Swiss Darts Trophy 2026: UK start times, how to watch and players

The Swiss Darts Trophy takes place in Basel from 9–11 October, with Luke Humphries heading the seedings and Michael van Gerwen among the players competing.

UK viewers can follow the European Tour tournament through PDCTV. There are afternoon and evening sessions across all three days, with Sunday’s action starting an hour earlier than on Friday and Saturday.

Luke Littler is absent from the published entry list, while Stephen Bunting returns to defend the title he won last year.

Here are the dates, UK start times and key details.

When is the Swiss Darts Trophy?

The tournament runs from Friday 9 October to Sunday 11 October at St. Jakobshalle in Basel, Switzerland.

It is the penultimate European Tour event of the season, before the Dutch Darts Championship in Maastricht.

How to watch the Swiss Darts Trophy in the UK

UK viewers can stream the tournament live through PDCTV with a subscription.

The tournament organiser’s viewing information lists PDCTV as its international streaming service. Dartsnews also confirms PDCTV coverage in its UK viewing guide.

Check the available subscription options and coverage details through the PDC website before purchasing.

Swiss Darts Trophy UK start times

All times below are British Summer Time. Basel is one hour ahead of the UK.

Date	Afternoon session	Evening session
Friday 9 October	12pm: first round	6pm: first round
Saturday 10 October	12pm: second round	6pm: second round
Sunday 11 October	11am: third round	5pm: quarter-finals, semi-finals and final

These are session start times. Individual match times depend on the order of play and how long earlier matches last.

The final is part of Sunday’s evening session and follows the quarter-finals and semi-finals.

Is Luke Littler playing?

Littler is not included in the PDPA’s published Swiss Darts Trophy field.

Humphries is the top seed, followed by Gian van Veen, Jonny Clayton and James Wade. Van Gerwen is seeded fifth, with Josh Rock, Gerwyn Price and Bunting also among the seeds.

The 16 seeded players enter in Saturday’s second round.

Michael Smith and Raymond van Barneveld are among the qualifiers due to begin in the first round. Four Swiss qualifying places remain to be filled through the host-nation qualifier on Thursday 8 October.

When is the draw?

The PDPA lists the draw for 12pm UK time on Thursday 8 October.

Until the draw and order of play are released, opponents and individual match slots remain unconfirmed. The published field is also subject to withdrawals.

What is the format?

The tournament uses a 48-player knockout draw.

Matches are best of 11 legs through to the quarter-finals, meaning six legs are required to win. The semi-finals are best of 13 and the final is best of 15.

Bunting won the 2025 title by beating Luke Woodhouse 8–3 in the final.

For more on the season’s qualification battles, visit Dave.Sport’s darts rankings coverage.

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