2026 Hungarian Darts Trophy Preview – JP
2026 Hungarian Darts Trophy Betting Preview
We are finally back in action on the Euro Tour after a Luke Littler procession in the World Matchplay. James Punt’s 2026 Hungarian Darts Trophy betting preview and tips are below.
2026 Hungarian Darts Trophy
This will be the sixth Hungarian Darts Trophy and the first five produced five different winners, and five different runners up. Gerwyn Price won in 2021, Joe Cullen in 2022, Dave Chisnall in 2023, MVG in 2024 and Niko Springer won last year.
The line up for this year’s event does not include Luke Littler (presumably Hungary is too close to Germany) which means we have a competitive event! No doubt we will see various withdrawals. Gary Anderson is on the entry list but he never turns up.
Including this weekend, there are five more Euro Tour events before the European Championships. There is no need to panic just yet but we have players like Stephen Bunting, Michael Smith, Daryl Gurney and Mike De Decker still not in the list of provisional qualifiers. Former champion Dave Chisnall is only just on the list, as is Joe Cullen, so there are a few big names who could do with a good run.
History will be made this weekend as Beau Greaves will be the first female player to play in a Euro Tour event.
First Day Back
The tournament has a bit of a first day back at school feel to it with most players not having played for a while before this week’s two Players Championship events and Mondays World Series qualifier. It was noticeable that the standard of play in this week’s events were below expectations as the players returned from the summer break.
We have had nine different winners from the first ten Euro Tour events, with the only two-time winner being Wessel Nijman. The early tournaments were won by top seeded players such as Littler, Humphries, Aspinall, Price and Rock, but the last four were won by Ross Smith, Luke Woodhouse, Nijman and Ratajski, all seeded tenth or higher.
Many of the big names have been avoiding the Euro Tour and that has allowed some of the less fancied players to reach finals and win titles. Maybe we will see a few more of the big names returning
2026 Hungarian Darts Trophy: The Seeds
1 Luke Humphries
Had not played any competitive darts since losing in the first round of the World Matchplay some five weeks ago. That makes judging his form difficult, but that will be a common theme running through this preview. Humphries returned to competitive action this week, losing in the first round of PC27, but winning PC28 the next day.
He commented that he was very rusty and that his throwing arm got tired in the later matches. He was optimistic that he will now be up to speed for this weekend.
2 Gian van Veen
Played in the two World Series events in New Zealand and Australia earlier this month. He decided to have a few days off after his return to Europe and didn’t play in this week’s Players Championships. His form remains indifferent at best.
Van Veen reached the semi-final of PC26 at the end of July, but he had an easy draw and got away with four sub 90 averages on his way to the semi-final. His World Series events saw him win just two first round matches, but he did play a little better. He has lost eight of his last twelve Euro Tour matches and remains hard to fancy.
3 Michael van Gerwen
Another Dutchman in a slump. The ever-slimmer MVG isn’t the player he once was in more ways than one, and while he has a new beau in his life, his game remains on the back burner.
He took a long break after his second-round loss at the Matchplay, but returned to action in this week’s Players Championships. He played four matches, losing two, and while he hit one ton plus average, it was another disappointing display.
MVG is down to 7th in the PDC world rankings, but he isn’t even that good. He has lost five of his last ten Euro Tour matches.
4 Jonny Clayton
A winner Down Under when he won the New Zealand Masters. He is playing quite well, with reasonable consistency, but is not quite at his best. The Ferret has only played six Euro Tour events in 2026 but was runner up in the Belgian Darts Open in late March, so he is under no pressure to qualify for the European Championship.
He could have a decent run, but three finals in three years on the Euro Tour is not that great for the world number five.
5 James Wade
Withdrew after the draw was made.
6 Josh Rock
Decided to skip this week’s Players Championships after his return from Down Under, as did all of the players on that trip. Rock won just two first round matches in the two World Series events and he is still lacking any great consistency.
He won the Austrian Darts Open in May and has won ten of his seventeen matches in Europe in 2026. Rock has reached two quarter finals and semi-final here, so He should be expected to win a few matches.
7 Stephen Bunting
Maybe starting to feel the heat. He needs to win his first match to pick up any ranking money, and he needs it. Just outside the top 32 in the European Championship qualifying list, Bunting has underperformed on the Euro Tour. He has lost four of his eight opening matches on the Euro Tour this season, and won just five matches overall.
Bunting has four more chances after this, and he should be fine, but his latest form sees just four wins from his last ten matches and he is struggling to turn decent performances into wins.
8 Danny Noppert
Played some good stuff in this week’s Players Championships, hitting a ton plus average and three 97+. However, he will have left feeling frustrated having missed six match darts to beat Humphries in PC28. He bottled it big time.
Noppert just isn’t a winner. He has never won a Euro Tour title, hasn’t won a Players Championship for over two years, never won a World Series event and his only major title was gift wrapped and handed to him on a plate by Michael Smith back in 2022.
9 Ryan Searle
Another player who has never won a Euro Tour title. He was runner up in the International Darts Open back in May, but outside of that he has won just four matches in Europe this season. His game seems to have regressed. His win rate is a healthy 65% but 2024 apart, he has rarely impressed on the Euro Tour.
Heavy Metal isn’t a great traveller and turning up for these events and going home after a match or two must be difficult for him. Searle played in PC27 on Tuesday reaching the fourth round but didn’t play on Wednesday. That means he has played five matches in the last in the last month. It is difficult to say what his prospects are, but it is hard to think he will go deep.
10 Gary Anderson
I can’t believe that I am having to preview Gary Anderson’s chances at a Euro Tour event. I still expect him to not show up, but as of 9.00am on the morning of the first round, his name is still in the draw. Maybe he is just having a stab at one in the hope of having a good run and making the European Championships.
Anderson didn’t play in the Players Championships this week. He was probably tired after not playing for five weeks. It is impossible to say how he is playing, but what we do know is that he doesn’t like travelling and he doesn’t much care for the Euro Tour. He entered two Euro Tour events earlier in the season and lost both his opening matches.
That leaves him in 154th place in the European Championship O.O.M. on £0.00. He will probably need circa £35k to qualify. Anderson has won a title on the Euro Tour in the last two years, and maybe he thinks that he can do it again.
11 Chris Dobey
The 5th highest average over the last 12 months, has a seasonal win rate of 69% and has won two Players Championship titles in 2026, but he is very hard to fancy. Dobey has only ever reached one Euro Tour final, losing that way back in 2019.
He has never reached a ranking major final and has lost nine quarter finals across all events in 2026. He is a bit of a British Danny Noppert. Dobey has lost four of his last five opening matches on the Euro Tour in 2026.
12 Wessel Nijman
The most prolific title winner outside of Luke Littler in 2026. Nijman played this week’s two Players Championships and reached the semi-final on Tuesday, but was off his game on Wednesday, averaging just 88.80 across three matches. I suppose he can’t be good all the time.
Nijman hasn’t won a title since picking up the Slovak Darts Open in late June. That was his second Euro Tour title of 2026. Most recently, Nijman has lost eight of his last twenty-two matches. That’s a win rate of 64%, well down on his seasonal win rate of 79%.
13 Ross Smith
Made his World Series debut this month, but lost both his first round matches in New Zealand and Australia. It is a long way to go to lose two matches, both 5-6 to home players. Two matches in the five weeks, with a trip halfway round the world and back. That can’t be great for confidence.
However, Smith has won two Players Championships in 2026, and a Euro Tour title, so is having a good season overall. He has just dropped to 17th in the world rankings and that will have hurt, so maybe he will be fully motivated to get that place back with a good run here. He is just £1.5k behind Jermain Wattimena, who knocked him off the top 16 perch.
14 Nathan Aspinall
Newly wed Aspinall will be feeling good. Had four weeks off after the Matchplay to get hitched and have his honeymoon. The Asp returned to action in this week’s Players Championships and played well enough, averaging 96.80 across five matches. Losing to Pietreczko and Mansell wasn’t ideal, but it knocked the rust off.
He reached the quarter finals of the last two Euro Tour events and his plan is now to get his head down and get back to his best for the big money events ahead.
15 Jermaine Wattimena
Runner up in the European Darts Open, the last event on the tour in early July, Wattimena went on holiday to America, and he played a lot of darts while he was there, including winning the CDC Classic, and he returned to win PC 27 on Tuesday, beating Luke Littler in the quarter final. That will have done his confidence no end of good.
He has won 17 of his last 18 matches, albeit most were on the North American circuit. He also put into play his new darts, so he will be feeling very good about things. That PC 27 win put him up to 16th in the World rankings.
He has now won three PDC titles and had a very strong run of performances at the business end of 2025. Maybe this is his time of year? Maybe he can get his first Euro title? He is a player of interest when he is in good form.
16 Luke Woodhouse
Enjoying his best season ever, as was the case last year. His win rate is 68%, he has won on the Euro Tour and got a Players Championship title. Earlier this week he reached the semi-final of PC27 and the quarter final of PC28.
Woody has won eight of his last ten matches and playing with a good level of consistency. He is one of the form players in the field and could have another big run.
Best of the Rest
Kevin Doets
A seasonal win rate of 74% and his recent form is good, with a runner up spot in PC27 on Tuesday. I wouldn’t say he played his best that day, but a win is a win. His Players Championship title win came in May, and he was runner up on the Euro Tour a few days later, so maybe he is coming to the boil again? A contender.
Rob Cross
Returned to action this week and qualified for the World Series finals at the tour card holders’ event on Monday and reached the fourth round of PC27 ON Tuesday. He took Wednesday off but he is in good form, winning eight of his last ten matches.
Cross was runner up in ET9 and has reached two other quarter finals in the last five events. He has also won a Players Championship title this season and is easy to fancy having a good run this weekend.
Krzysztof Ratajski
Winner of the European Darts Open last time out on the Euro Tour. The Polish Eagle had two other semi-finals earlier in the year. He hasn’t played great since winning that title but has still won seven of his last ten matches and was a quarter finalist on Wednesday, only just losing out to Luke Littler. His scoring isn’t great but he is a dangerous opponent.
Cameron Menzies
Was ill on Monday and didn’t play in the World Series qualifier, but he bounced back on Tuesday, reaching the quarter final of PC27, hitting three big ton plus averages. However his 78.93 average in the quarter final sort of sums him up.
His A game is very good, but he can fall into a hole very quickly. We backed him for ET 10, just after he won PC23, and he blew a big lead to lose 5-6 to a local qualifier in round one. Talented, but not officer material.
2026 Hungarian Darts Trophy: The Draw
It is always very annoying writing these Euro Tour previews, having them ready to go on Thursday lunchtimes, but having to wait for Anderson and no doubt a couple of other players to withdraw, and requiring the draw to be rejigged.
Having returned from a round of golf, we have had two changes. Gerwyn Price withdrew before the draw was made and that means Luke Woodhouse is elevated to 16th seed and Callan Rydz comes in at the first round stage, from the reserve list.
Wade Out
The second withdrawal was James Wade. He withdrew after the draw had been made and that means we will have a replacement coming in to take Wade place in the draw, at the second round stage.
Madars Razma is the lucky player who will go straight into round two to play the winner of the Schindler vs. Barry match. It is a very unsatisfactory state of affairs that some of the ‘top’ players just decide very late on that they don’t fancy it.
What is really bizarre is that Gary Anderson’s name is still in the draw. I’m shocked and stunned…..very stunned. Anyway, it is what it is and we just have get on with it.
First Quarter
Luke Humphries is still the top seed but he is in a pretty tough quarter. His first-round match is likely to be against the mercurial Dirk van Duijvenbode. Dirk is blowing hot and cold and he can be anything. He didn’t make my list of unseeded players of interest simply because I don’t fancy him to make the final, but that is not to say he can’t piss on somebody’s chips. He is 3-13 vs. Humphries, so we have to say bye to Dirk, but it is not an easy opener for Humphries.
The other seeds in the quarter are the in-form Luke Woodhouse, who is scheduled to meet Humphries in the third round, if he can beat the winner of Cross vs. Beau Greaves.
You can see that even the top half of this quarter is tough. Humphries is 13-3 with Woodhouse, and has won their last nine matches, so again Humphries has to be fancied to progress.
Bottom Half
The bottom half of the quarter sees Noppert and Searle as the two seeds, and they should meet in the third round, and Noppert is 9-2 vs. Searle.
It is a tough quarter but Humphries, Cross or Noppert look the best bets. Noppert doesn’t win titles, so Humphries or Cross for me, but with Woodhouse in there to mess things up, it is a quarter best avoided, unless you like walking through minefields.
Second Quarter
This looks a much more open quarter. Jonny Clayton is the top seed in it, and deservedly so. He is joined in round two by Ross Smith, Madars Razma and Wessel Nijman. None made my long list, but the way the draw has panned out post-withdrawals, it brings Clayton and Nijman right into the frame. The unseeded players look to be easily dismissed.
Clayton is 10-4 vs. Ross Smith, and Nijman has to be fancied to come through the bottom half of the quarter. Most likely to make the semi-finals? Clayton is 3-1 vs. Nijman and comes here on the back of a decent world series run. I’ll give the nod the Clayton.
Third Quarter
I have to go with Jermaine Wattimena for this quarter. By being elevated to 15th seed, he misses out on the 1st quarter, otherwise known as the quarter of death. Instead, he is in with an out of form Gian Van Veen, the rarely seen Gary Anderson, and the out of form Stephen Bunting as his fellow seeds.
Wattimena has never beaten Gary Anderson in seven attempts, but while Wattimena has been very active during the break, Anderson will not have picked up a dart for five weeks.
Of the unseeded players, Kevin Doets deserves respect, but I don’t think he is quite firing at his best. Ratajski or Rydz will play Anderson and are the most likely to make round three, but the in-form Wattimena makes plenty of appeal to make the semi-final.
Fourth Quarter
MVG is the top seed in this quarter but he isn’t in good form, losing five of his last ten matches on the Euro Tour, and in general play. The other seeds are Nathan Aspinall, Josh Rock and Chris Dobey.
Aspinall makes some appeal. He has already won on the Euro Tour this season and reached the last two quarter finals. He enjoys these events and is in a happy place in his personal life. The Asp played pretty well in this week’s Players Championships, which got the rust off his game.
Not A Winner
Dobey is a top player, but not a winner. Josh Rock was away on the World Series trip Down Under but he only played four matches, beating Whitlock and Leek in his first-round matches.
Rock has won six of his last ten matches and he has been very inconsistent. He won Euro Tour 6 back in may and has played just one match since. He has played better on the Euro Tour than elsewhere and he could have a run, but his overall form doesn’t inspire me.
Of the unseeded players, Cameron Menzies makes some appeal, but can he stay sane for six matches over three days? I have to pick The Asp for this quarter.
2026 Hungarian Darts Trophy Selections
Despite it being a tough group, Humphries looks the best bet to come through Q1, but he is just 6.00 to win the tournament and that is a bit short for me.
From Q2 it is a toss up between Clayton and Nijman. Clayton picked a title Down Under and is playing well. Nijman is a two time Euro Tour winner in 2026 but right now, his game looks a little off. Clayton is a 15.00 shot, Nijman 10.00 and Clayton will carry my money.
The in-form Jermaine Wattimena had never gone beyond the quarter final stage on the Euro Tour, but he made the final last time out. He is in great form and unlike most players here this weekend, he has been playing a lot of darts in the summer ‘break’. He is getting used to winning on the floor and hopefully he can bring that game to the stage.
Aspinall knows how to win these events and with him being in the happy house, he is worth supporting.
Jonny Clayton to win the 2026 Hungarian Darts Trophy 0.5 point e/w @ 15.00 with Spread Ex, Ladbrokes
Jermaine Wattimena to win the 2026 Hungarian Darts Trophy 0.5 point e/w @ 34.00 with Ladbrokes, Hills, BET365
Nathan Aspinall to win the 2026 Hungarian Darts Trophy 0.5 point e/w @ 21.00 with Hills
I wasn’t going to have a bet on any of the players in the first quarter, but the odds on Rob Cross are just too big to pass over. He is a short as 23.00, nearer my mark, but a whopping 67.00 with Ladbrokes, and I will have a minimum stake bet at those odds
