Gary Anderson will begin his defence of the Elten Safety Shoes European Darts Grand Prix against either Gian van Veen or Nathan Rafferty, with the draw and schedule for this weekend’s event confirmed.
The year’s sixth European Tour event will see a star-studded 48-player field competing for the £30,000 top prize, as Anderson bids to go back-to-back in Sindelfingen.
The two-time World Champion ended his ten-year wait for a European Tour crown in last year’s event, and he will headline this weekend’s showpiece, which takes place from May 2-4 at the Glaspalast.
Friday’s first round will feature 16 matches across two sessions, as newly crowned Austrian Darts Open champion Martin Schindler marks his return to home soil against Callan Rydz.
Gabriel Clemens will face former UK Open champion Andrew Gilding in his opener, while Max Hopp makes his European Tour return against World Grand Prix champion Mike De Decker.
William O’Connor takes on a resurgent Dirk van Duijvenbode, European Champion Ritchie Edhouse plays Connor Scutt, with World Youth Champion Van Veen pitted against Rafferty.
Dutch veteran Raymond van Barneveld will face Poland’s number one Krzysztof Ratajski, as Wessel Nijman goes up against former World Youth Champion Bradley Brooks.
The 16 PDC Order of Merit Qualifiers will enter the tournament in Saturday’s second round, as Anderson faces a showdown against an in-form Van Veen or Northern Irish star Rafferty.
Former champions Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen, Rob Cross and Peter Wright will also take centre stage in Sindelfingen, as they kick off their title challenges on Saturday.
World number one Humphries faces either Edhouse or Scutt on his return to European Tour action, with Dutch superstar Van Gerwen up against O’Connor or Van Duijvenbode.
2023 champion Cross meets De Decker or Hopp in his opener, as 2017 winner Wright faces a second round showdown against Ryan Joyce or German newcomer Leon Weber.
Fourth seed Jonny Clayton will play Gilding or Clemens for a place in the last 16, with his Welsh World Cup partner Gerwyn Price drawn against either Van Barneveld or Ratajski in round two.
Fifth seed Stephen Bunting awaits the winner of the clash between Cameron Menzies and Michael Unterbuchner, as Ryan Searle and Niels Zonneveld collide for the right to take on Nathan Aspinall.
Josh Rock could potentially meet Schindler in a repeat of last weekend’s Austrian Darts Open semi-final, while Ross Smith, the runner-up in Graz, could meet Dave Chisnall if he overcomes Paul Krohne in round one.
Following Saturday’s second round, the third round 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 European Darts Grand Prix 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 Elten Safety Shoes European Darts Grand Prix
May 2-4, Glaspalast, Sindelfingen
Tournament Draw Bracket - Second Round Onwards
Players seeded based on PDC Order of Merit position
(6) Damon Heta v Martin Lukeman/Benjamin Pratnemer
(11) Gerwyn Price v Raymond van Barneveld/Krzysztof Ratajski
(3) Rob Cross v Mike De Decker/Max Hopp
(14) Gary Anderson v Gian van Veen/Nathan Rafferty
(7) Nathan Aspinall v Ryan Searle/Niels Zonneveld
(10) James Wade v Joe Cullen/Marcel Erba
(2) Michael van Gerwen v William O’Connor/Dirk van Duijvenbode
(15) Josh Rock v Martin Schindler/Callan Rydz
(5) Stephen Bunting v Cameron Menzies/Michael Unterbuchner
(12) Peter Wright v Ryan Joyce/Leon Weber
(4) Jonny Clayton v Andrew Gilding/Gabriel Clemens
(13) Danny Noppert v Wessel Nijman/Bradley Brooks
(8) Chris Dobey v Luke Woodhouse/Johan Engstrom
(9) Dave Chisnall v Ross Smith/Paul Krohne
(1) Luke Humphries v Ritchie Edhouse/Connor Scutt
(16) Michael Smith v Jermaine Wattimena/Daniel Klose
Schedule of Play
Friday May 2
First Round
Afternoon Session (1300 local time, 1200 BST)
Martin Lukeman v Benjamin Pratnemer
Cameron Menzies v Michael Unterbuchner
Wessel Nijman v Bradley Brooks
Gian van Veen v Nathan Rafferty
Ritchie Edhouse v Connor Scutt
Luke Woodhouse v Johan Engstrom
Ryan Joyce v Leon Weber
Jermaine Wattimena v Daniel Klose
Evening Session (1900 local time, 1800 BST)
Ryan Searle v Niels Zonneveld
Joe Cullen v Marcel Erba
Mike De Decker v Max Hopp
Raymond van Barneveld v Krzysztof Ratajski
Andrew Gilding v Gabriel Clemens
Martin Schindler v Callan Rydz
Ross Smith v Paul Krohne
William O'Connor v Dirk van Duijvenbode
Saturday May 3
Second Round
Afternoon Session (1300 local time, 1200 BST)
Danny Noppert v Nijman/Brooks
Damon Heta v Lukeman/Pratnemer
Michael Smith v Wattimena/Klose
Gary Anderson v Van Veen/Rafferty
Chris Dobey v Woodhouse/Engstrom
Nathan Aspinall v Searle/Zonneveld
Rob Cross v De Decker/Hopp
Dave Chisnall v R Smith/Krohne
Evening Session (1900 local time, 1800 BST)
James Wade v Cullen/Erba
Jonny Clayton v Gilding/Clemens
Gerwyn Price v Van Barneveld/Ratajski
Peter Wright v Joyce/Weber
Michael van Gerwen v O'Connor/Van Duijvenbode
Luke Humphries v Edhouse/Scutt
Josh Rock v Schindler/Rydz
Stephen Bunting v Menzies/Unterbuchner
Sunday May 4
Afternoon Session (1300 local time, 1200 BST)
Third Round
Evening Session (1900 local time, 1800 BST)
Quarter-Finals
Semi-Finals
Final
Sunday’s games played in Draw Bracket order
NB: From the original list of entries, Luke Littler and Daryl Gurney have withdrawn from the European Darts Grand Prix, and have been replaced by Martin Lukeman and William O'Connor from the Reserve List, with Michael Smith moving into the seeded positions.