The 2026 German Darts Grand Prix (known for sponsorship reasons as the 2026 Elten Safety Shoes German Darts Grand Prix) was a professional darts tournament that took place at the Kulturhalle Zenith in Munich, Germany, from 4 to 6 April 2026.[1] It was the fourth 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.
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.[6]
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 12 February.[7][8] The remaining 16 places went to players from four qualifying events – 10 from the Tour Card Holder Qualifier (held on 18 February),[9] four from the Host Nation Qualifier (held on 28 February),[10] one from the Nordic & Baltic Associate Member Qualifier (held on 28 March),[11] and one from the East European Associate Member Qualifier (held on 25 January).[12]
The first round (best of 11 legs) was played on 4 April.[14] Hungarian qualifier Patrik Kovács earned his first European Tour victory in his eighth appearance, defeating Joe Cullen 6–3 to become the first Hungarian player to win a match on the European Tour outside of Hungary. Speaking after the match, Kovács conceded that Cullen failed to play his best game, but expressed that it was his "dream to win a game here".[14] Host nation qualifier Marcel Hausotter also claimed his first win by beating five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld 6–4, twelve years after his first European Tour appearance at the 2014 German Darts Masters. The other three host nation qualifiers—Finn Behrens, Kevin Troppmann, and Jan Schmidt—lost to Ryan Joyce, Ritchie Edhouse, and Niko Springer, respectively.[15]
The second round (best of 11 legs) was played on 5 April.[17] Defending champion and second seed Michael van Gerwen, a four-time German Darts Grand Prix winner, was eliminated in his opening match, going 4–0 behind before losing 6–1 to Niko Springer. Registering a three-dart average over 98, Springer commented: "I know I have to play on the same level tomorrow as I did today or maybe a bit better, but I will be ready."[17] The top seed and 2025 runner-up Gian van Veen was also beaten 6–2 by William O'Connor, who won the match with a 108 checkout. Competing in his 100th European Tour event, fourth seed James Wade took a 5–3 lead against Kevin Doets, but Doets hit his second 170 checkout of the tournament on his way to completing a 6–5 comeback victory.[18] Kim Huybrechts was the first player of the tournament to average over 100, doing so in his 6–1 win over the fourteenth seed Luke Woodhouse.[19] Huybrechts' Belgian compatriot, the thirteenth seed Mike De Decker, missed two match darts as he lost 6–5 to Dirk van Duijvenbode.[17]
Krzysztof Ratajski, Michael Smith, and Andrew Gilding all won in deciding legs, eliminating the seventh seed Ryan Searle, the fifteenth seed Dave Chisnall, and the sixteenth seed Daryl Gurney, respectively. Karel Sedláček defeated the eleventh seed Damon Heta, and Niels Zonneveld beat the twelfth seed Jermaine Wattimena 6–1. In all, 10 of the tournament's 16 seeded players were eliminated in the second round.[17] Marcel Hausotter was unable to claim another upset victory, losing 6–5 to Jonny Clayton. Nathan Aspinall and Danny Noppert won by the same scoreline to eliminate Ricardo Pietreczko and Ritchie Edhouse, contributing to half of the second round's matches going to a deciding leg; Pietreczko missed a match dart at the bullseye to defeat Aspinall.[18][19] Ryan Joyce averaged 103.24 but was beaten 6–4 by Josh Rock. Ross Smith defeated Patrik Kovács 6–2, while Martin Schindler earned a 6–4 win over Brendan Dolan.[17]
Final day
Nathan Aspinall(pictured in 2025) won his fourth European Tour title.
The third round, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final were played on 6 April. 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.[20] The final day saw Nathan Aspinall and Danny Noppert reach the final. Aspinall won six straight legs to defeat Martin Schindler 6–2 in the third round, followed by a 6–4 victory over Andrew Gilding. In the semi-finals, he averaged 106.40 as he beat Kevin Doets 7–2, ending a streak of six losses against the Dutchman.[21] Doets had previously equalled the European Tour record for the most maximums in a single match, scoring ten during his third-round victory over Dirk van Duijvenbode.[22] Meanwhile, Noppert reached the final by defeating Karel Sedláček, Jonny Clayton, and Krzysztof Ratajski, only conceding five legs throughout the three matches.[20] Aspinall looked to add to his three titles on the 2025 European Tour, while Noppert aimed to win his first European Tour title in his fourth final.[21][23]
Noppert won the opening leg of the match, but fell 4–1 behind after a 108 checkout from Aspinall.[23] Noppert then claimed the next four legs to lead 5–4, capitalising on missed doubles from his opponent.[21] At 5–5, Noppert missed a dart at the bullseye for a 170 checkout, allowing Aspinall to take out 84 to retake the lead.[24] After taking the next leg, Aspinall converted a 128 checkout to win the final 8–5, ending the match with a three-dart average of 100.35 and seven maximums.[21]
Aspinall won his fourth European Tour title with all four coming in Germany, equalling the tally of Phil Taylor.[20][25] In his post-match interview, Aspinall said he was "absolutely buzzing" with the victory, adding: "I did an interview on Saturday saying I was trying to find that love for the game again, but this crowd in Munich gave me the love for darts again."[21] Noppert called his opponent the "deserved winner". "Of course I wanted to lift the title. There is another level I can go to, and I am pushing myself hard every time."[20]
Draw
The draw was announced on 3 April.[13] 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 four reserve players are indicated by 'Alt'. Players in bold denote match winners.[26]
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Nathan Aspinall (ENG)
