The 2026 European Tour season begins this Friday afternoon with the Poland Darts Open in Krakow, marking the tour's first-ever event in Poland. A 48-player field will compete for a £230,000 prize fund, with £35,000 going to the winner. Top names including Luke Littler, Michael van Gerwen, Luke Humphries, Gian van Veen, and Gerwyn Price are all in attendance for the historic opener.
The afternoon session features eight first-round matches, headlined by Cameron Menzies' return to the stage. Menzies makes his first TV appearance since his dramatic World Darts Championship exit, where he lost in the first round to Charlie Manby and later injured his hand by punching a table. He faces Ritchie Edhouse, who qualified via the Tour Card Holder Qualifier by defeating Stephen Burton, Stefan Bellmont, and Niall Culleton. The pair have met once before on the European Tour, with Menzies winning.
Other notable matches include William O'Connor against Andreas Harrysson, who qualified via the Nordic and Baltic Qualifier after impressing at the World Championship; Ryan Joyce versus Boris Krcmar, who edged Andras Borbely 6-5 in the East European Qualifier final; and Luke Woodhouse, now ranked 21st in the world, taking on Tour Card newcomer Carl Sneyd. Host Nation Qualifiers Piotr Maciejczak and Miroslaw Grudziecki will also make their marks, with Maciejczak defeating Radek Szaganski, Sebastian Steyer, Jakub Pietrzyk, and Jakub Janaszkiewicz to earn his PDC debut.
Further action sees Niels Zonneveld face Maciejczak, Andrew Gilding meet Jeffrey de Graaf—who holds a 2-1 head-to-head advantage—and Jermaine Wattimena take on Grudziecki. The session concludes with Dave Chisnall, who has slipped to 22nd in the Order of Merit, facing Darryl Pilgrim. Pilgrim returns to the European Tour stage for the first time since June 2025 after qualifying with wins over Tavis Dudeney, Arno Merk, and Kim Huybrechts.
