2026 Flanders Darts Trophy Betting Preview – JP
2026 Flanders Darts Trophy Betting Preview
It’s going to be a busy weekend and we’ve already posted an in-depth Spanish GP preview, see that here. You can check out James Punt’s 2026 Flanders Darts Trophy outright betting preview and tips below.
2026 Flanders Darts Trophy
This will be the third Flanders Darts Trophy. Last year Luke Littler beat Josh Rock in the final and it was Dave Chisnall who won the inaugural event in 2024, beating Ricardo Pietreczko.
This is the first of the remaining three Euro Tour events before the European Championships. The clock is ticking for those players looking to make sure of qualification.
Stephen Bunting, Karel Sedlacek, Sebastain Bialecki, and even Gary Anderson are all still outside the top 32. Cullen, Wade, Huybrechts, Reyes and Schindler are provisionally qualified, but not yet safe. They are all on the entry list but Anderson indicated that Prague was his last roll of the dice. Wade withdrew from the last two Euro Tours, so he may be another no show.
World Grand Prix
Of more urgency is that this is the final qualifying event for the World Grand Prix. The top 16 in the PDC O.O.M. and the top 16 on the pro tour O.O.M. qualify. Those on that bubble are Cullen, Reyes, Bialecki, Huybrechts, Sedlacek and Schindler. They will be feeling the pressure.
Last weekend’s winner, Luke Littler was on the entry list but he said that he would look at his schedule before deciding if he would play in any of the remaining European tour events. Last week’s win moved him up to 4th on the European Championship O.O.M,so he really doesn’t need to, and on Tuesday he announced that he has withdrawn.
With the draw now made, we have four seeds out. The aforementioned Littler, Anderson as expected, Luke Humphries and Jonny Clayton.
That means Wattimena, Woodhouse, Schindler and Ratajski get promoted to seeded status.
The Seeds
1 Gian van Veen
Playing better but still lacking the consistency to be a likely winner. He has lost five of his last ten matches and is yet to win a Euro Tour title. Hard to fancy.
2 James Wade
Played really well when winning the Australian Darts Masters last month, but he has not played since his return to the UK nearly three weeks ago. It is hard to say what kind of form he will be in but having never won a Euro Tour title in his career, he is hard to back outright.
3 Michael van Gerwen
Reached the semi-final last weekend, where he was soundly beaten by Luke Littler. There are just too many better players than him around these days, and he will run into one of them sooner or later. At least the two Lukes are now absent, so that improves his chances, massively.
4 Josh Rock
Has lost five of his last ten matches, which is a fair reflection of his rather underwhelming recent form.
5 Gerwyn Price
Reached the semi-final last weekend and played well. He is getting himself back up to speed after couple of weeks off post World Series events.
The players have got the World Series finals (non-ranking) next weekend, then the last two remaining Euro Tour events. They are followed by the World Grand Prix, the European Championship, the Players Championship finals and then the World Championship. Now is the time to get some competitive practice in before the big money events come thick and fast.
Heavy Hitter
Price is still one of the heaviest scorers in the game but his tournament win rate is not what it once was. Even last season, Price won six titles. This season just two. Yes, he has played a lighter schedule, but he isn’t winning as much. You can say the same about many of the top players. Luke Litter is taking home the majority of the trophies.
Price has reached a Major final and two more Major semi-finals in 2026, and won a Euro Tour and made another final, and reached a semi-final from four played. However, he just can’t beat Luke Littler anymore. He has now lost his last ten matches with Littler, and his withdrawal really does improve Price’s chances of winning the title.
6 Stephen Bunting
Has not gone beyond the third round on the Euro Tour since the very first event in Poland back in February. That means he is still outside of the top 32 that will qualify for the European Championship. His overall form sees just three wins from his last ten matches. He isn’t playing badly, but he is losing.
Bunting hit a 103.23 average against Luke Woodhouse last weekend and lost 4-6. He is just low on confidence and maybe has got to the point of expecting to lose. His seasonal win rate is only 57% and that is not the kind of level an elite, top 10 player should have. Bunting needs to get a grip as the big money events loom.
He will face the winner of Dirk van Duijvenbode vs. Dolan, and he doesn’t have a winning H2H record with either.
7 Danny Noppert
Back to his old self after a lean run. A semi-finalist in Budapest and a quarter finalist in Prague. That is what Noppert has a reputation for. Good runs, big cheques, no titles. His A game is very good, his B game OK but his C game is poor and it still comes out too often when the winning post comes into view. His last four quarter finals have seen averages of 89,87, 90 and 89. Can’t be trusted outright.
8 Ryan Searle
In much the same rut as Bunting. He has only got past round three once in 2026 on the Euro Tour. He made a final when he did, and looks safe to make the European Championship, but he is getting too used to losing.
9 Chris Dobey
Still has problems on stage. He just can’t bring his floor form to the bigger stages. Dobey has reached a semi-final and two quarter finals on the Euro Tour but lost in five second round matches and in four third rounds. He should do better but rarely does.
10 Wessell Nijman
Was a title winning machine in the first six months of the year, with two Euro Tours and six Players Championships won, but his last title was nearly three months ago. He has lost four of his last seven matches and is just a little off the boil.
11 Nathan Aspinall
After a run of two quarter finals and semi, Aspinall fell at the first fence last weekend, going down 2-6 to Andrew Gilding. He usually beats Gilding, but he is vulnerable to slower, more deliberate players, and has recent loses to Mansell and Pietreczko. He needs a good pace to play his best.
The Asp enjoys these events and is playing with good consistency, hitting nine 95+ averages in his last ten, and his low was a 94. He should be hard to beat, so long as he gets the pace of play he needs.
The Asp has a good place in the draw. He is likely to face Niko Springer in round two and while they have never met before, he is likely to be favourite to win that.
12 Ross Smith
A two-time Euro Tour winner in 2026 and in the last eight events he has form figures of RU/3/W/2/SF/3/W/QF. He tops the Euro Tour O.O.M. The withdrawal of four seeds means Smudger is now in the second quarter and set for a clash with Gerwyn Price in the third round. That’s a repeat of last week’s quarter final, which Price won 6-4.
13 Jermaine Wattimena
Has reached a Euro Tour final in 2026 and is in good form, winning seven of his last ten matches. He won the recent PC27 and while he may have come off the boil a little, he can win matches. He has ended up in the same quarter as Price, Smith, Rock and Dobey, and he is likely to find one of them too much.
14 Luke Woodhouse
Has hit seven 97+averages in his last ten matches and is a hard player to beat these days. Having to play in the first round is a disadvantage but there are not many players, not called Luke, who are playing better than he is right now.
Getting promoted to seeded status improves his chances. Already a Euro Tour winner in 2026, Woodhouse can have a good run, given the right draw. He has ended up in the 4th quarter, but given his form, there is no reason to think he couldn’t make the semi-final and then its game on.
15 Martin Schindler
Really should have beaten Wessel Nijman in last week’s second round, and his game is almost back. He is still throwing too many stray darts, but his doubling was much improved last weekend. Maybe it is hard to see him go all the way, but he is becoming a more backable player again. Schindler has lost five of his last ten matches and a deep run seems unlikely, but you never know with a three-time Euro Tour winner.
16 Krzysztof Ratajski
Won ET 10 in July and more recently has won seven of his last ten matches. However, it would be hard to say that he is playing with the consistency needed to win the title. Two of his last three defeats were to Luke Littler, so Ratajski will be happy to see him not here this weekend. He has ended up in the first quarter and that does look quite open. If he can take advantage of a reasonable draw, Ratajski could have a good run.
Best of the Unseeded Players
To be honest, the best of the unseeded players have now been promoted to seeded status, and I am not seeing many live chances from those entering in round one.
Rob Cross
Has won seven of his last ten matches but looks to have come off the boil a little, losing three of his last five.
Kim Huybrechts
Has won seven of his last ten matches, but he is under the cosh here. He needs to make the third round to make the Grand Prix, and he is drawn against Bialecki in the first round. The young Pole needs to do the same and there is a lot riding on that match.
Sebastian Bialecki
Won PC26 in July and has won seven of his last ten matches. He made the semi-final in his last Euro Tour event, so he is playing his way into contention for the big events.
2026 Flanders Darts Trophy: The Draw
First Quarter
This looks up for grabs for whomever can take their chances. Van Veen is the top seed, but has lost five of his last ten matches, as has Ryan Searle. Ratajski is a bit inconsistent, but has won seven of his last ten matches, and is a Euro Tour winner in 2026 already.
The other seed is Disappointing Dobey. He has the talent to win but maybe not the mentality. Of the first-round entrants, Doets has the ability, but his form is inconsistent.
It is hard to fancy many in this quarter, but maybe Ratajski can grind his way to the semi-final.
Second Quarter
This looks very dependent on the Ross Smith vs. Gerwyn Price match, should they make the third round (they will). Price was the victor when they met last week and he is my pick for this quarter.
Third Quarter
James Wade returns after a few weeks off. He was in great form the last time we saw him, but who knows now. His record on the Euro Tour is poor for a player of his ability. Schindler is getting there, but not yet banker material to win a match, never mind a title.
Danny Noppert is never a good outright bet, and Wessel Nijman is not quite at his best. This is as tricky as the first quarter. Nijman only won one match last weekend, but he played well enough. As a two-time Euro Tour title winner in 2026, he gets qualified support.
Fourth Quarter
MVG, Woodhouse, Bunting and Aspinall are the four seeds. Woodhouse is in good form, MVG is hard to fancy, ditto Bunting. Aspinall is always worthy of consideration in these events.
Woodhouse and Aspinall are already Euro Tour winners in 2026, and Woodhouse makes the most appeal, given his consistency. He has also reached the quarter finals here for the last two years, and that was from the first-round stage. It is a tough group with lots of the first-round entrants capable of beating a seed.
2026 Flanders Darts Trophy Selections
The two players who make the most appeal for an outright bet, in opposite sides of the draw are Gerwyn Price, and Luke Woodhouse. Both are going for their second title of the year and playing good stuff. I was going to leave there, but the first quarter looks open and Ratajski, a three time Euro Tour winner, is a decent price.
