Flanders Darts Trophy

From 11 to 13 September 2026, the Antwerp Expo in Antwerp, Belgium, hosted the Flanders Darts Trophy, the thirteenth event of the 2026 European Tour. The tournament was also a special milestone, as it marked the 150th event in European Tour history. A total prize fund of £230,000 was on offer, with £35,000 going to the winner.

A strong field arrived in Belgium, including Gian van Veen, James Wade, Michael van Gerwen, Josh Rock, Gerwyn Price and Stephen Bunting. Defending champion Luke Littler, however, withdrew before the tournament, as did Luke Humphries, Jonny Clayton and Gary Anderson.

Several big names suffered early exits. Josh Rock was beaten 6–3 by Ryan Joyce in the second round, while Michael van Gerwen lost a deciding leg against Damon Heta, 6–5. Local hopes also disappeared quickly. Kim Huybrechts lost 6–5 to Sebastian Białecki in the opening round, while Andy Baetens was the only Belgian to win his first match before losing to Ryan Searle in the second round.

James Wade began his campaign with a 6–2 victory over Jim Long. In the Last 16, "The Machine" was pushed all the way by Rob Cross, eventually winning 6–5. Wade then produced one of his best performances of the weekend in the quarter-finals, averaging 99.10 and whitewashing Danny Noppert 6–0. In the semi-finals, he continued his strong run with a 7–4 victory over Damon Heta, averaging 97.50 to reach his first European Tour final since 2018.

On the other side of the draw, Ross Smith started with a convincing 6–2 victory over Jeffrey de Graaf, averaging 100.21. From there, his route became considerably more difficult. Smith defeated Gerwyn Price 6–5 in the Last 16 and survived another deciding leg against Ryan Joyce, winning 6–5 in the quarter-finals. His semi-final against top seed Gian van Veen also went the distance, with Smith eventually prevailing 7–6 to reach his fourth European Tour final of the season.

In the final, Wade made the stronger start and opened up a 4–2 lead. Smith responded in style with a 150 checkout to reduce the deficit to 4–3, but he was unable to build on it. Wade remained consistent and won the next three legs to move within one of the title at 7–3. Smith briefly kept the match alive, but Wade soon finished the job on his favourite double 10, completing an 8–4 victory. Wade averaged 95.50, compared to Smith's 94.82.

With this victory, James Wade ended a ten-year wait for another European Tour title. His previous success had come at the European Darts Matchplay in Hamburg in 2016. Remarkably, Wade had also reached the final of the very first European Tour tournament in 2012, making his victory at the 150th event a fitting milestone in his career.

For Smith, the defeat brought an end to another impressive European Tour campaign. After winning both the International Darts Open and Hungarian Darts Trophy earlier in 2026, he came within one match of completing a third European Tour victory of the season. This time, however, Wade proved too strong and completed a memorable weekend in Antwerp with his first European Tour title in a decade.