THE field for the 2017 Unibet European Championship has been confirmed, following the conclusion of the 12 European Tour events.
The year's dozen £135,000 PDC European Tour events count towards qualification for the European Championship, which will be held from October 26-29 at the Ethias Arena in Hasselt, Belgium.
The top 32 players from the final European Tour Order of Merit qualify to compete in the European Championship, televised live on ITV4, with the top eight seeded in the draw.
Reigning European Champion Michael van Gerwen will be the top seed in his bid to claim a fourth successive title, after he topped the final rankings following his sixth victory of the year in Gottingen on Sunday.
Five-time event winner Peter Wright finished second in the standings after a superb campaign, with May's Gibraltar Darts Trophy champion Michael Smith finishing third.
2016 European Championship runner-up Mensur Suljovic is joined amongst the eight seeds by Jelle Klaasen, Rob Cross, Joe Cullen and 2012 European Champion Simon Whitlock.
The Belgian trio of brothers Kim and Ronny Huybrechts and youngster Dimitri Van den Bergh will get the chance to step on stage in their homeland.
Berlin's Martin Schindler will make his debut and is the only German representative in the field, while Polish ace Krzysztof Ratajski makes his first European Championship appearance following a strong year on the European Tour.
Nathan Aspinall, Jan Dekker and James Richardson secured their qualification with their performances in Gottingen over the weekend, while Darren Webster and Jonny Clayton held on to qualify ahead of James Wilson, who misses out on count-back.
Former European Champion Adrian Lewis and TV event winners James Wade, Raymond van Barneveld and Robert Thornton missed out on qualification, while there will be no Phil Taylor or Gary Anderson in Hasselt after neither competed on the European Tour this year.
The Unibet European Championship will be held from October 26-29 at the Ethias Arena in Hasselt, Belgium. For tickets, visit www.pdc-europe.tv.
Click here to see the final 2017 European Tour Order of Merit
2017 Unibet European Championship
Seeded Players
1 Michael van Gerwen
2 Peter Wright
3 Michael Smith
4 Mensur Suljovic
5 Jelle Klaasen
6 Rob Cross
7 Joe Cullen
8 Simon Whitlock
Qualifiers
Dave Chisnall, Benito van de Pas, Kim Huybrechts, Daryl Gurney, Mervyn King, Gerwyn Price, Cristo Reyes, Ian White, Stephen Bunting, Krzysztof Ratajski, Alan Norris, Vincent van der Voort, Martin Schindler, Christian Kist, John Henderson, Kyle Anderson, Dimitri Van den Bergh, Steve Beaton, Nathan Aspinall, Ronny Huybrechts, Jan Dekker, James Richardson, Darren Webster, Jonny Clayton.
The draw will be made w/c October 16 2017 and is likely to be broadcast live through the OfficialPDC Facebook page.
2017 Unibet European Championship
Session Times
Thursday October 26 (8pm local time, 7pm UK time)
First Round x8
Friday October 27
Afternoon Session (1.45pm local time, 12.45pm UK time)
First Round x8
Evening Session (8pm local time, 7pm UK time)
Second Round x4
Saturday October 28 (8pm local time, 7pm UK time)
Second Round x4
Sunday October 29
Afternoon Session (1.45pm local time, 12.45pm UK time)
Quarter-Finals
Evening Session (8pm local time, 7pm UK time)
Semi-Finals
Final