The 32-player field for the 2026 European Darts Championship is complete.

The sport's top players will battle for the next major title on the PDC circuit, but some quality names are missing out on the tournament this year.

Biggest names who failed to qualify for 2026 European Darts Championship

Here are the biggest names not in Dortmund.

MORE: 2026 European Darts Championship qualifiers

Gary Anderson

It's not very shocking to see Anderson not in the European Championship, as a common theme in recent years has been him playing in fewer ET events throughout the year.

Anderson was a runner-up at the ET this year, but only played four total events. This is the first time since 2023 that Anderson won't be at the event.

Joe Cullen

Cullen has now not qualified for the event for a second straight year, after making it for nine straight years and being a two-time semifinalist at the EC.

MORE: 2026 European Darts Championship: Draw, schedule, prize money and format explained

Daryl Gurney

Gurney has failed to qualify for the first time since 2021.

He's also a two-time semifinalist at the event. Despite playing in 13/15 ET events in 2026, Gurney didn't qualify, missing out by £10,500.

Michael Smith

This doesn't come as a shock to those following the sport closely in the past year or two, as Smith has played less frequently on the circuit.

He played in six ET events this year, but fell short of qualifying, missing the top-32 by a few spots.

This is now the second straight year he failed to qualify, after making it every year from 2014 to 2024.

MORE: Early lineup predictions for the PDC 2027 Premier League of Darts

Mike De Decker

A poor year for De Decker was amplified after he failed to qualify for yet another major event.

De Decker played in 11/15 ET events this year, but only made it past the second round once.

He's now ranked #34 in the world, and could fall further at the beginning of 2027.

Ritchie Edhouse

It doesn't come as a massive surprise that Edhouse didn't qualify, but it's notable since he will defend zero money from when he won this title two years ago.

Edhouse qualified for just three ET events in 2026.

Peter Wright

Wright is another player we aren't too surprised to see not qualify, but this will be the first time since 2012 that he isn't at the event.

Wright is a two-time European Championship winner, but played in just 3/15 ET events this year.

Other notable players

  • Raymond van Barneveld
  • Karel Sedlacek
  • Kim Huybrechts
  • Sebastian Bialecki
  • Ricardo Pietreczko
  • Beau Greaves
  • Dimitri Van den Bergh

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