The European Championship in Dortmund has reached its thrilling climax, with only four darting titans remaining. In what promises to be an epic conclusion, top seed Ross Smith faces a formidable challenge from the in-form Gerwyn Price, a repeat of a recent major final. Meanwhile, German hero Martin Schindler, fresh off a historic quarter-final win, takes on Krzysztof Ratajski, who stunned the darting world by eliminating Luke Littler. Both Schindler and Ratajski are vying to make history as their respective nations’ first major finalists, setting the stage for an unforgettable day of high-stakes darts.
The Semifinal Showdown: Matchups and Stakes
After a weekend filled with stunning upsets and thrilling drama, the field for the European Championship final session is set. Two captivating semifinal clashes await, each with significant implications for the ultimate prize.
Ross Smith vs. Gerwyn Price: A Rematch of Champions
This highly anticipated encounter pits the tournament’s top seed against a player in scintillating form. It’s a rematch that promises fireworks, given their recent history.
- Ross Smith (“Smudger”): The number one seed entering Dortmund, Smith has enjoyed a brilliant 2026. He has reached four finals, claimed his first two European Tour titles, and secured his second Premier Event title at the World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam just five weeks ago. Crucially, he beat Gerwyn Price in that very final. Smith returns to a ranking Premier Event semi-final for the first time since the 2024 Players Championship Finals. He is also the 2022 European Champion, having claimed his first major title at this very event.
- Gerwyn Price (“The Iceman”): Price has had an exceptional 2026, arguably his best year since claiming the World Title in 2021. He has reached the semi-finals in all seven Premier Events in 2026 and is now looking to make his fourth consecutive final appearance. Despite this incredible consistency, he has been unable to secure a major title since claiming the Grand Slam almost five years ago. This marks only his second European Championship semi-final, with his previous appearance in 2019 seeing him defeat Michael Smith before ultimately losing to Rob Cross in the final with a sub-85 average.
Martin Schindler vs. Krzysztof Ratajski: History in the Making
This second semifinal clash features two players on the cusp of making national darting history, each having overcome significant challenges to reach this stage.
- Martin Schindler (“The Wall”): The German number one today made history. After dominating Jonny Clayton with a resounding 10-1 victory in the Quarter-Final, he has become just the third German player to reach the Semi-Final stage of a PDC Premier Event, following in the footsteps of Max Hopp (2018) and Gabriel Clemens (twice in 2023). Schindler had struggled for much of 2026, only narrowly securing his spot in the European Championship field with a crucial win over Karel Sedlacek last Saturday. He successfully claimed his first quarter-final victory on his third attempt, having previously fallen at this stage in both the 2023 UK Open and World Grand Prix. He is now looking to become the first German player to ever reach a Premier Final in the PDC.
- Krzysztof Ratajski (“The Polish Eagle”): Despite the historic run of Martin Schindler, Ratajski still managed to produce the upset of the day, stunning World Number One Luke Littler with a 10-6 victory to move into only his third Premier Semi-Final of his career. His previous two appearances were five years ago. Like Schindler, he is bidding to become the first Polish player to reach a major Final, having experienced semi-final heartbreaks previously, losing at this stage to Dimitri Van den Bergh in both the 2021 World Matchplay and the 2021 World Series Finals.
Source: Based on an article from Darts World Magazine.
