Luke Littler will open his defence of the Lecot Belgian Darts Open against Ryan Searle or Darryl Pilgrim, following confirmation of the draw and schedule for the opening PDC European Tour event of 2025.
Littler landed a memorable nine-dart finish on his way to glory in Wieze 12 months ago, denying Rob Cross in a captivating decider to triumph on his European Tour debut.
The world champion will return to headline this year’s European Tour curtain-raiser at the Oktoberhallen, as a star-studded 48-player field compete for the £30,000 top prize from March 7-9.
Friday’s first round will feature 16 matches across two sessions, with home favourite Mike De Decker and 2023 world champion Michael Smith among the star attractions on the opening day.
The 16 PDC Order of Merit Qualifiers will enter the fray in Saturday’s second round, as newly crowned UK Open champion Littler sets his sights on back-to-back big-stage titles.
Highlights of the World Grand Prix 2024 between Luke Humphries and Mike De Decker
Luke Humphries will also headline this weekend’s action as the world No 1 faces a potential showdown against De Decker in a repeat of last October’s World Grand Prix final.
Michael van Gerwen, a winner of 37 European Tour titles, faces UK Open semi-finalist Josh Rock or Croatia’s Boris Krcmar for a last-16 berth, while last year’s runner-up Rob Cross could meet former European champion Ross Smith.
Following Saturday’s second round, the last 16 will take place on Sunday afternoon, before the tournament concludes with the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final in a bumper evening session.
Schedule of Play
Friday March 7
First Round
Afternoon Session (12pm)
Luke Woodhouse v Host Nation Qualifier 2
Cameron Menzies v Matt Campbell
Gian van Veen v James Hurrell
Ritchie Edhouse v Owen Bates
Ricardo Pietreczko v Matthew Dennant
Wessel Nijman v Host Nation Qualifier 4
Daryl Gurney v Thibault Tricole
Dirk van Duijvenbode v Darius Labanauskas
Evening Session (6pm)
Ross Smith v Host Nation Qualifier 1
Ryan Searle v Darryl Pilgrim
Jermaine Wattimena v Host Nation Qualifier 3
Josh Rock v Boris Krcmar
Michael Smith v Ryan Joyce
Raymond van Barneveld v Cam Crabtree
Mike De Decker v Thomas Lovely
Martin Schindler v Jim Long
Saturday March 8
Second Round
Afternoon Session (12pm)
Danny Noppert v Gurney/Tricole
Gary Anderson v Woodhouse/HNQ2
Dave Chisnall v Pietreczko/Dennant
Jonny Clayton v Nijman/HNQ4
Rob Cross v R Smith/HNQ1
Damon Heta v M Smith/Joyce
Stephen Bunting v Wattimena/HNQ3
Nathan Aspinall v Edhouse/Bates
Evening Session (6pm)
James Wade v Van Barneveld/Crabtree
Peter Wright v Menzies/Campbell
Gerwyn Price v Van Veen/Hurrell
Dimitri Van den Bergh v Schindler/Long
Luke Humphries v De Decker/Lovely
Luke Littler v Searle/Pilgrim
Michael van Gerwen v Rock/Krcmar
Chris Dobey v Van Duijvenbode/Labanauskas
Sunday March 9
Afternoon Session (12pm)
Third Round
Evening Session (6pm)
Quarter-Finals
Semi-Finals
Final
Where does the Premier League head next?
The Premier League continues at the Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham on Thursday, March 13 as Luke Humphries and Luke Littler clash in a titanic encounter. Watch Night Six of Premier League Darts, in Nottingham, live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Action from 7pm – stream with NOW.
Sky Sports will once again be the home of the Premier League in 2025, with every night exclusively live along with the World Matchplay, World Grand Prix, Grand Slam of Darts and more! Stream darts and more top sport with NOW
