Littler Faces New Challenge as PDC Unveils Additional Major and France Hosts First European Tour Event

The 2027 Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) schedule is set to become even more crowded, with the debut of the European Open and the inaugural PDC European Tour stop in France taking centre stage. While these additions signal the sport’s expanding footprint across the continent, they also tighten the path for rising star Luke Littler, who is already chasing the rare achievement of winning every major televised PDC title. The European Open will be staged in Salzburg from June 18 to June 20, marking the first time the city hosts a PDC major. This three‑day tournament will sit directly after the World Cup of Darts, which returns to Frankfurt for a four‑day stint from June 10 to June 13, and before the World Matchplay in Blackpool, scheduled for July 17‑25.

All holders of a PDC Tour Card will be eligible to compete, and the event will boast a prize pool of £750,000. By adding this competition, the total number of PDC majors climbs from eleven to twelve, creating yet another hurdle for world number one Luke Littler. Littler’s ambition is to replicate Michael van Gerwen’s historic clean sweep of all premier televised PDC titles—a feat that has only been accomplished once before. The new European Open therefore represents a fresh obstacle in his quest.

The timing is especially significant because Littler has recently chosen to sit out several European circuit events and has even threatened to boycott Dutch tournaments after a hostile reception at the World Series of Darts Finals, where he was booed and whistled by the crowd. The European circuit itself is undergoing a major overhaul.

The European Championship will expand to a 48‑player field and will stretch across six days, with a £1 million prize fund on offer. Meanwhile, the European Tour will break new ground by visiting France for the first time in March 2027. The town of Lievin will host the fourth stop of a 15‑tournament season from March 19 to March 21, just before the Easter holidays. This French leg follows earlier Tour stops in Kiel, Krakow and Riesa, and will be followed by further events in Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Belgium, Switzerland, Hungary and the Netherlands throughout the year.

PDC Chief Executive Matt Porter praised the schedule changes as evidence of darts’ booming popularity across Europe. He highlighted that the introduction of the European Open, the enlarged European Championship, and the boosted prize money on the European Tour all demonstrate the sport’s strength and the organization’s commitment to providing more opportunities for players at every tier of the professional ladder.

Porter also noted increased investment in the Challenge and Development Tours, which will now feature six three‑day weekends with daily tournaments and a raised prize of £30,000 per event, extending payouts down to the last 128 competitors. The 2027 calendar will kick off with Qualifying Schools in Milton Keynes and Kalkar from January 4‑10, followed by the Winmau World Masters in Milton Keynes from January 27‑31. The Premier League will then launch in Glasgow on February 4, embarking on a 17‑night tour across the United Kingdom and Europe before culminating in the Finals Night at London’s O2 Arena on May 27. February also marks the start of the Players Championship circuit, which will feature 34 events spread across the UK and Europe throughout the season.

The European Tour will begin in Kiel from February 12‑14, before moving to its historic French debut the following month. After the World Cup and European Open in June, the World Matchplay returns to Blackpool’s Winter Gardens for a nine‑day showdown that concludes on July 25, alongside the Women’s World Matchplay.

The Tour will resume in Leverkusen in July and continue with stops in Bratislava, Ghent, Basel, Budapest and Maastricht during the second half of the year. September sees the World Grand Prix back in Leicester from September 27 to October 3, while the European Championship expands to a six‑day format in Dortmund from October 26‑31. The Grand Slam of Darts will be contested in Wolverhampton from November 6‑14, and the Players Championship Finals will head to Minehead from November 26‑28. The season will close with the World Darts Championship at London’s Alexandra Palace in December, running into early January.

Broadcast coverage remains anchored with Sky Sports, which will air the World Grand Prix, Grand Slam of Darts and the World Darts Championship live. Fans can also stream matches via the NOW platform without a contract, ensuring broad accessibility to the sport’s expanding schedule. Overall, the 2027 PDC agenda reflects a vigorous growth strategy, offering more tournaments, larger prize pools and a broader geographic reach. For Luke Littler, the increased slate of majors and the intensified competition across Europe mean that his pursuit of a complete set of televised titles will be more demanding than ever.

Yet the expanded calendar also provides additional platforms for emerging talent to showcase their skills, further enriching the sport’s competitive landscape.