The draw and schedule have been confirmed for the 2026 Elten Safety Shoes European Darts Open, with defending champion Nathan Aspinall set to begin his title defence against either Mickey Mansell or Michal Smejda at the Ostermann-Arena in Leverkusen.

The 10th European Tour event of the season takes place from July 10-12, with 48 players competing for the £35,000 top prize. Dutch duo Gian van Veen and Michael van Gerwen headline the field as the Netherlands’ top two-ranked players.

Friday’s opening round features 16 matches, with Joe Cullen taking on Charlie Manby for the right to face five-time European Darts Open champion Van Gerwen. Kevin Doets meets Dominik Gruellich, William O’Connor takes on Sebastian Bialecki, while Niko Springer faces Darius Labanauskas.

Elsewhere, Niels Zonneveld plays Daniel Klose, Rob Cross meets Max Hopp after finishing runner-up at the Slovak Darts Open, and Daryl Gurney takes on Maik Kuivenhoven. Cameron Menzies opens against Jan Schmidt, while Welsh duo Rhys Griffin and Rob Owen face Karel Sedlacek and Andrew Gilding respectively.

Kim Huybrechts plays European Tour debutant Samuel Price, Lukas Wenig takes on Bradley Brooks, while Dirk van Duijvenbode and Mario Vandenbogaerde face host nation qualifiers Jaimy van de Weerd and Dragutin Horvat respectively. Ryan Joyce and Nordic & Baltic qualifier Mio Varila contest the tournament’s opening match.

The world’s top 16 players enter the competition in Saturday’s second round. Top seed and reigning European Champion Gian van Veen will face either Springer or Labanauskas, while 2025 runner-up Damon Heta awaits the winner of Gilding against Owen.

Aspinall opens his title defence against either Mansell or Smejda, while Van Gerwen’s bid for a sixth European Darts Open title begins against Cullen or Manby. Two-time European Tour winner Wessel Nijman faces either Wenig or Brooks, while third seed Jonny Clayton takes on the winner of Sedlacek and Griffin.

Luke Woodhouse, runner-up at Tuesday’s Players Championship event, could meet Vandenbogaerde, while German number one Martin Schindler awaits either Doets or Gruellich. International Darts Open champion Ross Smith faces either Zonneveld or Klose, while Mike De Decker takes on the winner of Menzies against Schmidt.

James Wade could face Gurney, Stephen Bunting meets either Joyce or Varila, Danny Noppert takes on the winner of O’Connor and Bialecki, while Jermaine Wattimena faces either Huybrechts or Price. Chris Dobey awaits Van Duijvenbode or Van de Weerd, while Krzysztof Ratajski takes on either Cross or Hopp.

The tournament concludes on Sunday, with the last 16 taking place in the afternoo