Martin Schindler will begin his defence of the Swiss Darts Trophy against Ricardo Pietreczko or Oskar Lukasiak, with the draw and schedule confirmed for this weekend’s showpiece in Basel.
The year’s penultimate Winamax European Tour event will see a 48-player field competing for the £30,000 top prize at St. Jakobshalle, as the race for World Grand Prix qualification concludes on Swiss soil.
Schindler prevailed in the tournament’s inaugural staging 12 months ago, and he will kick off his title defence against his World Cup partner Pietreczko or Swedish star Lukasiak.
Friday’s first round will feature 16 matches across two sessions, as newly crowned Hungarian Darts Trophy champion Niko Springer returns to action against Dutchman Richard Veenstra.
Springer’s breakthrough win in Budapest catapulted him into the World Grand Prix qualification spots, with Krzysztof Ratajski currently occupying the final provisional place in next month’s double-start event.
Ratajski will begin his campaign against Owen Bates, with William O’Connor and Raymond van Barneveld bidding to overhaul Poland’s number one in the World Grand Prix race.
O’Connor faces Northern Ireland’s World Cup champion Daryl Gurney in round one, while Van Barneveld will lock horns with a Host Nation representative in his opener.
Niels Zonneveld also harbours slender hopes of qualifying for next month’s World Grand Prix, and the left-hander will go up against Czech qualifier Dalibor Smolik for a place in round two.
Nathan Aspinall kicks off his challenge for a third European Tour title of the year against Denmark’s Andreas Toft Jorgensen, as 2023 UK Open champion Andrew Gilding plays Norway’s Cor Dekker.
One of Friday’s stand-out ties will see Wessel Nijman go head-to-head with European Champion Ritchie Edhouse, who faces the prospect of missing out on defending his title in Dortmund.
Austrian icon Mensur Suljovic and Grand Slam runner-up Martin Lukeman also collide, as Connor Scutt takes on World Championship quarter-finalist Callan Rydz.
The top 16 players on the PDC Werner Rankings Ladder will enter the tournament in round two on Saturday, as Schindler sets his sights on a fourth European Tour crown.
Luke Humphries also headlines this weekend’s action, and the world number one has been handed a tough opening assignment against Scutt or Rydz for a place at Finals Day.
Stephen Bunting – the number two seed in the absence of Luke Littler and Michael van Gerwen - begins his bid against quick-fire Dutchman Chris Landman or a Host Nation Qualifier.
Aspinall and Toft Jorgensen will fight it out for the right to meet fourth seed Jonny Clayton, with James Wade poised to meet Ryan Joyce or a Swiss qualifier.
Fifth seed Chris Dobey will play Suljovic or Lukeman, while Rob Cross continues his bid for European Championship qualification against Veenstra or high-flying Springer.
Australian number one Damon Heta faces a potential clash with Dutch legend Van Barneveld, with former European Champion Ross Smith awaiting Nijman or Edhouse in round two.
World Cup winner Josh Rock - a European Tour runner-up in Antwerp and Prague this autumn - will aim to maintain his superb form when he meets European Championship runner-up Jermaine Wattimena or a Host Nation representative.
Gian van Veen will feature in an all-Dutch tie on Saturday, as Dirk van Duijvenbode and Jitse Van der Wal attempt to set up a showdown against the World Youth Champion.
Elsewhere, Hungarian Darts Trophy runner-up Danny Noppert will play Gurney or O’Connor a place in round three on Saturday afternoon.
Following Saturday’s action, round three will take place on Sunday afternoon, before the tournament concludes with the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final in a blockbuster evening session.
Live coverage from the Swiss Darts Trophy will be streamed on DAZN for viewers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and through the DAZN Darts channel on Pluto TV.
Coverage will also be shown on PDCTV (excluding Germany, Austria and Switzerland) and through bookmakers' worldwide.
2025 Swiss Darts Trophy
St Jakobshalle, Basel, September 26-28
Tournament Draw Bracket - Second Round Onwards
(1) Luke Humphries v Connor Scutt/Callan Rydz
(16) Ryan Searle v Niels Zonneveld/Dalibor Smolik
(8) Josh Rock v Jermaine Wattimena/Host Nation Qualifier 1
(9) Dave Chisnall v Luke Woodhouse/Lukas Wenig
(4) Jonny Clayton v Nathan Aspinall/Andreas Toft Jorgensen
(13) Martin Schindler v Ricardo Pietreczko/Oskar Lukasiak
(5) Chris Dobey v Mensur Suljovic/Martin Lukeman
(12) Peter Wright v Andrew Gilding/Cor Dekker
(2) Stephen Bunting v Chris Landman/Host Nation Qualifier 3
(15) Mike De Decker v Krzysztof Ratajski/Owen Bates
(7) Damon Heta v Raymond van Barneveld/Host Nation Qualifier 2
(10) Ross Smith v Wessel Nijman/Ritchie Edhouse
(3) James Wade v Ryan Joyce/Host Nation Qualifier 4
(14) Gian van Veen v Dirk van Duijvenbode/Jitse van der Wal
(6) Rob Cross v Richard Veenstra/Niko Springer
(11) Danny Noppert v Daryl Gurney/William O'Connor
Schedule of Play
Friday September 26
Round One
Afternoon Session (1300 local time, 1200 BST)
Connor Scutt v Callan Rydz
Niels Zonneveld v Dalibor Smolik
Krzysztof Ratajski v Owen Bates
Andrew Gilding v Cor Dekker
Ryan Joyce v Host Nation Qualifier 4
Luke Woodhouse v Lukas Wenig
Ricardo Pietreczko v Oskar Lukasiak
Mensur Suljovic v Martin Lukeman
Evening Session (1900 local time, 1800 BST)
Chris Landman v Host Nation Qualifier 3
Wessel Nijman v Ritchie Edhouse
Raymond van Barneveld v Host Nation Qualifier 2
Richard Veenstra v Niko Springer
Jermaine Wattimena v Host Nation Qualifier 1
Dirk van Duijvenbode v Jitse van der Wal
Daryl Gurney v William O’Connor
Nathan Aspinall v Andreas Toft Jorgensen
Saturday September 27
Round Two
Afternoon Session (1300 local time, 1200 BST)`
Ryan Searle v Zonneveld/Smolik
Dave Chisnall v Woodhouse/Wenig
Peter Wright v Gilding/Dekker
Mike De Decker v Ratajski/Bates
Rob Cross v Veenstra/Springer
Gian van Veen v Van Duijvenbode/Van der Wal
Danny Noppert v Gurney/O’Connor
Ross Smith v Nijman/Edhouse
Evening Session (1900 local time, 1800 BST)
James Wade v Joyce/HNQ4
Martin Schindler v Pietreczko/Lukasiak
Josh Rock v Wattimena/HNQ1
Luke Humphries v Scutt/Rydz
Jonny Clayton v Aspinall/Jorgensen
Damon Heta v Van Barneveld/HNQ2
Stephen Bunting v Landman/HNQ3
Chris Dobey v Suljovic/Lukeman
Sunday September 28
Afternoon Session (1200 local time, 1100 BST)
Round Three
Evening Session (1800 local time, 1700 BST)
Quarter-Finals
Semi-Finals
Final
Sunday’s games played in Draw Bracket order
NB: From the original entries, Michael van Gerwen, Gary Anderson, Gerwyn Price and Cameron Menzies have withdrawn and have been replaced from the Reserve List by Richard Veenstra, Connor Scutt, Mensur Suljovic and Chris Landman. As a result, Gian van Veen, Mike De Decker and Ryan Searle have moved into the seeded positions.