Stephen Bunting will begin his defence of the Swiss Darts Trophy against Jeffrey de Graaf or Sietse Lap, as the race for European Championship qualification continues in Basel this weekend.
The year’s penultimate European Tour event will take place at St Jakobshalle from October 9-11, with newly-crowned World Grand Prix champion Luke Humphries also set to star in the Swiss capital.
Friday’s opening round will see 16 matches take place across the day, as 2022/23 World Champion Michael Smith marks his return to European Tour action against Wales’ Rob Owen.
Scotland’s number two Cameron Menzies faces Spanish star Cristo Reyes in his opener, while Menzies’ compatriot Alan Soutar takes on eight-time European Tour title winner Dave Chisnall.
Sebastian Bialecki and Karel Sedlacek – both recent Players Championship winners – lock horns for a place in round two, as Slovak Darts Open runner-up Rob Cross meets Belgian veteran Mario Vandenbogaerde.
Dutch duo Raymond van Barneveld and Maik Kuivenhoven will also go head-to-head, with World Grand Prix quarter-finalist Niels Zonneveld up against former World Youth Champion Bradley Brooks.
The top 16 players on the PDC Werner Rankings Ladder will enter the tournament in round two on Saturday, as top seed Humphries begins his challenge against Kevin Doets or Nick Kenny.
European Champion Gian van Veen will play Niko Springer or Host Nation representative Roman Wellinger, with Jonny Clayton guaranteed Dutch opposition in the form of Van Barneveld or Kuivenhoven.
Flanders Darts Trophy winner James Wade faces a potential opener against Dirk van Duijvenbode, as the left-hander eyes back-to-back European Tour titles on Swiss soil.
Dutch superstar Michael van Gerwen kicks off his campaign against Mensur Suljovic or Gyorgy Jehirszki, while sixth seed Josh Rock opens his bid against Chisnall or Soutar.
Reigning champion Bunting has been pitted against Swedish star De Graaf or Dutch qualifier Lap, with Wessel Nijman up against either Bialecki or Sedlacek for a place in the last 16.
Former European Champion Ross Smith plays either William O’Connor or Finland’s Jani Haavisto, before Martin Schindler – the inaugural Swiss Darts Trophy winner in 2024 – takes on Joe Cullen or Tom Bissell.
Following the conclusion of Saturday’s action, the last 16 will return to the stage on Sunday, with play getting underway from the earlier time of 1200 CEST (1100 BST).
The tournament then concludes with the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final in a blockbuster evening session, which begins from 1800 CEST (1700 BST).
Live coverage of the Swiss Darts Trophy will be streamed on DAZN for viewers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, with additional coverage available on CANAL+ SPORT 5 and via the CANAL+ streaming service in Poland.
Coverage will also be broadcast on PDCTV (excluding Germany, Austria and Switzerland) and through bookmakers’ websites worldwide.
2026 Swiss Darts Trophy (ET14)
Tournament Draw Bracket – Second Round Onwards
Players seeded based on PDC Ranking position
(6) Josh Rock v Dave Chisnall/Alan Soutar
(11) Wessel Nijman v Sebastian Bialecki/Karel Sedlacek
(3) Jonny Clayton v Raymond van Barneveld/Maik Kuivenhoven
(14) Luke Woodhouse v Rob Cross/Mario Vandenbogaerde
(7) Stephen Bunting v Jeffrey de Graaf/Sietse Lap
(10) Chris Dobey v Niels Zonneveld/Bradley Brooks
(2) Gian van Veen v Niko Springer/Roman Wellinger
(15) Martin Schindler v Joe Cullen/Tom Bissell
(5) Michael van Gerwen v Mensur Suljovic/Gyorgy Jehirszki
(12) Ross Smith v William O’Connor/Jani Haavisto
(4) James Wade v Dirk van Duijvenbode/Bruno Stoeckli
(13) Jermaine Wattimena v Michael Smith/Rob Owen
(8) Danny Noppert v Damon Heta/Alex Fehlmann
(9) Ryan Searle v Cameron Menzies/Cristo Reyes
(1) Luke Humphries v Kevin Doets/Nick Kenny
(16) Krzysztof Ratajski v Andrew Gilding/Stefan Bellmont
