PDC announces a new 160-player European Open in Salzburg for June 2027

[Fox]

The PDC has announced a brand new ranking event, the European Open, which will be held at the Salzburgarena in Austria from 18 to 20 June 2027. DartsNews' Samuel Gill reports that it will take place the week after the World Cup of Darts. It is a big addition to the calendar and another sign of how fast darts is growing in Europe

The format borrows heavily from the UK Open. There will be a 160 player field, and the early rounds will be played in a multi board room with eight boards in use at once. Fans can expect extras such as a beer garden, which should create a festival atmosphere. The prize fund is £750,000

All 128 Tour Card holders qualify automatically, including players who only join the tour for 2027. Sixteen international qualifiers complete the field, coming through the Challenge Tour, the Development Tour and a PDC Europe route that works like the UK Open's amateur qualifiers. Q School graduates will also get places

Tickets go on sale on 12 November 2026. Day tickets cover the Friday and Saturday multi board sessions, and Sunday's finals day is sold separately. PDC chief executive Matt Porter described the event as another significant step in growing darts across Europe

The UK Open is one of the most loved events on the calendar, partly because anyone can be drawn against anyone in the early rounds. Bringing that format to Austria should create the same kind of upsets and excitement. Salzburg is a beautiful city, and darts fans there are passionate

Would you travel to Salzburg for the European Open? And is the darts calendar getting too crowded?

160-player field to play inaugural European Open in Salzburg with inspiration taken from UK Opendartsnews.com