2025 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP DARTS TIPS: GLORY FOR LITTLER ONCE MORE?
The top 32 players from the 14 European Tour events are set to battle it out in Dortmund with one notable exception – 2024 champion Ritchie Edhouse. His failure to qualify makes this the first time the European Championships have taken place without a defending champion.
Nathan Aspinall is the top seed for the event at the Westfalenhallen having won three events during the season, with runner-up last year, Jermaine Wattimena, seeded at 24. World champion Luke Littler and world number one Luke Humphries are seeds four and five, respectively.
The tournament is in leg-play format, with the number of legs to win increasing as the competition progresses.
Here, BetMGM has you covered with three tips for the tournament as darts heads to Germany once more…
Tip 1 – Gian Van Veen to win the European Darts Championships @ 11/1
Youth World Champion Gian Van Veen burst onto the scene with a semi-final showing at this tournament two years ago, but still awaits his first major PDC title.
He has a first-round tie against Damon Heta here, but perhaps crucially has avoided being in the same half of the draw as Luke’s Littler and Humphries.
The Dutchman won their last meeting at the UK Open, and though Heta has won three of their last five clashes, Van Veen will feel this is a good opportunity to progress in a major tournament.
His 2025 average of 97.83 is the sixth best on tour, while his 514 180s is the eighth-highest number of maximums. A first-round exit here last year to eventual winner Edhouse was far from ideal, but The Giant has made the last eight of the UK Open and the World Matchplay, as well as the semis of the World Cup so far this year – he will want to go one further.
A second-round clash with Johnny Clayton or Ryan Searle will await him if he beats Heta. Avoiding Humphries and Littler until potentially the final will be a huge incentive for his side of the draw, and the 11/1 odds for him to lift his first major are somewhat appealing. He will need to show what he is capable of, and if he can, he has every chance.
Tip 2 – Luke Littler to win the European Darts Championships @ 5/2
It may seem like an easy selection to make, but it is impossible to ignore Luke Littler. Staggeringly, at the age of just 18, the European Championships is one of the few titles he hasn’t won.
He’ll be wanting to banish an early exit last year at the hands of Andrew Gilding when he faces Raymond van Barneweld in his opener here, before James Wade or Mike De Decker await.
The way the draw has fallen means yet another battle with Humphries could take place at the quarter-final stage. Having just brushed him aside in the final of the World Grand Prix, missing the chance of a historic nine-darter in the process, The Nuke would be relishing the opportunity.
He’s won two of his three matches against Barney, and few will envisage any issues with progression here. The 5/2 for him to win the title actually feels quite generous.
He has pretty much blown everyone away this year. A staggering 780 maximums and an average of 100.69 show how good he is – he is the only player on tour averaging over a ton in 2025.
It will take an off day or a monumental effort from someone to stop him on current form, and though this has happened before, Littler may well be adding a fifth major of 2025 to his growing trophy collection.
Tip 3 – Luke Humphries, James Wade, Johnny Clayton and Gary Anderson to all win their first round matches @ 9/2
The first round of the European Championships has thrown together some interesting clashes, but also provided a strong chance of progression for many.
Luke Humphries has won two majors this year, including the BetMGM Premier League, and made the final of another. He has never won this one, but a first-round matchup with Krzysztof Ratajski should not pose too many issues – he hasn’t lost to the Pole since 2021 and despite a heavy defeat to Littler in the Grand Prix final, looks in good touch.
2018 European Championship champion James Wade has made two finals in 2025 and has threatened to win a first major since the 2021 UK Open. It’s Mike De Decker first up for The Machine, and he won their last meeting at the Masters in January.
The two do have a fairly even head-to-head record, with the Belgian actually winning four of their seven meetings but performances at major tournaments for the Real Deal have been less than perfect since his 2024 Grand Prix triumph – Round 4 of the UK Open is about as good as it has got.
Two-time world champion Gary Anderson looked in good touch at the Grand Prix before a quarter-final exit to Danny Noppert. First round opponent Cameron Menzies beat him in their last meeting, but that is the only time he has ever done so in six attempts.
He’s making his debut here, but has his work cut out against his fellow Scot. Despite a lack of major wins in recent years, Anderson has averaged 97.74 this year, the sixth-best. You’d back him to beat Cammy once more here – two quarter-final appearances in this year’s Grand Prix and the 2024 Grand Slam are his best in majors, and we can’t see that improving here.
The last first-round clash for our selection is Johnny Clayton vs Ryan Searle. The Ferret has been the nearly man of 2025 – semi-final appearances in the UK Open, the World Matchplay and the Grand Prix, as well as a runner-up finish at the World Masters and the World Cup have seen the Welshman come up just short.
Searle has never been past round two and has beaten Clayton only once in their last five matchups. He has his work cut out, and with Clayton playing well, another early exit beckons for Heavy Metal, and the 9/2 for Humphries, Wade, Clayton and Anderson to all win their first round matches carries weight for an opening-round acca.
Odds correct at time of publication but subject to change