European Championship draw: Price v Cross headlines the first round in Dortmund

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The draw is out for the European Championship in Dortmund. DartsNews' Samuel Gill reports that Gerwyn Price against Rob Cross is the standout first round tie. The 32 player event runs from 22 to 25 October, with the final on Sunday

Gian van Veen is the defending champion, while Ross Smith is the top seed after his strong European Tour season. Smith opens against number 32 seed Karel Sedlacek, who sneaked into the field at the last moment in Maastricht

Several big names have tricky openers. Luke Humphries faces Ryan Searle, and Luke Littler plays William O'Connor. Michael van Gerwen takes on Kevin Doets, and James Wade meets Damon Heta in what looks like one of the closest ties on paper

There is also plenty of Dutch interest after the weekend. Newly crowned Maastricht champion Niels Zonneveld faces Cameron Menzies, while Danny Noppert plays Stephen Bunting. Krzysztof Ratajski meets Dave Chisnall, and Wessel Nijman takes on Martin Schindler, who will have home support in Germany

Price against Cross is a meeting of two former world champions in the very first round, which shows how deep this field is. The European Championship always produces drama, and the short first round format means upsets are likely. Dortmund should be a cracking week

Who wins Price against Cross? And who is your pick to win the European Championship?

2026 European Championship Darts Draw: Gerwyn Price headlines first round against Rob Cross, as Luke Littler and Luke Humphries find out opponentsdartsnews.com