It’s almost time! In just under a week, De Bonte Wever in Assen will be transformed into the largest darts festival in the world: the Dutch Open Darts 2026! More than six thousand dart players – from world-class professionals to amateurs – will compete against each other from Thursday 5 February through Sunday 8 February during this edition.

The Dutch Open Darts has been a household name in the darts world for many years. Once again, players from all over the globe have signed up in large numbers! In total, there are no fewer than 8,513 entries across the various categories and tournaments.

The more than six thousand players come from 43 different countries. Of course, many Dutch, Belgian and German players will be taking part, but for this edition dart players from countries such as Aruba, China, Egypt and Angola have also registered. This once again underlines the international status of the Dutch Open Darts.

The event kicks off on Thursday with the warm-up tournament in the Open category and the ladies’ competition. This “warm-up tournament” was added to the Dutch Open Darts weekend several years ago and has proven to be a great success, with participation numbers continuing to grow ever since.

Top players
On Friday, more than two thousand pairs will step up to the oche for the doubles tournaments of the Dutch Open Darts. Many national and international top players have entered, including several PDC Tour Card holders. Among those in action are Dirk van Duijvenbode and Maik Kuivenhoven, while World Championship participants Chris Landman and Richard Veenstra will team up. Former Lakeside champions Andy Baetens and Jelle Klaasen will also be present.

The individual tournaments get underway on Saturday. More than four thousand players have registered for the open singles event, which filled up quickly earlier on. The list of potential title contenders is too long to mention! Players such as Martijn Kleermaker, Florian Hempel and Ron Meulenkamp will be competing in Assen, along with former champions Berry van Peer and Jarno Bottenberg. In the women’s competition, entries include Lakeside finalist Lerena Rietbergen, Paige Pauling and Aileen de Graaf.

Live on RTL7
Sunday’s finals day will bring the Dutch Open Darts to a close. This year, the finals programme will once again be broadcast live on national television on RTL7. It marks the fourth consecutive year that the national broadcaster – which in the past also showed all major PDC events for many years – will be live on location in Assen.

Last year, Jeffrey Sparidaans won the men’s tournament at the Dutch Open Darts, making it the fourth year in a row that the title went to a Dutch winner. Rhian O’Sullivan from Wales was crowned ladies’ champion.

The draw for the Dutch Open Darts will be published online later this Friday.

Picture: Miranda Drenth