Of the five qualified German darts professionals, four will compete on the big stage in the first round of the Players Championship Finals.
The PDC has published the schedule for the last major tournament before the Darts World Championship 2026 (from December 11th LIVE on SPORT1 ). Five Germans are taking part in the Players Championship Finals, the final tournament of the floor event series.
With the exception of Ricardo Pietreczko, who will play the ninth and final match of the afternoon session against William O’Connor on Friday on the secondary stage, everyone will be on the big TV stage in the first round.
Martin Schindler (r.) will face Michael Smith in the first round of the Players Championship Finals
The organizer even put together a triple pack. Martin Schindler, Gabriel Clemens and Max Hopp have to compete directly one after the other. Schindler will face Michael Smith in the opening match of the Friday evening session. Then the “German Giant” will face Josh Rock. Tour returnee Hopp then plays against Gerwyn Price.
Springer also on the TV stage
Shooting star Niko Springer is also allowed on the TV stage. The 25-year-old challenges Ross Smith in his first round match. This game is the conclusion of the afternoon.
The biggest cracker match will be the penultimate of the evening: European Championship winner Gian van Veen will compete against Luke Humphries. Right before that, the new number one in the world, Luke Littler, will face Jeffrey de Graaf.
At the World Championship dress rehearsal, two boards will be played in parallel up to and including the round of 16. The winner will be determined on Sunday evening. Between the semi-finals and the final, the final of the PDC Junior World Championship between Beau Greaves and van Veen will also take place.
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