Luke Humphries withdraws from Dutch Darts Championship as Gian van Veen becomes top seed in Maastricht

Luke Humphries has withdrawn from the Dutch Darts Championship, the final event on the 2026 PDC European Tour, which runs from Friday, 16 October to Sunday, 18 October at the MECC in Maastricht. Joe Cullen has also pulled out, and the draw published on Thursday installs Gian van Veen as top seed.

Humphries rests, Cullen sacrifices Dortmund hopes

According to DartsNews, Humphries made a late decision to take a week off before the European Championship in Dortmund. Cullen's withdrawal carries a heavier cost: he was 34th on the European Tour Order of Merit, £3,500 behind Stephen Bunting in the last qualifying place, and Maastricht was his final chance to make the Dortmund field. He will now miss the European Championship for a second year running.

Belgium's Mike De Decker and Northern Ireland's Daryl Gurney take the two vacant places as the highest-ranked losers from the deciding round of the Tour Card Holder Qualifier.

Clayton starts his defence on Saturday

Jonny Clayton, who won the title in 2025 and arrives fresh from victory at the Swiss Darts Trophy in Basel, is seeded third and will face Damon Heta or Dutch debutant Maikel Verberk in round two. Michael van Gerwen, seeded fourth, meets William O'Connor or Richard Veenstra, while second seed Gerwyn Price returns to the European Tour against the winner of Niko Springer and Scott Williams. Van Veen opens against Sebastian Bialecki or Gurney.

Seeded players enter in round two on Saturday, 17 October. Bunting, the sixth seed, faces Cameron Menzies or Nick Kenny as he tries to protect his place in the top 32.

Van Barneveld misses out

The four host-nation qualifiers were decided in Maastricht on Thursday afternoon: Jimmy van Schie, Heine Uuldriks, Richard Veenstra and Maikel Verberk. Veenstra beat Raymond van Barneveld 6-3 in the final qualifying round, a blow for the five-time world champion, who missed several darts at doubles and now needs strong results in the remaining Players Championship events to secure a World Championship place.

Friday's first round and Malaysia times

Friday's afternoon session starts at 1pm local time (7pm in Malaysia) with eight first-round matches, including Karel Sedlacek v Callan Rydz, Dave Chisnall v Jonas Masalin and Dirk van Duijvenbode v James Hurrell. The evening session at 7pm local time (1am Saturday in Malaysia) includes Heta v Verberk and 2023 world champion Michael Smith against Stephen Burton. Saturday follows the same session times, and Sunday's evening session, from 1am Monday in Malaysia, settles the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final. The event carries a £230,000 prize fund, with £35,000 for the winner.

Key takeaways

• Luke Humphries and Joe Cullen have withdrawn; Mike De Decker and Daryl Gurney replace them.
• Gian van Veen is top seed, with Price second, Clayton third and Van Gerwen fourth.
• Cullen's absence ends his hopes of playing the European Championship in Dortmund.
• Raymond van Barneveld lost 6-3 to Richard Veenstra in the host-nation qualifier.
• Play starts at 7pm Malaysia time on Friday, 16 October.

FAQ

Why did Luke Humphries withdraw from the Dutch Darts Championship? Reports say he decided late to take a week off before the European Championship in Dortmund.

Who is the defending champion in Maastricht? Jonny Clayton, who won the title in 2025 and is seeded third this year.

What time does the Dutch Darts Championship start in Malaysia? The first session begins at 1pm local time on Friday, 16 October, which is 7pm in Malaysia.

Sources: DartsNews, Darts World