What you need to know about the Hungarian Darts Trophy and Czech Darts Open 2026

Short answer: The PDC European Tour makes a Central European double swing in late August and early September 2026. The Hungarian Darts Trophy runs from 28 to 30 August at the MVM Dome in Budapest, followed by the Czech Darts Open from 4 to 6 September at PVA Expo Praha in Prague. Both events feature 48 players, a prize fund of £230,000 and £35,000 for the winner.

When are the Hungarian Darts Trophy and Czech Darts Open 2026 played?

The Hungarian Darts Trophy 2026 takes place from Friday 28 to Sunday 30 August 2026 at the MVM Dome in Budapest. It is the eleventh of fifteen European Tour events on the 2026 PDC Pro Tour.

A week later comes the Czech Darts Open 2026, from Friday 4 to Sunday 6 September 2026 at PVA Expo Praha in Prague. This is the twelfth of fifteen European Tour events of the season. Sessions on both days start at 13:00 and 19:00 local time.

What is the format and schedule?

Both tournaments use the standard knockout format. The first four rounds are best of 11 legs, the semi-finals best of 13 and the final best of 15 legs.

Friday features the first round with the sixteen qualifier entries and the lowest sixteen ranked pre-qualified players. The top sixteen seeds enter on Saturday in the second round. Sunday hosts the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final.

How much prize money is on offer?

Both tournaments carry a prize fund of £230,000, with £35,000 for the winner. European Tour prize funds rose in 2026 as part of the biggest prize money increase in PDC history.

That is a jump of £55,000 per event compared with 2024 and 2025, when £175,000 was on offer with £30,000 for the winner. First round losers receive no Order of Merit prize money.

Who is playing at the Hungarian Darts Trophy 2026?

The field of 48 players is drawn from four routes: 16 from the PDC Order of Merit, 16 from the Pro Tour Order of Merit, 10 from the Tour Card Holder Qualifier, 4 from the Host Nation Qualifier, 1 from the Nordic & Baltic Qualifier and 1 from the East European Qualifier.

The sixteen seeded players (top 16 PDC Order of Merit): Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, Gian van Veen, Michael van Gerwen, Jonny Clayton, James Wade, Gerwyn Price, Josh Rock, Stephen Bunting, Danny Noppert, Ryan Searle, Gary Anderson, Chris Dobey, Wessel Nijman, Ross Smith, Nathan Aspinall.

The sixteen Pro Tour qualifiers: Luke Woodhouse, Jermaine Wattimena, 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.

From the Tour Card Holder Qualifier: Keane Barry, Ritchie Edhouse, Tom Sykes, Maik Kuivenhoven, Adam Leek, Beau Greaves, James Hurrell, Connor Scutt, Samuel Price, Cristo Reyes.

For British and Irish fans there is a strong home contingent led by world number two Luke Humphries and reigning world champion Luke Littler, alongside Jonny Clayton, James Wade, Gerwyn Price, Nathan Aspinall and Josh Rock.

Who is playing at the Czech Darts Open 2026?

The field structure in Prague is identical to Budapest. The top 16 from the PDC Order of Merit and top 16 from the Pro Tour Order of Merit are the same players as in Hungary, because rankings do not shift between the two weekends.

The remaining sixteen places are filled through the Tour Card Holder Qualifier, the Host Nation Qualifier on 3 September, the Nordic & Baltic Qualifier and the East European Qualifier.

Who are the defending champions?

Germany's Niko Springer defends his title in Budapest. Springer won his first PDC ranking title in 2025 by beating Danny Noppert 8-7 in the final. For Noppert it was another painful missed chance at a European Tour crown.

In Prague Luke Humphries is the man to beat. He won the 2025 edition by defeating Josh Rock 8-5 in the final. It was his third title in Prague after previous wins in 2022 and 2024.

Who is making history in Budapest?

22-year-old English player Beau Greaves becomes the first woman ever to compete on a European Tour event. She claimed one of the ten spots through the Tour Card Holder Qualifier.

Greaves is a multiple WDF world champion in the women's game and has held a PDC Tour Card since 2024. Her appearance on one of the biggest European Tour stages is a landmark moment for the sport.

Who has won the Hungarian Darts Trophy in previous editions?

The Hungarian Darts Trophy has been part of the European Tour calendar since 2021. Gerwyn Price became the inaugural champion by beating Michael Smith 8-2 in the final, his fourth European Tour title. The event was originally scheduled for 2020 but was cancelled due to the pandemic.

It has been held at the MVM Dome since 2023. The 2024 edition went into the record books as the first European Tour day with two nine-darters on the same day, thrown by Cor Dekker and Michael van Gerwen, with Martin Schindler adding a third later that day. Van Gerwen also lifted the trophy that year.

Hungarian Darts Trophy champions:

• 2021: Gerwyn Price

• 2022: Joe Cullen

• 2023: Dave Chisnall

• 2024: Michael van Gerwen

• 2025: Niko Springer

Who has won the Czech Darts Open in previous editions?

The Czech Darts Open was first played in 2019, won by Jamie Hughes. After a pause during the pandemic period the tournament returned to the calendar in 2022. The 2026 event is the sixth edition in total.

It has been staged at PVA Expo Praha since 2023, after an earlier edition at Královka Arena. Luke Humphries is the record winner with three titles (2022, 2024, 2025). If he defends his title this year, he would become only the second player ever to win a single European Tour event four times.

Czech Darts Open champions:

• 2019: Jamie Hughes

• 2022: Luke Humphries

• 2023: Dimitri Van den Bergh

• 2024: Luke Humphries

• 2025: Luke Humphries

What do these two weekends mean for the Order of Merit?

Both tournaments are pivotal in the run-in to the end of the Pro Tour season. Points count towards qualification for the European Championship in Dortmund in October and for the Players Championship Finals in Minehead.

For players hovering around the top 32 cutoff, this two-weekend European stretch is a key chance to secure a strong seeding heading into the World Championship.