See Swiss Darts Trophy live at St. Jakobshalle in Basel on 10 October 2026. The evening darts session features eight second-round matches, including Luke Humphries and Michael van Gerwen. Plan your ticket purchase and arrive in time for the 19:00 start to follow the finishes, 180s and decisive legs
Swiss Darts Trophy in Basel: Saturday evening opens the battle of the favourites
The Swiss Darts Trophy brings professional darts back to St. Jakobshalle in Basel. The Saturday evening session on 10 October 2026, starting at 19:00, features eight second-round matches and the first appearances of the seeded players. Among them are Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen, Stephen Bunting and Gian van Veen, whose opponents have already had to come through Friday's round.
The tournament runs from 9 to 11 October and is the third edition of the PDC European Tour event in Basel. The winners of Saturday's matches advance to Sunday's round of 16, while the final stages are scheduled for Sunday evening. It is worth securing tickets in good time.
Eight matches, eight different stories
The schedule was confirmed following Friday's results. The matches are listed in the order of the evening session, which begins at 19:00 local time in Basel. Individual start times depend on the duration of the preceding matches.
- Josh Rock - Dave Chisnall
- Stephen Bunting - Jeffrey de Graaf
- James Wade - Dirk van Duijvenbode
- Jonny Clayton - Maik Kuivenhoven
- Michael van Gerwen - Mensur Suljovic
- Luke Humphries - Kevin Doets
- Gian van Veen - Niko Springer
- Danny Noppert - Damon Heta
Being seeded does not guarantee progression. Dave Chisnall only narrowly defeated Alan Soutar 6:5, Maik Kuivenhoven eliminated Raymond van Barneveld 6:3, and Dirk van Duijvenbode beat the impressive Swiss qualifier Bruno Stöckli 6:3.
Friday's winners already have experience on the Basel stage. When six legs are enough to advance, even a single successful break can seriously threaten a seeded player.
Luke Humphries arrives after a comeback at the World Grand Prix
Luke Humphries arrives in Basel as the top seed, fresh from winning the World Grand Prix title in Leicester. In the final on 4 October, he defeated Gerwyn Price 6:4 in sets despite trailing 0:3. That comeback is an important indication of his current competitive form: Humphries withstood his opponent's early surge, improved his finishing efficiency and won a match that had long appeared lost. Sky Sports reports that he finished the final with a three-dart average of 93.16 points and ten 180s.
In Basel, he faces Kevin Doets, who defeated Nick Kenny 6:3 on Friday. However, the matches are played in legs rather than sets, as at the World Grand Prix. A single successful break in the shorter format can cancel out the top seed's advantage.
Particular attention will be paid to Humphries' attempts at doubles: a high scoring average does not guarantee victory if the finishing dart fails to find its target.
Bunting defends his title, while van Gerwen seeks progression against Suljovic
Stephen Bunting returns to Basel as the 2025 champion. In that year's final, he defeated Luke Woodhouse 8:3. A year earlier, Martin Schindler claimed the first Swiss Darts Trophy title with an 8:7 victory over Ryan Searle. The different outcomes of the two finals are a useful reminder that a title can be decided either by a convincing scoreline or in the final leg.
Bunting faces Jeffrey de Graaf, who defeated Sietse Lap 6:4 on Friday. The defending champion knows the pressure of this arena, but his opponent has already overcome one obstacle.
Michael van Gerwen meets Mensur Suljovic, who won his match against György Jehirszki 6:3. Van Gerwen is known for his powerful scoring and his determination to constantly leave his opponent with a difficult task, while Suljovic has a different pace and experience of prolonged exchanges under pressure. The match therefore offers an interesting comparison of playing rhythms, but without data on their current averages, it would be premature to claim who will dominate.
James Wade plays Dirk van Duijvenbode, while Gian van Veen faces Niko Springer, who defeated Roman Wellinger 6:1 on Friday. Josh Rock awaits Chisnall, already tested in a decisive eleventh leg. These encounters offer everything from early initiative to a possible 5:5 scoreline.
The Swiss presence in the draw and the importance of Friday's surprises
Four Swiss places were secured through the host-nation qualifiers. Roman Wellinger, Bruno Stöckli and Alex Fehlmann were eliminated in the first round, while Stefan Bellmont defeated Andrew Gilding 6:3. Bellmont plays against Krzysztof Ratajski in Saturday's afternoon session, not the evening session. This distinction matters when choosing a ticket: visitors arriving for the 19:00 session will not see Bellmont's match during that session.
Stöckli's encounter with van Duijvenbode also demonstrated how the score alone does not tell the whole story. Although he lost 3:6, the Swiss player recorded an average of approximately 98 points per three darts, according to a PDC Europe report, and also achieved a 148-point checkout. Such a performance can be competitive even when the final score appears one-sided. Nevertheless, it is important to distinguish one excellent evening from consistently proven long-term form.
Luke Littler is not competing in Basel, and Gerwyn Price is also among the withdrawn players. As a result, the final line-up differs from older promotional announcements: visitors planning their trip should rely on the confirmed pairings following Friday's matches.
How legs, checkouts and decisive darts work
The Swiss Darts Trophy is a knockout tournament. A total of 48 players participate: 16 seeded players enter in the second round, while the remaining players compete in the first. The first four rounds are played over a maximum of 11 legs, meaning that the first player to win six legs takes the match. If the score reaches 5:5, the eleventh leg decides who advances. The semi-finals are played over a maximum of 13 legs, with seven required to win, while the final is played over a maximum of 15 legs, with eight winning legs required. There are no sets in this competition.
Each leg begins with 501 points. Players take turns at the throwing line and try to reduce their score to exactly zero as quickly as possible. However, the final dart must land in a double segment. A hit in the central bullseye is worth 50 points and can also be used to finish a leg. If a player exceeds the remaining score or leaves a score of one, that visit does not count and the score returns to what it was at the beginning of the visit.
A 180 occurs when all three darts hit the treble twenty. The crowd easily recognises it through loud reactions and displays of the number 180, but an equally valuable moment can be a checkout: finishing a leg with a precise sequence of hits. For example, 170 can be checked out with two treble twenties and a bullseye. Therefore, even a player who is behind in scoring can turn a leg around if the opponent misses several darts at the finishing double.
The three-dart average indicates scoring quality, but double efficiency and breaks, meaning winning a leg against an opponent who threw first, are also decisive for victory.
Why Basel matters in the closing stages of the European Tour
The Swiss Darts Trophy is the fourteenth of fifteen stops on the 2026 PDC European Tour. After Basel comes the Dutch Darts Championship in Maastricht from 16 to 18 October, followed by the European Championship in Dortmund from 22 to 25 October. The Basel result also matters for the European Tour Order of Merit rankings, which determine qualification for Dortmund.
The prize fund amounts to £230,000, with £35,000 going to the winner. Placings affect the PDC rankings according to the rules governing the recognition of prize money. Every victory therefore carries weight, including for players battling to qualify for the European Championship.
The first edition in Basel was held in 2024, making this a relatively young stop on the tour, with two different winners so far.
St. Jakobshalle: player walk-ons and the energy of the stands
St. Jakobshalle is located in the sports complex on the southeastern edge of Basel, next to St. Jakob-Park. The arena opened in 1976, and following modernisation completed in 2018, the main arena can accommodate up to 12,400 people. This is the maximum capacity of the venue, not the number of confirmed seats for this tournament. PDC Europe reports that more than 8,200 spectators attended the Saturday programme of the inaugural edition in 2024, demonstrating the scale of interest in darts in Basel.
Experiencing darts inside the arena differs from watching a television broadcast. Players walk on to music, the crowd reacts to familiar entrances, and after 180-point scores, cheers and chants spread throughout the venue. Nevertheless, spectators are expected not to disturb the athletes' concentration during actual throws. Whistling, heckling and deliberately disturbing players during play may result in removal from the venue.
Costumes are permitted, but football club insignia, offensive messages and dangerous objects are not. Lighting effects and smoke may be used during player introductions. Flash photography and recording without permission are prohibited. Large screens and scoreboards are useful for following the finishing darts.
Tickets for the Saturday evening session are specifically tied to the session beginning at 19:00. Tickets for this event are in demand, so it is advisable to check the date and session on your confirmation in advance.
Getting there, entering the arena and planning the evening
The visitor address is St. Jakobs-Strasse 390, 4052 Basel. Tram line 14 and bus line 36 stop at St. Jakob, immediately next to the arena. From Basel SBB railway station, visitors can take tram 8, 10 or 11 to Aeschenplatz and transfer there to line 14. The arena lists approximately 20 minutes of travel time for this connection, but current timetables and possible changes after the evening programme should be checked before travelling.
For those arriving by car, Brüglingerstrasse 21 is a practical destination to enter into a navigation system, leading towards the car parks by the complex. St. Jakob Car Park has 1,054 parking spaces, while Shopping St. Jakob-Park parking is an alternative. Major events can slow down vehicles entering and leaving, so public transport is often the simpler choice. For visitors requiring accessible entry, the arena provides specially marked access and spaces for wheelchair users.
According to the organiser's schedule, the foyer opens for the evening session at 18:00, with entry to the auditorium beginning at 18:30. The arena's calendar separately lists the opening of the complex doors from 17:00. Visitors should therefore distinguish between arriving at the building, gaining access to the foyer and taking their seats before the first match. The evening session is expected to last approximately four hours, until around 23:00, although this may vary depending on the matches. Cloakroom facilities and food and drink sales are available at the arena, and cash payments are not accepted for the cloakroom.
Basel lies on the Rhine, near the borders with Germany and France. Before the tournament, visitors can stroll through the historic centre around Basel Münster, Marktplatz and Rathaus, or visit Kunstmuseum Basel. Return transport should be planned around the possibility that the session will finish at approximately 23:00.
Sources:
- PDC Europe - first-day results and confirmed second-round pairings: https://www.pdc-europe.tv/turniere/swiss-darts-trophy-2026/bericht
- Swiss Darts Trophy - dates, format, prize fund and previous winners: https://www.swiss-darts-trophy.ch/turnierbeschreibung
- dartn.de - overview of the draw, qualifiers, withdrawals and tournament history: https://www.dartn.de/swiss_darts_trophy/
- Sky Sports - report on the 2026 World Grand Prix final and Humphries' form: https://www.skysports.com/darts/news/13595109/world-grand-prix-darts-luke-humphries-beats-gerwyn-price-6-4-after-epic-comeback-to-claim-major-title-in-leicester
- St. Jakobshalle Basel - capacity, directions, parking and accessibility: https://stjakobshalle.ch/en/infos/ and https://stjakobshalle.ch/en/venues/
- St. Jakobshalle Basel - entrance schedule and services at the event: https://stjakobshalle.ch/kalenders/swiss-darts-trophy/
- Swiss Darts Trophy - rules of conduct and items permitted inside: https://www.swiss-darts-trophy.ch/einlass
- PDC Europe - darts terminology and rules of the 501 game: https://www.pdc-europe.tv/glossar
- PDC Europe - report on the inaugural edition and attendance in 2024: https://www.pdc-europe.tv/news/premiere-records-and-tears-of-joy-martin-schindler-wins-the-swiss-darts-trophy/
- Basel Tourism - attractions in the old town: https://www.basel.com/en/places-of-interest/old-town