Luke Woodhouse hits nine-darter to open European Championship in Dortmund

Luke Woodhouse hit a nine-dart finish, the perfect leg in darts, on the opening night of the 2026 PDC European Championship in Dortmund, Germany, on Thursday, 22 October 2026. The English player beat the Dutchman Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-3 in the first match of the tournament and will face the defending champion, Gian van Veen of the Netherlands, in the second round. The night also saw Gerwyn Price beat Rob Cross 6-2 and James Wade lose 6-5 to Damon Heta after missing four match darts. World No. 2 Luke Humphries did not play, having withdrawn through illness.

A nine-darter is the rarest and most celebrated feat in the standard game of darts. Each leg starts at 501 points, and a player must reach exactly zero, finishing on a double (the narrow outer ring of the board) or the bullseye. The highest score with three darts is 180, so the fewest darts that can possibly win a leg is nine. Woodhouse's route was the classic one: 180 plus 180 leaves 141, and treble 20 (60), treble 19 (57) and double 12 (24) add up to exactly 141. Hitting nine perfect darts in a row under television lights, in front of a large crowd, is something most professionals never achieve on a major stage.

For Woodhouse, the timing helps him. Opening a ranked major with a perfect leg and a win over a strong opponent such as Van Duijvenbode puts him into the last 16 with confidence. His next match is much harder: Van Veen won this title last year, and his win over Gilding made him the first defending champion to win his opening match at the event since 2018, according to tournament coverage. The meeting between the two will be one of the key ties of round two.

The opening night also changed the shape of the draw. Humphries, one of the favourites, is out before throwing a dart, which opens his part of the bracket. Huybrechts, called in as the highest-ranked player who had not qualified, made the most of his late chance with a 103.81 average after a rushed drive to the venue. Wade, a long-time major winner, went out after failing to take any of four match darts against Heta, and Price showed his form with a clear win over Cross, another former world champion.

For Indian sports fans, the European Championship is part of a sport that has grown fast on television and streaming worldwide, with the leading players now household names in Britain and the Netherlands. Moments such as a nine-darter are often what bring new viewers to the game.

Short-term: Woodhouse moves into a second-round match against Van Veen with momentum, while the withdrawal of Humphries and the exits of Wade and Cross leave fewer big names in the bottom half of the draw. Attention on Friday turns to Littler's first match against O'Connor.

Long-term: A perfect leg on a major stage raises a player's profile with fans and sponsors. If Woodhouse goes deep in Dortmund, the ranking points could also help his position for the season's remaining big events.

Who is affected: Luke Woodhouse and his next opponent Gian van Veen; the players knocked out on the first night, including Dirk van Duijvenbode, James Wade and Rob Cross; Luke Humphries, who misses the event; and darts fans following the tournament.

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