The 2027 calendar for the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) is set to become one of the busiest and most diverse ever, highlighted by the launch of the European Open and the debut of a PDC European Tour stop in France. While these additions underline the sport's rapid growth across the continent, they also tighten the schedule for players like world number one Luke Littler, whose ambition to claim every major televised title could become even more elusive.
The inaugural European Open will be staged in Salzburg, Austria, from June 18 to June 20, 2027. This three‑day tournament will sit directly after the World Cup of Darts, which returns to Frankfurt for a four‑day run from June 10 to June 13. The European Open will feature every holder of a PDC Tour Card, competing for a substantial prize pool of £750,000.
Its inclusion pushes the total count of PDC majors from eleven to twelve, creating an extra hurdle for Littler, who is chasing the kind of clean‑sweep achievement only Michael van Gerwen has managed to date. Littler’s path to that historic feat has already been complicated by recent controversies. Earlier in the season he chose to sit out several European circuit events, and he publicly threatened to boycott Dutch tournaments after being booed and whistled at the World Series of Darts Finals.
The arrival of another major means he now has one more high‑stakes title to add to his résumé, and the pressure to perform consistently across an expanding slate of elite competitions will be intense. The European circuit itself is undergoing a major overhaul. The European Championship will be broadened to a 48‑player field and stretched over six days, with the prize fund swelling to £1 million.
Meanwhile, the European Tour will break new ground by traveling to France for the first time. The town of Lievin will host the fourth leg of the fifteen‑event tour from March 19 to March 21, just before the Easter holidays.
This French stop follows earlier tour stops in Kiel (Germany), Krakow (Poland), and Riesa (Germany), and will be followed by a series of events across established venues in Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Belgium, Switzerland, Hungary, and the Netherlands throughout the year. PDC Chief Executive Matt Porter praised the expansion, saying it reflects the sport’s “huge excitement” and the organisation’s commitment to creating more opportunities for players at every level. He highlighted increased investment in the Challenge and Development Tours, which will now feature larger prize pots and more playing days, helping to nurture the next generation of talent.
The 2027 season will kick off with Qualifying Schools in Milton Keynes (England) and Kalkar (Germany) from January 4 to January 10. Those events determine which players earn Tour Cards for the upcoming year. Shortly after, the Winmau World Masters will be held in Milton Keynes from January 27 to January 31, offering another early‑year title for contenders. The Premier League will open in Glasgow on February 4, launching a 17‑night league that will travel across the United Kingdom and Europe before culminating in a Finals Night at The O2 in London on May 27.
Simultaneously, the Players Championship series will begin in February, with 34 ranking events spread throughout the season across various venues in the UK and Europe. The European Tour’s first leg will be in Kiel from February 12 to February 14, after which the circuit will head to France for its historic debut. Following the World Cup of Darts and the new European Open in June, the World Matchplay will return to Blackpool’s Winter Gardens for a nine‑day showdown from July 17 to July 25, ending alongside the inaugural Women’s World Matchplay. Later in the summer, the tour will resume in Leverkusen, Germany, before moving on to Bratislava (Slovakia), Ghent (Belgium), Basel (Switzerland), Budapest (Hungary) and Maastricht (Netherlands) for the second half of the season.
The World Grand Prix will be staged in Leicester from September 27 to October 3, and the expanded European Championship will take place in Dortmund from October 26 to October 31, offering a six‑day festival of high‑calibre darts. The Grand Slam of Darts will head to Wolverhampton from November 6 to November 14, and the Players Championship Finals will return to Minehead for a three‑day climax from November 26 to November 28. The year will close with the iconic World Darts Championship at London’s Alexandra Palace, running from early December into early January 2028. In addition to the headline events, the PDC’s Challenge and Development Tours will be restructured for 2027.
Both circuits will consist of six three‑day weekends, with a tournament scheduled each day. Prize money for each event will rise to £30,000, and payouts will extend down to the last 128 players, ensuring a broader distribution of earnings and encouraging deeper fields.
Broadcast coverage will remain anchored on Sky Sports, which will air the World Grand Prix (September 28‑October 4), the Grand Slam of Darts (November 14‑22) and the World Darts Championship (December 10‑January 3). Fans can also stream matches via the NOW platform without a contractual commitment, providing flexible viewing options.
Overall, the 2027 PDC calendar promises a record‑breaking array of tournaments, larger prize funds, and a truly pan‑European footprint. For Luke Littler, the added European Open represents both a fresh opportunity and a new obstacle on his quest to join Michael van Gerwen as the only player to have captured every major televised PDC title. The expanded schedule will test his consistency, adaptability, and mental resilience as he navigates a sport that is clearly on an upward trajectory across the continent.