Littler's 114.47 average headlines European Championship darts as van Veen title defence ends

Luke Littler produced one of the highest averages in the history of the PDC European Championship on Saturday night, beating Nathan Aspinall 10-5 with a 114.47 average at the Westfalenhalle in Dortmund. On the same day, defending champion Gian van Veen was knocked out by Luke Woodhouse, leaving an open field for finals day on Sunday, when the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final are all played.

Littler close to a Phil Taylor record

Littler set the tone early, winning the first four legs in 12, 11, 12 and 11 darts to lead 4-0 while averaging above 130. Aspinall fought back strongly, hitting ten 180s, three more than Littler, and cut the gap to 5-4. Littler then pulled clear again to win 10-5.

His 114.47 is the second-highest average in the tournament's history, behind Phil Taylor's 118.14. After the match, Littler said: "I felt really good from the off." The European Championship is one of the few major titles Littler has yet to win, and he remains on course to claim it for the first time.

Woodhouse ends van Veen's reign

Woodhouse, who hit a nine-darter in his opening-round win over Dirk van Duijvenbode on Thursday, beat van Veen 10-6 with checkouts of 114, 117 and 129. Van Veen's exit means top seed Ross Smith, the 2022 champion, is the only former winner left in the draw. Woodhouse plays Smith in the first quarter-final.

The rest of round two

Smith built a 5-0 lead over Damon Heta before winning 10-7. Gerwyn Price beat Cameron Menzies 10-4 to reach the last eight for the first time in three years, while Stephen Bunting beat Kim Huybrechts 10-3 for his first quarter-final at this event since 2014.

In the evening, Krzysztof Ratajski recovered from 4-0 and 8-6 down to beat Kevin Doets 10-8, home favourite Martin Schindler beat Jermaine Wattimena 10-4, and Jonny Clayton held off Josh Rock 10-8. Doets had knocked out Michael van Gerwen 6-3 in the first round on Friday.

Finals day schedule in Malaysia time

Germany switched back to Central European Time overnight, so the afternoon session starts at 1pm in Dortmund, which is 8pm in Malaysia. The quarter-finals, all best of 19 legs, are Smith v Woodhouse, Price v Bunting, Schindler v Clayton and Ratajski v Littler.

The semi-finals, best of 21 legs, begin at 7pm in Dortmund, or 2am Monday in Malaysia. The winner of Smith v Woodhouse meets the winner of Price v Bunting, and the Schindler-Clayton winner faces the Ratajski-Littler winner. The final, also best of 21 legs, is scheduled for around 9.30pm local time, which is about 4.30am Monday in Malaysia. The champion receives £150,000.

Key takeaways

• Luke Littler beat Nathan Aspinall 10-5 with a 114.47 average, second only to Phil Taylor's 118.14 in the event's history.
• Luke Woodhouse beat defending champion Gian van Veen 10-6.
• Ross Smith, the 2022 winner, is the only former champion left.
• Quarter-finals start at 8pm Sunday Malaysia time, and the final is around 4.30am Monday.

FAQ

Where is the 2026 European Championship darts being played? At the Westfalenhalle in Dortmund, Germany, from 22 to 25 October 2026.

Who is Luke Littler's quarter-final opponent? Littler faces Poland's Krzysztof Ratajski in the fourth quarter-final on Sunday afternoon.

How much does the European Championship winner earn? The champion takes home £150,000.

Sources: Sky Sports, Darts Planet TV, darts1.de, Flashscore, Darts World