| European Championship | |
|---|---|
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| Tournament information | |
| Venue | Westfalenhallen |
| Location | Dortmund, Germany |
| Established | 2008 |
| Organisation(s) | PDC |
| Format | Legs |
| Prize fund | £600,000 (2023) |
| Month(s) Played | Various (2008–2013) October/November (2014–) |
| Current champion(s) | |
 Gian van Veen | |
TheEuropean Championship is aPDCdarts tournament which was created to allow the top European players to compete with the highest ranked players from thePDC Order of Merit. Since2016, the tournament has taken place at the end of October, and features the top 32 players on thePDC European Tour Order of Merit.
The inaugural tournament – the2008 European Championship – was held at the Südbahnhof inFrankfurt,Germany and featured a prize fund of £200,000.[1]
The tournament moved to the Claus Hotel & Event Center inHoofddorp,Netherlands for 2009 featuring a similar prize fund.[2] The tournament returned toGermany in 2010, where it was held atDinslaken. The 2011 tournament remained in Germany, only this time, it took place inDüsseldorf – the capital ofNorth Rhine-Westphalia. From 2012 to 2014, the tournament took place inMülheim, Germany, then between 2015 and 2017, the tournament took place inHasselt,Belgium, but in 2018, the tournament returned to Germany, moving to theWestfalenhallen inDortmund. It moved toGöttingen in 2019, before moving to theKönig Pilsener Arena inOberhausen in 2020, and then theSalzburgarena inSalzburg,Austria in 2021, before returning to Dortmund again in 2022.
Phil Taylor won the tournament on each of the first four stagings of the event, beforeSimon Whitlock took the title in 2012. Adrian Lewis gained his third major win after beating Whitlock in the 2013 edition of the tournament.Michael van Gerwen won the tournament for the first time in 2014 beatingTerry Jenkins in the final. In 2015, van Gerwen came back from 7–10 behind to defeatGary Anderson 11–10 in the final, then he beatMensur Suljović 11–1 in the 2016 final, and he won it for a fourth year in a row in 2017, when he defeatedRob Cross 11–7 in the 2017 final. In 2018,James Wade won the title, and in 2019 Rob Cross became European champion, thenPeter Wright won in 2020, before Cross regained the title in 2021.
| Rank | Player | Won | Runner-up | Finals | Appearances |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael van Gerwen | 4 | 1 | 5 | 17 |
| 2 |  Phil Taylor | 4 | 0 | 4 | 9 |
| 3 | Rob Cross | 2 | 1 | 3 | 9 |
| 4 |  Peter Wright | 2 | 0 | 2 | 14 |
| 5 | Adrian Lewis | 1 | 2 | 3 | 10 |
 Simon Whitlock | 1 | 2 | 3 | 11 | |
| James Wade | 1 | 2 | 3 | 16 | |
| 8 | Gian van Veen | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Ritchie Edhouse | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| Ross Smith | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | |
| 11 | Gary Anderson | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| Steve Beaton | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |
| Terry Jenkins | 0 | 1 | 1 | 9 | |
| Wayne Jones | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |
| Michael Smith | 0 | 1 | 1 | 11 | |
| Wes Newton | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |
 Gerwyn Price | 0 | 1 | 1 | 11 | |
 Mensur Suljović | 0 | 1 | 1 | 13 | |
| Jermaine Wattimena | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |
| Luke Humphries | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Country | Players | Total | First title | Last title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | 6 | 10 | 2008 | 2024 |
| Netherlands | 2 | 5 | 2014 | 2025 |
| Scotland | 1 | 2 | 2020 | 2023 |
| Australia | 1 | 1 | 2012 | 2012 |
Fournine-darters have been thrown at the European Championship. The first one was in 2011.
| Player | Year (+ Round) | Method | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adrian Lewis | 2011, Semi-Final | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | Raymond van Barneveld | 11–10 |
| Michael van Gerwen | 2014, Semi-Final | 2 x T20, T19; 3 x T20; 2 x T20, D12 | Raymond van Barneveld | 11–6 |
| Kyle Anderson | 2017, Semi-Final | 3 x T20; 3 x T20, T20, T19, D12 | Michael van Gerwen | 10–11 |
 José de Sousa | 2020, Last 32 | 3 x T20; 2 x T20, T19; 2 x T20, D12 | Jeffrey de Zwaan | 6–3 |
| Ten highest European Championship one-match averages | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average | Player | Year (+ Round) | Opponent | Result |
| 118.14 | Phil Taylor | 2009, Quarter-Final | Gary Anderson | 10–3 |
| 113.92 | Phil Taylor | 2008, Last 16 | Mervyn King | 9–3 |
| 113.33 | Phil Taylor | 2008, Semi-Final | Robert Thornton | 11–7 |
| 113.04 | Raymond van Barneveld | 2012, Last 32 | Terry Jenkins | 6–1 |
| 111.62 | Michael van Gerwen | 2016, Final | Mensur Suljović | 11–1 |
| 111.33 | Jonny Clayton | 2019, Last 32 | James Wade | 6–0 |
| 111.03 | Phil Taylor | 2009, Last 32 | Toon Greebe | 6–2 |
| 111.00 | Michael van Gerwen | 2014, Quarter-Final | Dave Chisnall | 10–5 |
| 110.88 | Phil Taylor | 2009, Last 16 | Robert Thornton | 9–0 |
| 110.32 | Michael van Gerwen | 2018, Last 32 | Paul Nicholson | 6–2 |
| Five highest losing averages | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average | Player | Year (+ Round) | Opponent | Result |
| 109.20 | Stephen Bunting | 2025, Last 32 | Chris Dobey | 3–6 |
| 107.56 | Gerwyn Price | 2021, Quarter-Final | Michael van Gerwen | 8–10 |
| 106.12 | Gary Anderson | 2009, Quarter-Final | Phil Taylor | 3–10 |
| 106.12 | Phil Taylor | 2015, Quarter-Final | Adrian Lewis | 9–10 |
| 105.10 | Michael van Gerwen | 2019, Last 32 | Ross Smith | 5–6 |
| Different players with a 100+ match average (Updated 25/10/25) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Total | Highest Av. | Year (+ Round) |
| Michael van Gerwen | 31 | 111.62 | 2016, Final |
| Phil Taylor | 26 | 118.14 | 2009, Quarter-Final |
| Peter Wright | 14 | 104.74 | 2015, Semi-Final |
| Adrian Lewis | 8 | 108.62 | 2008, Quarter-Final |
| Gerwyn Price | 8 | 107.56 | 2021, Quarter-Final |
| Danny Noppert | 8 | 104.88 | 2025, Last 32 |
| Raymond van Barneveld | 7 | 113.04 | 2012, Last 32 |
| Dave Chisnall | 6 | 109.75 | 2019, Last 16 |
| Gary Anderson | 6 | 106.26 | 2015, Semi-Final |
| Michael Smith | 6 | 106.09 | 2019, Last 32 |
| Luke Humphries | 5 | 109.98 | 2025, Last 32 |
| Stephen Bunting | 5 | 109.20 | 2025, Last 32 |
| Nathan Aspinall | 5 | 103.34 | 2021, Quarter-Final |
| Jonny Clayton | 4 | 111.33 | 2019, Last 32 |
| Chris Dobey | 4 | 105.76 | 2025, Last 32 |
| Mervyn King | 4 | 104.00 | 2009, Last 16 |
| Colin Lloyd | 4 | 104.00 | 2009, Last 16 |
| Ryan Searle | 4 | 102.43 | 2022, Last 32 |
| Gian van Veen | 3 | 109.92 | 2025, Last 16 |
| Jermaine Wattimena | 3 | 106.87 | 2025, Last 32 |
| Mensur Suljović | 3 | 105.50 | 2016, Quarter-Final |
| Dirk van Duijvenbode | 3 | 104.15 | 2022, Quarter-Final |
 Martin Schindler | 3 | 104.05 | 2025, Last 32 |
| Rob Cross | 3 | 102.39 | 2017, Final |
| James Wade | 3 | 101.81 | 2011, Last 16 |
| Ross Smith | 3 | 101.63 | 2022, Last 32 |
| Ritchie Edhouse | 2 | 109.48 | 2024, Last 32 |
 Devon Petersen | 2 | 106.30 | 2020, Quarter-Final |
| Ricardo Pietreczko | 2 | 104.28 | 2023, Last 32 |
| Mark Walsh | 2 | 104.10 | 2008, Last 32 |
| Jelle Klaasen | 2 | 103.76 | 2013, Last 16 |
| Ian White | 2 | 103.64 | 2020, Last 16 |
| Simon Whitlock | 2 | 102.52 | 2011, Last 32 |
| Robert Thornton | 2 | 102.12 | 2008, Semi-Final |
 Josh Rock | 2 | 101.69 | 2022, Last 16 |
 Dimitri Van den Bergh | 2 | 101.53 | 2022, Last 32 |
| Wes Newton | 1 | 106.09 | 2012, Last 32 |
| Jamie Caven | 1 | 106.09 | 2013, Last 32 |
| José de Sousa | 1 | 105.28 | 2022, Last 32 |
 Madars Razma | 1 | 104.92 | 2023, Last 32 |
| Brendan Dolan | 1 | 104.68 | 2014, Last 32 |
| James Wilson | 1 | 103.64 | 2018, Last 32 |
| Dennis Priestley | 1 | 102.35 | 2008, Last 16 |
| Jeffrey de Zwaan | 1 | 101.87 | 2019, Last 32 |
| Colin Osborne | 1 | 101.80 | 2009, Last 16 |
| Steve West | 1 | 101.67 | 2018, Quarter-Final |
| Damon Heta | 1 | 101.66 | 2021, Last 16 |
| Paul Nicholson | 1 | 101.61 | 2011, Last 32 |
| Cameron Menzies | 1 | 101.53 | 2025, Last 16 |
| Ronnie Baxter | 1 | 101.45 | 2011, Last 32 |
| Kyle Anderson | 1 | 101.09 | 2018, Last 32 |
| Vincent van der Voort | 1 | 101.09 | 2014, Last 32 |
| Ronny Huybrechts | 1 | 100.97 | 2013, Last 32 |
| Kim Huybrechts | 1 | 100.86 | 2015, Last 32 |
 Cristo Reyes | 1 | 100.69 | 2015, Last 32 |
 Robert Wagner | 1 | 100.59 | 2014, Last 32 |
| Gabriel Clemens | 1 | 100.36 | 2020, Last 32 |
 Darius Labanauskas | 1 | 100.06 | 2020, Last 32 |
| Terry Jenkins | 1 | 100.06 | 2014, Last 32 |
| Five highest tournament averages | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average | Player | Year | ||
| 111.54 | Phil Taylor | 2009 | ||
| 108.20 | Phil Taylor | 2008 | ||
| 105.87 | Phil Taylor | 2016 | ||
| 105.53 | Michael van Gerwen | 2016 | ||
| 105.15 | Michael van Gerwen | 2015 | ||
The PDC announced on August 12, 2008 thatITV4 would broadcast the entire event.[1] This was the second PDC darts tournament that ITV4 have broadcast, after the inauguralGrand Slam of Darts – after its rating success ITV had chosen to broadcast this event as well as the2008 Grand Slam of Darts.
The 2009 event was not televised in the UK, but the 2010 event was broadcast onBravo, which screened live darts for the first time in its history.[3] However, Bravo ceased broadcasting at the start of 2011. On June 26, 2011, it was announced that ITV4 would broadcast the 2011 event.[4] In the Netherlands it is broadcast onRTL7 and in Germany it is broadcast onSport1. On August 8, 2012 it was announced thatESPN would televise the event, becoming the first broadcaster to show both BDO and PDC dart tournaments. From 2013, the tournament returned to ITV4 as part of a deal between ITV and the PDC to show 4 tournaments from the PDC calendar.
PartyPoker.net sponsored first six editions of the tournament – they also sponsored theUS Open and theLas Vegas Desert Classic, two other non-defunct televised PDC events. In 2014,888.com took over sponsoring of the tournament for one edition, with the tournament being sponsored byUnibet since 2015.[5] In 2021, the tournament will be sponsored byCazoo, who will also sponsor thePDC World Cup of Darts and theGrand Slam of Darts. Ahead of the 2023 tournament, Machineseeker were announced to be the new title sponsors.[6]
