Get ready for the UK Open 2026, often dubbed the ‘FA Cup of Darts,’ kicking off this Friday in Minehead, England. This unique major tournament features a massive field of 160 players, including a record 20 German-speaking stars, battling it out across eight boards with a completely free draw after each session – meaning top players could clash surprisingly early! Defending champion Luke Littler is the hot favourite, but the open format ensures drama and potential upsets. With a whopping £750,000 prize fund, including £120,000 for the winner, and extensive coverage, this weekend is set to be a darting spectacle you won’t want to miss.
The ‘FA Cup of Darts’: An Unpredictable Format
The UK Open 2026, starting this Friday in Minehead, England, is a standout event on the PDC calendar, famously known as the “FA Cup of Darts”. Its unique appeal lies in its completely open and unseeded draw after each session. Unlike most tournaments where top players are protected, here, anyone can meet anyone at any stage, leading to exhilarating and often unexpected matchups from the very start.
Who’s Playing? A Massive Field of 160
This year’s UK Open is one of the PDC’s largest major tournaments, matching the Winmau World Masters with an incredible 160 participants. The field is a mix of seasoned professionals and rising stars:
- All 128 Tour Card holders are automatically qualified. This is a fantastic opportunity for new Tour Card holders to experience a major event early in their careers.
- The top 32 players in the world rankings receive a bye directly to the fourth round.
- Players ranked 33-64 enter in the third round.
- Players ranked 65-96 start their journey in the second round.
- The remaining 32 Tour Card holders compete in the first round against 32 qualifiers.
The 32 qualifiers add a truly amateur flavour to the tournament, earning their spots through:
- The top 8 players from the 2025 Challenge Tour Order of Merit who don’t hold a Tour Card.
- The top 8 players from the 2025 Development Tour Order of Merit who don’t hold a Tour Card.
- 16 winners from one-day amateur qualifiers held across various locations. This means you could see genuine amateurs competing against the world’s best!
The Schedule: A Weekend of Darts Marathon
The tournament unfolds over three days, with action spread across eight boards, including a main stage, a secondary stage, and six additional boards.
- Friday (Day 1): The first three rounds are played in the afternoon. All matches are “best of 11 legs.” In the evening, the top 32 players join the fray for the fourth round. Crucially, the draw for this round (and all subsequent rounds) is completely random, meaning the world’s top two players could potentially face off on Friday night! Matches from the fourth round onwards are “best of 19 legs.”
- Saturday (Day 2): Rounds 5 and the Last 16 take place, continuing with the “best of 19 legs” format.
- Sunday (Day 3): The intensity ramps up with the Quarter-finals (best of 19 legs) in the afternoon, culminating in the Semi-finals and the Grand Final in the evening, both played as “best of 21 legs.” The champion will need to win 11 legs to lift the trophy.
Prize Money: A Share of £750,000
The stakes are high at the UK Open, with a substantial total prize fund of £750,000. Here’s a breakdown of what players are competing for:
- Winner: £120,000
- Runner-Up: £60,000
- Semi-finalists: £35,000
- Quarter-finalists: £20,000
- Last 16: £12,500
- Last 32: £7,500
- Last 64: £3,000
- Last 96: £2,000
- Last 128: £1,250
Favorites & Dark Horses: Who Will Conquer Minehead?
Defending champion Luke Littler enters the tournament as the clear favourite. His recent triumph on the European Tour, despite some Premier League challenges, shows he can switch gears when it matters most, especially in the longer “best of 19” and “best of 21” formats where the top 32 players begin their campaigns.
Other Premier League stars to watch include Luke Humphries, despite a recent dip in form, and Gian van Veen, who has shown consistent quality. Welsh giants Jonny Clayton and Gerwyn Price have been in top form, and Stephen Bunting recently secured a Premier League night win, proving his capabilities.
Keep an eye on Michael van Gerwen, whose performance will depend on his recovery from recent issues. Among the dark horses are James Wade, last year’s finalist and a proven winner this season, and Danny Noppert (2022 champion), who often flies under the radar but consistently performs at an elite level.
On a challenging note, Belgium’s Dimitri Van den Bergh will lose the prize money from his 2024 triumph from his ranking, which could see him drop out of the world’s top 32 – a significant blow.
A Record-Breaking German-Speaking Contingent
The UK Open 2026 boasts a new record for German-speaking participants, with a total of 20 players from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
- Austria: Mensur Suljovic and Rusty-Jake Rodriguez.
- Switzerland: Stefan Bellmont, who will open his campaign on the main stage against World Championship Last 16 player Charlie Manby – a tough draw similar to his match against Beau Greaves last year.
- Germany:
- Martin Schindler enters the tournament on Friday evening, still awaiting his opponent.
- Lukas Wenig faces a potentially close contest against Mensur Suljovic.
- Ricardo Pietreczko has drawn one of the toughest possible opponents in Kevin Doets on Stage 2.
- Gabriel Clemens will face the winner of Sebastian Bialecki and Christian Kist – both in good form, as is Clemens himself.
- Niko Springer is seeded for the third round and could face a path dominated by fellow German players. In the first round, Matthias Ehlers plays Marvin Kraft, with the winner facing Kai Gotthardt or Daniel Lee, and that winner then playing Springer.
- New Tour Card holders like Arno Merk, Yorick Hofkens, and Pascal Rupprecht start in Round 1.
- A German-speaking duel is set between Michael Unterbuchner and Rusty-Jake Rodriguez, with the in-form Unterbuchner potentially being the favourite.
- Max Hopp, Maximilian Czerwinski, Leon Weber, and Dominik Grüllich all enter in Round 2, with Hopp perhaps having the best chance for a deeper run given his form and potential draw.
How to Watch: Catch All the Darts Action
Fans can follow all the excitement of the UK Open 2026 through various broadcasting options:
- Live Coverage: Extensive live coverage will be available through dedicated sports channels like Sport1 and streaming services such as DAZN, which often provides a conference view across multiple boards.
- Main Stage: Matches from the main stage will be broadcast with dedicated commentary.
- All Other Boards: For those who want to watch every dart thrown, all matches from the other seven boards will be available via official PDC streaming platforms like PDC.TV.
Check local sports broadcasters and official PDC streaming services for specific details and schedules in your region.
Full List of Participants by Entry Round
Here’s a detailed look at all the participants, grouped by their entry round:
Top 32 Tour Card Holders (Enter in Round of 64)
- Luke Littler
- Luke Humphries
- Gian van Veen
- Michael van Gerwen
- Jonny Clayton
- Stephen Bunting
- Gary Anderson
- James Wade
- Josh Rock
- Gerwyn Price
- Danny Noppert
- Chris Dobey
- Ryan Searle
- Nathan Aspinall
- Ross Smith
- Martin Schindler
- Jermaine Wattimena
- Damon Heta
- Mike De Decker
- Rob Cross
- Luke Woodhouse
- Dave Chisnall
- Daryl Gurney
- Wessel Nijman
- Ryan Joyce
- Dimitri van den Bergh
- Krzysztof Ratajski
- Ritchie Edhouse
- Cameron Menzies
- Dirk van Duijvenbode
- Andrew Gilding
- Michael Smith
Tour Card Holders Ranked 33-64 (Enter in Round of 96)
- Peter Wright
- Ricardo Pietreczko
- Joe Cullen
- Raymond van Barneveld
- Kevin Doets
- Martin Lukeman
- Callan Rydz
- Niels Zonneveld
- Ricky Evans
- William O’Connor
- Brendan Dolan
- Scott Williams
- Madars Razma
- Gabriel Clemens
- Mickey Mansell
- Connor Scutt
- Jeffrey de Graaf
- James Hurrell
- Justin Hood
- Alan Soutar
- Niko Springer
- Ian White
- Mensur Suljovic
- Ryan Meikle
- Richard Veenstra
- Keane Barry
- Thibault Tricole
- Nick Kenny
- Kim Huybrechts
- Lukas Wenig
- Karel Sedlacek
- Mario Vandenbogaerde
Tour Card Holders Ranked 65-96 (Enter in Round of 128)
- Rob Owen
- Bradley Brooks
- Cam Crabtree
- Wesley Plaisier
- Sebastian Bialecki
- Max Hopp
- Adam Lipscombe
- Cor Dekker
- Dominik Grüllich
- Darryl Pilgrim
- Tom Bissell
- Maik Kuivenhoven
- Andy Boulton
- Tavis Dudeney
- Christian Kist
- Jim Long
- Oskar Lukasiak
- Thomas Lovely
- Leon Weber
- Viktor Tingström
- Marvin van Velzen
- Dennie Olde Kalter
- Adam Warner
- Greg Ritchie
- Adam Paxton
- Adam Gawlas
- Maximilian Czerwinski
- Shane McGuirk
- Jimmy van Schie
- Stefaan Henderyck
- Tytus Kanik
- Beau Greaves
Tour Card Holders Ranked 97-128 (Enter in Round of 160)
- Cristo Reyes
- Kai Gotthardt
- David Sharp
- Rusty-Jake Rodriguez
- Carl Sneyd
- Tom Sykes
- Owen Bates
- Charlie Manby
- Jurjen van der Velde
- Stephen Burton
- Pero Ljubic
- Stefan Bellmont
- Rhys Griffin
- Alexander Merkx
- Jeffrey de Zwaan
- Darius Labanauskas
- Niall Culleton
- Samuel Price
- Arno Merk
- Marvin Kraft
- Stephen Rosney
- Mervyn King
- Adam Leek
- Jeffrey Sparidaans
- Chris Landman
- Benjamin Pratnemer
- Pascal Rupprecht
- Yorick Hofkens
- Sietse Lap
- Tyler Thorpe
- Filip Bereza
- Matthias Ehlers
Qualifiers (Enter in Round of 160)
Top 8 Development Tour OoM 2025 (without Tour Card)
- Jamai van den Herik
- Ryan Branley
- James Beeton
- Jenson Walker
- Jannis Barkhausen
- Patrik Williams
- Nathan Potter
- Henry Coates
Top 8 Challenge Tour OoM 2025 (without Tour Card)
- Ted Evetts
- Michael Unterbuchner
- Jack Tweddell
- Sam Spivey
- Scott Waites
- Scott Campbell
- Danny van Trijp
- Graham Hall
16 PDC Amateur Qualifiers
- Jack Todd
- Neil Wild
- Sean Ryan
- Daniel Lee
- Oliver King
- Clive Langford
- Kyle Gilding
- Callum Francis
- Callum Goffin
- Simon Stevenson
- Graham Usher
- Ron Meulenkamp
- Lewis Pearse
- Aden Kirk
- Jake Eichen
- Samuel Whittaker
Source: Based on an article from dartn.de.
