2025 European Darts Championship: Littler’s World No.1 Chase, Aspinall’s Form, and Top Outsiders to Watch in Dortmund
Huge week ahead for Luke Littler and Luke Humphries
Luke Littler will enter the 2025 European Darts Championship as the clear favourite according to all the best online betting sites and in stunning form, having won two of the last three tournaments he has participated in.
The Nuke defeated Luke Humphries at the start of the month in emphatic fashion (6-1) to win the 2025 World Grand Prix, and he followed that up by winning his first Players Championship title of the year a week later.
Other major titles that the teenage sensation has claimed this year include the World Darts Championship, UK Open, World Matchplay, Australian Darts Masters, New Zealand Darts Masters, Belgian Darts Open and the Flanders Darts Trophy.
Now, Littler has a chance to add the European Darts Championship to his incredible tally, and if he does so, he will surpass Luke Humphries to become the number one-ranked player in the world for the first time in his career! Check out our Luke Littler vs Raymond van Barneveld prediction.
However, Humphries will certainly not relinquish top spot without a fight, and has already shown this year that the Nuke is not unbeatable, having defeated the 18-year-old in the final of the 2025 Premier League.
Cool Hand is the second-favourite heading to Dortmund this week and is looking to add to his major title tally for the year, which includes the UK Darts Masters, Czech Darts Open, and the Winmau World Masters.
Our experts are giving the current world number one the edge in his opening match, according to our Luke Humphries vs Krzysztof Ratajski prediction. The winner of this match will meet either Gary Anderson or Cameron Menzies in round two.
Aspinall, Price, Van Duijvenbode represent value in Germany
While the betting odds are stacked firmly in favour of the Lukes for the 2025 European Darts Championship, you certainly cannot overlook Nathan Aspinall as a genuine contender, as he enters the competition as the number one seed.
The Asp has already racked up three European Tour titles this season - the European Darts Trophy, European Darts Open and German Darts Championship. Get all the insights for the Englishman’s opening match by taking a look at our Nathan Aspinall vs Rob Cross prediction.
Another player that cannot be ruled out without a chance is Gerwyn Price, who has notched up three nightly wins in the Premier League, four Players Championship titles, as well as the Baltic Sea Darts Open and Poland Darts Masters titles already this year.
While the Welshman has not been firing on all cylinders in recent weeks since a disappointing defeat to Littler at the World Series Finals, he is fancied to win his opening match based on our Gerwyn Price vs. Daryl Gurney prediction, and has a favourable draw in round two (either Ross Smith or Peter Wright).
As far as outside picks go, Dirk van Duijvenbode could be one to watch this year, as he comes into the tournament in great form and pushed Aspinall to the wire at the German Darts Championship last week, where he pinned a stunning nine-darter in the opening round.
The Dutchman also reached the quarter-final of the World Grand Prix by beating Michael van Gerwen and Daryl Gurney before bowing out to Jonny Clayton, and at a whopping 26/1 at the time of writing, he could be well worth a punt.
2025 European Darts Championship schedule, format and prize money
The 2025 European Darts Championship will be the 18th edition of the competition and features the top 32 players on the 2025 European Order of Merit, which was finalised after the German Darts Championship last week.
The tournament will follow the same format as last year, with the highest-seeded player facing the lowest-seeded in the first round. Nathan Aspinall will enter the competition as the number one seed after winning three titles during the season.
First round matches at this year’s European Darts Championship will be contested on a best-of-11-legs basis. The second round and quarter-finals will feature 19 legs, while the semis and grand final will be a best-of-21-legs battle.
Prize money for the competition is broken down as below:
Winner: £120,000
Runner-up: £60,000
Semi-finalist: £40,000
Quarter-finalists: £25,000
Second round: £15,000
First round: £7,500
