Ross Smith beats Martin Schindler 11-8 to win European Championship in Dortmund

Ross Smith held off Germany's Martin Schindler in Dortmund on 25 October 2026 to win the European Championship final, prevailing 11-8 in the best-of-21 match. World champion Luke Littler had been knocked out earlier in the quarter-finals.

Smith claimed the European Championship for a second time, having previously won the title in 2022, and reached the final after victories over Luke Woodhouse (10-6) and Gerwyn Price (11-7). Speaking to ITV after the final, Smith said: "It's absolutely amazing." He added: "I'm not going to lie, I was a bit sweaty there. He wouldn't let up would he? Full credit to him." Smith also noted his recent form, having won the World Series of Darts Finals in September, and said: "To win another major, not just this year, but just to win another major, I'm absolutely over the moon and drained. I'm buzzing."

In the final Smith produced a decisive mid-match run, reeling off six consecutive legs to move into an 8-2 lead before Schindler mounted a response. Schindler narrowed the gap to 9-7, but Smith won the remaining legs needed to finish the match 11-8.

Schindler reached the final after a 10-1 victory over Jonny Clayton and a 11-6 semi-final win against Krzysztof Ratajski. Those results set up the Dortmund final against Smith.

Littler's tournament ended in the quarter-finals when Krzysztof Ratajski beat him 10-6 in the afternoon session. Reflecting on his exit on social media, Littler wrote: "Played well in the lead up to today, but just didn't click for me earlier. Thank you for all the support this weekend. The wait for this one goes on."

Quarter-final and semi-final scorelines from the event were: Ross Smith 10-6 Luke Woodhouse; Gerwyn Price 10-3 Stephen Bunting; Martin Schindler 10-1 Jonny Clayton; Krzysztof Ratajski 10-6 Luke Littler; Ross Smith 11-7 Gerwyn Price; Martin Schindler 11-6 Krzysztof Ratajski. The final concluded with Ross Smith 11-8 Martin Schindler.

The victory awarded Smith his second European Championship title and added to his recent season success, following the World Series of Darts Finals win in September.