm.
The second round follows the same afternoon-and-evening structure on Saturday, September 5. The 16 seeded players enter the competition at this stage, including Littler, Humphries, van Veen, van Gerwen, Price and Rock.
Sunday sees the last 16 played in the afternoon before the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final take place during the evening session. The evening programme begins at 7pm local time.
The tournament uses a knockout format. Matches through the quarter-finals are best of 11 legs, the semi-finals are best of 13, and the final is best of 15. All matches are played in double-out format.
Where Is The Czech Darts Open Held?
The Czech Darts Open is held at PVA EXPO Prague, with the 2026 tournament taking place in Hall 3. The venue has become synonymous with the event and has hosted the Czech European Tour stop in recent years.
The Prague venue is expected to provide another lively atmosphere for the three-day tournament. Afternoon sessions run from 1pm to 5pm, while evening sessions run from 7pm to 11pm. Fans attending the afternoon and evening sessions leave the arena between sessions while the venue is cleaned and prepared for the next crowd.
Prague has also become a particularly successful destination for Luke Humphries. He has won the Czech Darts Open three times, lifting the trophy in 2022, 2024 and 2025. His latest victory came last year when he defeated Josh Rock 8-5 in the final.
Who Is Competing In The 2026 Czech Darts Open?
The 2026 field contains 48 players, with places allocated through several qualification routes.
The players competing at the 2026 Czech Darts Open are:
Seeded Players
- Luke Littler
- Luke Humphries
- Gian van Veen
- Michael van Gerwen
- Jonny Clayton
- Gerwyn Price
- Josh Rock
- Stephen Bunting
- Danny Noppert
- Ryan Searle
- Gary Anderson
- Chris Dobey
- Wessel Nijman
- Ross Smith
- Nathan Aspinall
- Jermaine Wattimena
PDC Pro Tour Order of Merit Qualifiers
- Luke Woodhouse
- Kevin Doets
- Andrew Gilding
- Rob Cross
- Krzysztof Ratajski
- Niko Springer
- William O’Connor
- Niels Zonneveld
- Martin Schindler
- Dirk van Duijvenbode
- Ryan Joyce
- Damon Heta
- Joe Cullen
- Daryl Gurney
- Cameron Menzies
Tour Card Qualifier
- Rob Owen
- Connor Scutt
- Cristo Reyes
- Beau Greaves
- Jeffrey de Graaf
- Stephen Burton
- Kim Huybrechts
- Callan Rydz
- Keane Barry
- Mario Vandenbogaerde
Host Nation Qualifier
- Karel Sedlacek
- David Rosi
- Adam Gawlas
- Jiri Brejcha
Nordic and Baltic Qualifier
- Johan Engstrom
East European Qualifier
- Martin Homola
Reserve List
- Ricky Evans
The draw for the first and second round has been confirmed, with the top 16 seeded players advancing straight to the second round. The draw for the first and second round is:
First Round
- Cameron Menzies vs Johan Engstrom
- Andrew Gilding vs Host Nation Qualifier 2
- Ryan Joyce vs Kim Huybrechts
- William O’Connor vs Host Nation Qualifier 4
- Niko Springer vs Martin Homola
- Kevin Doets vs Ricky Evans
- Callan Rydz vs Cristo Reyes
- Luke Woodhouse vs Connor Scutt
- Krzysztof Ratajski vs Host Nation Qualifier 3
- Dirk van Duijvenbode vs Mario Vandenbogaerde
- Martin Schindler vs Rob Owen
- Daryl Gurney vs Beau Greaves
- Rob Cross vs Keane Barry
- Damon Heta vs Host Nation Qualifier 1
- Niels Zonneveld vs Jeffrey de Graaf
Second Round
- Jermaine Wattimena vs Ratajski/HNQ3
- Ryan Searle vs O’Connor/HNQ4
- Danny Noppert vs Doets/Evans
- Gary Anderson vs Menzies/Engstrom
- Wessel Nijman vs Schindler/Owen
- Chris Dobey vs Cross/Barry
- Ross Smith vs Cullen/Burton
- Nathan Aspinall vs Gilding/HNQ2
- Gian van Veen vs Zonneveld/de Graaf
- Jonny Clayton vs Heta/HNQ1
- Gerwyn Price vs Rydz/Reyes
- Luke Littler vs Springer/Homola
- Luke Humphries vs Gurney/Greaves
- Michael van Gerwen vs van Duijvenbode/Vandenbogaerde
- Josh Rock vs Joyce/Huybrechts
- Stephen Bunting vs Woodhouse/Scutt
Round three is set to be played in the afternoon on Sunday, 6th September, while the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final are set to be playing in the evening.
Who Is Favourite To Win The Czech Darts Open?
The defending champion Luke Humphries is one of the favourites after winning the tournament in 2022, 2024 and 2025. His latest Prague triumph came against Josh Rock, giving him an eighth European Tour title.
However, Luke Littler will be one of the biggest threats to Humphries’ attempt at a fourth Czech title. The world number one is the top seed for the 2026 event, while Gian van Veen, Michael van Gerwen, Gerwyn Price and Josh Rock also occupy prominent positions in the draw.
Recent European Tour results underline how competitive the field is. Littler won the Poland Darts Open earlier in the season, Humphries claimed the Belgian Darts Open, Price won the European Darts Grand Prix, Rock took the Austrian Darts Open, and Ross Smith and Luke Woodhouse have also won European Tour events in 2026.
There is also an interesting opportunity for an outsider. Beau Greaves qualified through the Tour Card Holder Qualifier and has already won a PDC ProTour title in 2026, making her one of the most intriguing players outside the seeded group. She faces Daryl Gurney in the opening round, with the winner earning a meeting with Humphries.
With the draw now confirmed, Humphries, Littler and van Veen look among the most obvious contenders, but the single-elimination format means one outstanding performance can completely change the tournament picture.
What Is The Prize Money at the Czech Darts Open?
The prize fund has increased substantially for the 2026 European Tour season. The Czech Darts Open carries a total prize fund of £230,000, compared with £175,000 in 2025.
The 2026 prize-money breakdown is:
- Winner: £35,000
- Runner-up: £15,000
- Semi-finalists: £10,000 each
- Quarter-finalists: £8,000 each
- Last 16: £5,000 each
- Second round: £3,500 each
- First round: £2,000 each
The prize money counts towards the PDC Order of Merit, the ProTour Order of Merit and the European Tour Order of Merit, which is used to determine qualification for the European Championship.
The increase means there is more than just the title at stake in Prague. Every run through the draw can have an impact on a player’s earnings and position in the various PDC rankings.
Bet on the Czech Darts Open at Bet442
The Czech Darts Open offers plenty of opportunities to follow the action, from the opening-round matches on Friday through to the final on Sunday evening.
If you choose to bet, compare the available markets and odds carefully, remember that odds can change as the tournament progresses, and only bet what you can afford to lose.
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