Wessel Nijman Dortmund Race Lead Sharpens European Tour Stakes
Wessel Nijman has moved top of the 2026 PDC European Championship race after winning the Slovak Darts Open in Bratislava, putting himself in pole position for Dortmund with six European Tour events still to play.
The Dutchman’s second European Tour title of the season lifted him to £101,000 on the rolling European Tour Order of Merit, ahead of Ross Smith on £85,000 and Josh Rock on £61,000.
That matters because the top 32 after the 15-event European Tour season qualify for the European Championship in Dortmund, one of the autumn’s key televised ranking events. PDC Europe’s latest table also has Rob Cross, Nathan Aspinall, Luke Woodhouse, Kevin Doets and Gerwyn Price inside the top eight.
Leverkusen Now Carries Extra Weight
The next chance to shift the table comes at the European Darts Open in Leverkusen from July 10-12, before further stops in Budapest, Prague, Antwerp, Basel and Maastricht.
Nijman’s cushion is significant, but the cut-off is already tight. Joe Cullen currently occupies 32nd place on £22,500, with Daryl Gurney just £500 outside the line, according to the latest PDC Europe European Championship race standings.
For Nijman, the immediate story is no longer just qualification. It is whether he can turn a breakout European Tour season into a top-seed run when Dortmund arrives.
