Michael van Gerwen and Rob Cross among stars handed huge boost thanks to European Championship change
The European Championship takes centre stage in Dortmund on October 22, and several PDC stars, including Michael van Gerwen and Rob Cross, have been handed a boost before the tournament begins.
Eight months after the first dart was thrown on the European Tour, the top 32 players in the competition's Order of Merit will battle to win the lucrative £150,000 prize in Dortmund.
Gian van Veen is the reigning champion after beating Luke Humphries 11-10 in last year's final to win his first major PDC title, and the Dutchman will be one to watch after averaging a record 120.24 in the final European Tour event of the year in the Netherlands.
Michael van Gerwen and Rob Cross handed boost before European Championship starts
The European Championship is the only major title Luke Littler needs to win to complete a career Grand Slam at the age of 19, and he can join Van Gerwen and Phil Taylor as the only players to achieve a clean sweep by winning at the Westfalenhalle venue.
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Littler is expected to receive a hostile reception from the crowd after previously boycotting events in Germany over crowd trouble, but it isn't just drama involving the world No.1 that is creating an interesting subplot.
For every player, it's an opportunity to win some invaluable prize money to strengthen their position in the Order of Merit ahead of the World Darts Championship, with Van Gerwen and Rob Cross set to benefit most from the increase in prize money from £600,000 in 2025 to £750,000 in 2026.
That is because Van Gerwen - currently world No. 11 - and Cross (No. 22) both lost in the first round of the 2024 European Championship, meaning whatever they do at this year's tournament will replace their result from two years ago.
This presents both players with a huge chance to jump up the rankings before the world's, and in turn, put themselves in a better position for a favourable draw at Alexandra Palace.
Gerwyn Price also finds himself in a similar position to his darting rivals. He suffered a first-round exit to Daryl Gurney two years ago, but a strong performance in Dortmund can cement his place in fourth.
Full European Championship prize money breakdown
Cross ironically plays Price in the first round of the European Championship this evening (October 22), while Van Gerwen has an all-Dutch clash with Kevin Doets on October 23.
A defeat for Van Gerwen, in particular, would only add to what has been an incredibly challenging year for the 37-year-old, who is at risk of dropping out of the PDC's top 16 for the first time in 14 years.
The former three-time world champion has looked like a shadow of his former self on the oche and has failed to make it past the first round of any major event in his last two attempts, most recently losing to Ryan Joyce at the World Grand Prix.
However, the 'Green Machine' has won more European Championships than any other player (4) - tied with Taylor - since its inception in 2008, so if he can roll back the years, there is some huge prize money up for grabs.
Here is a full breakdown of the prize money available:
Winner - £150,000
Runner-up - £80,000
Semi-finalists - £50,000
Quarter-finalists - £35,000
Second round - £20,000
First round - £7,500
Topics: Darts, Michael van Gerwen, Luke Littler
Thomas Griffin