Top seed Nathan Aspinall will play two-time champion Rob Cross in the opening round of the 2025 Machineseeker European Championship, with the draw for next week’s event now confirmed.
The 32-player field was confirmed following the conclusion of the Elten Safety Shoes German Darts Championship on Sunday, which saw Aspinall clinch his third European Tour title of the campaign in Hildesheim.
The top 32 players on the 2025 European Tour rankings will now compete for the coveted title at Dortmund’s Westfalenhalle from October 23-26, with Aspinall returning to Germany as the top seed.
The Stockport star will take on Cross in a blockbuster opening round clash, after the two-time European Champion survived a nervous wait to consolidate the final qualification place.
Martin Schindler will also headline next week’s showpiece, and the German number one faces Dave Chisnall, who sealed his qualification with a run to the quarter-finals in Hildesheim.
Stephen Bunting – a winner of two European Tour titles this year – plays world number eight Chris Dobey, while World Champion Luke Littler faces Dutch icon Raymond van Barneveld in another stellar showdown.
World number one Luke Humphries – the fifth seed in Dortmund – has been pitted against Poland’s number one Krzysztof Ratajski, a semi-finalist at the German Darts Championship.
2019 runner-up Gerwyn Price will renew his rivalry with Northern Ireland’s World Cup champion Daryl Gurney, with Price’s fellow countryman Jonny Clayton up against Ryan Searle in Round One.
Josh Rock – a two-time finalist on the European Tour this year – meets German number two Ricardo Pietreczko, while debutant Niko Springer locks horns with 2024 runner-up Jermaine Wattimena.
World Youth Champion Gian van Veen and Australian number one Damon Heta collide for a place in Round Two, in a repeat of their opening round showdown at the Westfalenhalle in 2023.
Ross Smith and Peter Wright also go head-to-head in a battle of the former European Champions, as Gary Anderson and Cameron Menzies clash in an all-Scottish affair.
2018 European Champion James Wade plays Belgian number one Mike De Decker, as Wessel Nijman sets his sights on an all-Dutch tussle against four-time winner Michael van Gerwen.
2024 semi-finalist Luke Woodhouse awaits Ryan Joyce in Round One, while German Darts Championship runner-up Dirk van Duijvenbode takes on his former World Cup partner Danny Noppert.
The schedule of play for the Machineseeker European Championship will be confirmed in due course, with Round One taking place across two sessions on Thursday and Friday evening.
The remaining 16 players will then feature in Round Two on Saturday, before the quarter-finals take place on Sunday afternoon, ahead of the decisive semi-finals and final on Sunday evening.
The Machineseeker European Championship will be broadcast live on ITV in the UK, through the PDC's worldwide broadcast partners including DAZN and Viaplay, and on PDCTV (excluding subscribers based in the UK, Germany, Austria & Switzerland).
2025 Machineseeker European Championship
Draw Bracket
(1) Nathan Aspinall v (32) Rob Cross
(16) Dirk van Duijvenbode v (17) Danny Noppert
(8) Josh Rock v (25) Ricardo Pietreczko
(9) Niko Springer v (24) Jermaine Wattimena
(4) Luke Littler v (29) Raymond van Barneveld
(13) James Wade v (20) Mike De Decker
(5) Luke Humphries v (28) Krzysztof Ratajski
(12) Gary Anderson v (21) Cameron Menzies
(2) Martin Schindler v (31) Dave Chisnall
(15) Ryan Joyce v (18) Luke Woodhouse
(7) Jonny Clayton v (26) Ryan Searle
(10) Gian van Veen v (23) Damon Heta
(3) Stephen Bunting v (30) Chris Dobey
(14) Wessel Nijman v (19) Michael van Gerwen
(6) Gerwyn Price v (27) Daryl Gurney
(11) Ross Smith v (22) Peter Wright