2026 International Darts Open

2026 Elten Safety Shoes International Darts Open
Tournament information
Dates22–24 May 2026
VenueSACHSENarena
LocationRiesa, Germany
Organisation(s)Professional Darts Corporation (PDC)
FormatLegs
Prize fund£230,000
Winner's share£35,000
High checkout170 Rob Cross
Champion(s)
 Ross Smith (ENG)
«Event 6 Event 8»

The 2026 International Darts Open (known for sponsorship reasons as the 2026 Elten Safety Shoes International Darts Open) was a professional darts tournament that took place at the SACHSENarena in Riesa, Germany, from 22 to 24 May 2026.[1] It was the seventh of fifteen PDC European Tour events on the 2026 PDC Pro Tour. It featured a field of 48 players and £230,000 in prize money, with £35,000 going to the winner.

Stephen Bunting was the defending champion, having defeated Nathan Aspinall 8–5 in the 2025 final.[2] However, he lost 6–2 to Rob Cross in the third round.

Ross Smith won the tournament, defeating Ryan Searle 8–3 in the final. It was his first European Tour title, having finished as runner-up in his first four European Tour finals.

Prize money

As part of a mass boost in prize money for Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events in 2026, the prize fund for all 2026 European Tour events rose to £230,000, of which the winner will receive £35,000.[3][4]

Stage (num. of players) Prize money
Winner (1) £35,000
Runner-up (1) £15,000
Semi-finalists (2) £10,000
Quarter-finalists (4) £8,000
Third round losers (8) £5,000
Second round losers (16) £3,500*
First round losers (16) £2,000*
Total £230,000
  • Pre-qualified players from the Orders of Merit who lose in their first match of the event shall not be credited with prize money on any Order of Merit.[5]

Qualification and format

The top 16 players on the two-year PDC Order of Merit were seeded and entered the tournament in the second round, while the next 16 highest-ranked players from the one-year PDC Pro Tour Order of Merit automatically qualified for the first round. The seedings were confirmed on 9 April.[6] The remaining 16 places went to players from four qualifying events – 10 from the Tour Card Holder Qualifier (held on 15 April),[7] four from the Host Nation Qualifier (held on 1 March),[8] one from the Nordic & Baltic Associate Member Qualifier (held on 24 April),[9] and one from the East European Associate Member Qualifier (held on 12 April).[10]

Luke Humphries and Michael Smith withdrew and were replaced by Rob Cross and Maik Kuivenhoven. In Humphries' place, Luke Woodhouse moved up to become the 16th seed.[11] Gerwyn Price withdrew after the draw was made and was replaced by reserve player Christian Kist, going straight in at the second-round stage.[12]

Summary

First round

Ricardo Pietreczko (pictured in 2025) was the only victorious German player in the first round. He defeated Maik Kuivenhoven 6–2.

The first round (best of 11 legs) was played on 22 May.[12] Charlie Manby was successful in his European Tour debut, defeating Niko Springer 6–3. On facing Ryan Searle in the second round, he commented: "I think Ryan [Searle] and I are both top-quality players. I know I'm good enough as well, and I've got the belief in myself that I need to be here."[13] Kevin Doets achieved the first round's only three-dart average above the 100 mark, averaging 102.48 in a whitewash win over Tom Bissell.[14] "I didn't go all the way last time, so that's what I'm trying to do this weekend," said Doets, in reference to his runner-up finish at the Austrian Darts Open.[12] All four host nation qualifiers went out in the first round: Finn Behrens lost 6–1 to Connor Scutt, Liam Maendl-Lawrance lost 6–3 to Dave Chisnall, Paul Krohne lost 6–2 to William O'Connor, and Michael Unterbuchner lost in a deciding leg to Cameron Menzies.[14] Ricardo Pietreczko was the only German player to advance to the second round, earning his first win in 11 matches amid a battle with dartitis by defeating Maik Kuivenhoven 6–2.[15] The 2020 champion Joe Cullen recovered from 5–3 down to beat Chris Landman 6–5.[13]

Rob Cross aided his chances at qualifying for the World Matchplay by defeating Dirk van Duijvenbode in a deciding leg, with all 11 legs of the match being holds of throw. "I just kept my nose in front," stated Cross afterwards. It just shows I didn't need his throw, I needed mine. I was lucky enough to get away with it."[12] Karel Sedláček whitewashed Swedish qualifier Johan Engström, while Kim Huybrechts missed opportunities to seal his own whitewash victory against Daryl Gurney, eventually winning 6–2. Krzysztof Ratajski earned a 6–4 victory over Cristo Reyes, who missed 19 darts at double. Niels Zonneveld, Madars Razma, and Ryan Joyce were 6–2 winners against Keane Barry, György Jehirszki, and Jeffrey Sparidaans, respectively. Bradley Brooks achieved his first European Tour win of the year by beating Andrew Gilding 6–4.[13]

Second round

Michael van Gerwen (pictured in 2026) won his second-round match 6‍–‍5 against Madars Razma, who missed six match darts.

The second round (best of 11 legs) was played on 23 May.[16] The defending champion Stephen Bunting began his campaign with a 6–2 victory over Krzysztof Ratajski, averaging 102.54 with five maximums. "I feel great, I feel fresh and I feel ready to win," Bunting affirmed. "I won in the Premier League in Berlin last year and then came straight here and won this, so hopefully there's a lot of similarities."[17] Top seed Gian van Veen won 6–3 against Connor Scutt, having lost his last three matches on the European Tour. "I think everyone who's watched me over the last few weeks knows it's been tough," commented Van Veen, who said the win on the day was needed.[16] Michael van Gerwen hit checkouts of 164 and 127 as he came back from 3–0 to win a deciding leg against Madars Razma, who missed a total of six match darts. Cameron Menzies and Wessel Nijman also produced comeback victories, overturning deficits of 4–0 and 5–3 in their respective wins over sixth seed Josh Rock and William O'Connor.[17]

Ricardo Pietreczko reached the last 16 of a European Tour event for the first time in a year by defeating seventh seed Danny Noppert 6–5. He was joined by compatriot Martin Schindler, who survived a match dart as he beat Karel Sedláček by the same scoreline.[18] Kim Huybrechts eliminated ninth seed Chris Dobey, averaging 104.66 in a 6–5 win. Rob Cross won six consecutive legs to beat thirteenth seed Mike De Decker 6–2, while Kevin Doets won a deciding leg against sixteenth seed Luke Woodhouse for his third victory over Woodhouse in 19 days. Christian Kist, who replaced fifth seed Gerwyn Price in the tournament, was beaten 6–2 by Ryan Joyce. James Wade earned a whitewash win over Dave Chisnall, while Jermaine Wattimena came through a deciding leg against Bradley Brooks. Ross Smith and Ryan Searle were 6–3 winners over Joe Cullen and Charlie Manby, respectively, and Damon Heta defeated Niels Zonneveld 6–2.[16]

Final day

Ross Smith (pictured in 2025) won his first European Tour title in his fifth final.

The third round, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final were played on 24 May. The third round and quarter-finals were contested over the best of 11 legs, the semi-finals over the best of 13 legs, and the final over the best of 15 legs.[19] The final day saw Ryan Searle and Ross Smith reach the final. Searle followed a 6–1 win over Kim Huybrechts by eliminating the top seed Gian van Veen in the quarter-finals, defeating the Dutchman 6–3. He was taken to a deciding leg in the semi-finals, as Rob Cross compiled checkouts of 126, 130, and 164, before a 170 checkout levelled the score at 6–6. Searle found his own ton-plus finish, a 130 checkout on the bullseye, to prevail 7–6.[19][20] Smith defeated Ricardo Pietreczko 6–4 before claiming a deciding-leg victory over Michael van Gerwen in the quarter-finals. A 7–0 whitewash of Cameron Menzies, who reached his first European Tour semi-final of the year, secured Smith's place in the final.[21] Both finalists were looking to win their first European Tour title, with Smith losing in his four previous finals, whereas Searle lost his only previous final at the 2024 Swiss Darts Trophy.[22]

The English pair traded the opening two legs of the final, but Smith took a 3–1 lead by finding a break of throw in the fourth leg. In the sixth leg, he set up a smaller finish from 161 with Searle left on 133; Searle was unable to convert, and Smith hit double 8 to maintain a two-leg advantage at 4–2. Searle registered another leg, but Smith went on to win the final 8–3, claiming five of the last six legs. Smith averaged 90.81 compared to Searle's 90.11.[20][22] Smith finished the tournament with the most maximums of any player, hitting 14.[23]

Smith won his ninth PDC ranking title and first European Tour title, having finished as runner-up at the 2024 European Darts Open, the 2024 European Darts Grand Prix, the 2025 Austrian Darts Open, and the 2026 European Darts Grand Prix. He also became the seventh different winner on the European Tour in 2026.[21][22] "I’m so happy to finally win one," said Smith after the final. On his final opponent, he commented: "Ryan will win loads of these, he’s Ryan Searle, he’s fantastic, he definitely let me off in the final there."[19] Searle believed he "shot [his] bolt" against Rob Cross in the semi-finals, describing his performance in the final as "a little bit flat".[19]

Draw

The draw was confirmed on 21 May.[11] Numbers to the left of a player's name show the seedings for the top 16 in the tournament. The figures to the right of a player's name state their three-dart average in a match. The three reserve players are indicated by 'Alt'. Players in bold denote match winners.[24]

First round
(best of 11 legs)
22 May		Second round
(best of 11 legs)
23 May		Third round
(best of 11 legs)
24 May		Quarter-finals
(best of 11 legs)
24 May		Semi-finals
(best of 13 legs)
24 May		Final
(best of 15 legs)
24 May
  Connor Scutt 91.7661 Gian van Veen 96.886
  Finn Behrens 72.581  Connor Scutt 89.953
1 van Veen 103.516
  Doets 96.892
  Kevin Doets 102.48616 Luke Woodhouse 90.765
  Tom Bissell 89.320  Kevin Doets 89.386
1 van Veen 88.383
8 Searle 98.866
  Niko Springer 82.2738 Ryan Searle 92.446
  Charlie Manby 94.946  Charlie Manby 91.893
8 Searle 99.556
  Huybrechts 93.321
  Daryl Gurney 83.5629 Chris Dobey 98.805
  Kim Huybrechts 85.236  Kim Huybrechts 104.666
8 Searle 98.357
Alt Cross 100.106
  Krzysztof Ratajski 86.6064 Stephen Bunting 102.546
  Cristo Reyes 87.224  Krzysztof Ratajski 95.382
4 Bunting 85.952
Alt Cross 99.466
  Dirk van Duijvenbode 99.18513 Mike De Decker 90.862
Alt Rob Cross 95.136Alt Rob Cross 99.156
Alt Cross 92.266
  Joyce 97.375
  Ryan Joyce 99.586Alt Christian Kist 87.482
  Jeffrey Sparidaans 90.052  Ryan Joyce 89.126
  Joyce 96.996
12 Wattimena 96.085
  Andrew Gilding 93.70412 Jermaine Wattimena 87.536
  Bradley Brooks 91.656  Bradley Brooks 87.195
8 Searle 90.113
10 Smith 90.818
  Madars Razma 89.7362 Michael van Gerwen 89.546
  György Jehirszki 83.552  Madars Razma 88.795
2 van Gerwen 101.936
15 Heta 95.063
  Niels Zonneveld 96.47615 Damon Heta 95.756
  Keane Barry 89.142  Niels Zonneveld 98.062
2 van Gerwen 94.275
10 Smith 87.656
  Ricardo Pietreczko 85.6367 Danny Noppert 91.815
Alt Maik Kuivenhoven 84.472  Ricardo Pietreczko 86.796
  Pietreczko 91.784
10 Smith 92.506
  Joe Cullen 91.87610 Ross Smith 102.176
  Chris Landman 86.815  Joe Cullen 98.613
10 Smith 97.427
  Menzies 89.490
  Dave Chisnall 85.8763 James Wade 98.026
  Liam Maendl-Lawrance 75.953  Dave Chisnall 82.530
3 Wade 95.096
14 Nijman 98.855
  William O'Connor 95.71614 Wessel Nijman 97.166
  Paul Krohne 86.182  William O'Connor 92.355
3 Wade 97.704
  Menzies 94.396
  Cameron Menzies 90.5766 Josh Rock 99.174
  Michael Unterbuchner 91.745  Cameron Menzies 97.266
  Menzies 95.616
11 Schindler 92.832
  Karel Sedláček 89.29611 Martin Schindler 84.266
  Johan Engström 80.440  Karel Sedláček 81.745

References

  1. ↑ "Elten Safety Shoes International Darts Open 2026". PDC Europe. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
  2. ↑ "International Open darts: Stephen Bunting beats Nathan Aspinall to win first European Tour title". BBC Sport. 6 April 2025. Retrieved 6 April 2025.
  3. ↑ Phillips, Josh (31 March 2025). "Biggest prize money increase in PDC history confirmed". Professional Darts Corporation. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
  4. ↑ "International Darts Open 2026". Mastercaller. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
  5. ↑ "PDC Rankings Rules". Professional Darts Corporation. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
  6. ↑ Gorton, Josh (9 April 2026). "2026 ET7-8 Seeds & Tour Card Holder qualifier entries confirmed". Professional Darts Corporation. Retrieved 6 May 2026.
  7. ↑ "PDC ET07 Tour Card Holder Qualifier". DartConnect. 15 April 2026. Retrieved 15 May 2026.
  8. ↑ "PDC ET07 Host Nation Qualifier". Dart Connect TV. 1 March 2026. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
  9. ↑ "PDCNB 2026 Tour - Finland - Weekend 03". DartConnect. 24 April 2026. Retrieved 15 May 2026.
  10. ↑ "PDC ET07 E. Europe Qualifier". DartConnect. 12 April 2026. Retrieved 15 May 2026.
  11. 1 2 Gorton, Josh (21 May 2026). "2026 Elten Safety Shoes International Darts Open draw & schedule". Professional Darts Corporation. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Simpson, Will (22 May 2026). "Doets dazzles and Manby wins on debut at International Darts Open". Professional Darts Corporation. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
  13. 1 2 3 "International Darts Open: Charlie Manby progresses past round one on European Tour debut". Sky Sports. 22 May 2026. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
  14. 1 2 "ELTEN Safety Shoes International Darts Open: International Darts Open: Pietreczko ends dry spell". PDC Europe. 22 May 2026. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
  15. ↑ Schamburg, Julius (22 May 2026). "Pikachu bricht den Bann" [Pikachu breaks the spell]. Sport1 (in German). Retrieved 23 May 2026.
  16. 1 2 3 Gorton, Josh (23 May 2026). "Bunting opens title defence in style at International Darts Open". Professional Darts Corporation. Retrieved 24 May 2026.
  17. 1 2 "Stephen Bunting, Gian van Veen and Michael van Gerwen all make winning starts at International Darts Open". Sky Sports. 23 May 2026. Retrieved 24 May 2026.
  18. ↑ "ELTEN Safety Shoes International Darts Open: German duo storms into the Last 16 in Riesa". PDC Europe. 23 May 2026. Retrieved 24 May 2026.
  19. 1 2 3 4 Wagner, Connor (24 May 2026). "Super Smith wins maiden European Tour title in Riesa". Professional Darts Corporation. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
  20. 1 2 Wood, Kieran (24 May 2026). "Ross Smith ends long European Tour wait with emotional first title in Riesa after Ryan Searle final". dartsnews.com. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
  21. 1 2 "International Darts Open: Ross Smith beats Ryan Searle to maiden European Tour title". Sky Sports. 24 May 2026. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
  22. 1 2 3 "ELTEN Safety Shoes International Darts Open: Ross Smith celebrates maiden European Tour title". PDC Europe. 24 May 2026. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
  23. ↑ "Riesa in Numbers – The 2026 ELTEN Safety Shoes International Darts Open". PDC Europe. 24 May 2026. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
  24. ↑ "Results of International Darts Open 2026". Mastercaller. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
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